Canon RF-S 10-18mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM

The $329.99 Canon RF-S 10-18mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM lens readily serves beginners with APS-C EOS R mirrorless cameras. It covers a wider view of the world than the available kit options, is quite compact, performs well, and retails at an entry-level price. The narrow aperture and lack of weather sealing respectively limit the lens' use in dim light and harsh conditions, but it's ultimately a serviceable complement to the $299.99 RF-S 18-45mm that comes with Canon’s starter cameras. No other ultra-wide, crop-sensor zooms with autofocus are available for the system, though shutterbugs who are comfortable with manual focus can consider the wider, slightly brighter Venus Optics Laowa 8-16mm F3.5-5 CF at $549. We haven't tested the 8-16mm, but have enjoyed other optics from the brand.

Wide-Angle Views and Basic Features

The construction and features of the RF-S 10-18mm F4.5-6.3 match its budget-friendly price. Aside from the glass optics, the lens is an all-plastic affair down to the mount. It lacks weather protection, as well as on-barrel function buttons. You don't get a lens hood in the box either, though Canon does sell the compatible EW-53B for $29. If you want to add a protective or ND filter, it supports the 49mm thread size.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

On the plus side, the plastic build makes for a small-and-light design that matches up with basic Canon mirrorless bodies like the EOS R50, R100, and R10. The lens weighs just 5.3 ounces and measures 1.8 by 2.7 inches (HD) at its shortest length. It extends slightly longer as you zoom in, but there's no lock or button to deal with. A hard twist is all it takes to swap between the collapsed and ready-to-shoot configurations.

The lens covers a modest 1.8x range equivalent to that of a 16-29mm full-frame zoom. Its starting angle is right at the edge of what I consider ultra-wide with a slightly narrower starting angle than the iPhone 15's 0.5x lens (13mm equivalent), for reference. Overall, this is a suitable optic for architectural interiors, cityscapes, and landscapes, as well as for selfies and arm's-length vlogs.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

As mentioned, neither the $499.99 RF-S 18-150mm nor the 18-45mm F4.5-6.3 IS see as broad a view. Canon also sell the compact, full-frame 10-20mm F4 for $2,299, though that's likely out of reach for most creators with an APS-C camera. The RF 16mm F2.8 is an excellent, low-cost lens to consider if you just want a slightly wider angle versus your kit zoom, and is a lens you can take with you if you later upgrade to a full-frame Canon.

Autofocusing third-party lenses are still missing from the EOS R catalog, which means there are few alternatives. The $599 Sigma 10-18mm F2.8 DC DN Contemporary for Fuji and Sony bodies would be one to consider if Canon ever allows it on the RF mount, however. In a recent interview with PetaPixel, Canon indicated that it's in negotiations with third-party manufacturers, so it's worth waiting to see what happens if you're not happy with the narrow aperture of the RF-S 10-18mm.

If you're up to the challenge of using a full-time manual focus lens, you could consider the aforementioned Venus Optics Laowa 8-16mm F3.5-5. Manual focus may be intimidating to novices but it's not hard to achieve with an EVF and there's ample leeway for slight misfocus with an ultra-wide lens. Meanwhile, TTArtisans sells the fixed-angle 10mm F2 for just $159, though I haven't yet tested it.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Finally, you could turn to older EF-S SLR lenses via the EF-EOS R adapter and enjoy autofocus. Don't sleep on options like the Tamron 10-24mm F3.5-4.5 Di II VC HLD if you want something more midrange than entry-level. Just be prepared to navigate the used market.

Easy Handling and Minimal Controls

There's not much to the RF-S 10-18mm in terms of on-barrel control. As expected, Canon leaves off the toggle switches and function buttons of high-dollar lenses. The zoom ring takes up most of the space here and is easy to find thanks to its ribbed plastic texture. A painted dot indicates when the zoom is in its retracted position, while focal length markings appear at 10, 12, 14, 16, and 18mm.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

A slim, diamond-knurled function ring sits just ahead of the focus ring. In autofocus mode, its function is configurable. You can set it to handle aperture, EV compensation, ISO, shutter, and white balance adjustments, in addition to dozens of other options. If you set the body to manual focus, the function ring automatically switches over to focus control.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

The autofocus response is snappy, accurate, and quiet enough to use for video along with the in-camera mic. Manual focus is a bit touchy, however, regardless of whether you set the camera body for a linear or nonlinear response. In either case, the focus drives too quickly for minute adjustments. You're better off using autofocus full-time.

I don't expect anyone to rely on this zoom for indie film projects, but it has ample appeal for self-recording vloggers thanks to its wide view and effective optical stabilization. I didn't notice any blooming or shrinking of the frame from focus shifts (known as focus breathing) either. I still recommend enabling digital stabilization in your camera for walk-and-talk footage, despite the slight crop that mode adds. If you want to add a powered gimbal to your crop-sensor kit, the small DJI RS 3 Mini is a suitable choice.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

I tested the lens with the EOS R7, a body with a stabilized sensor. The lens and camera stabilization systems work together to support up to six stops of compensation in this case. The EOS R10, R50, and R100 all rely solely on the lens' stabilization, so you can expect up to four stops on those. For close-up, handheld tests at both the wide and long ends, I managed to get images free of shake-induced motion blur at 1/2-second consistently and hit-or-miss results at 1-second. This is all good news if you like to take long-exposure photos and work without a tripod.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

The lens focuses quite close, so you can get the wide-angle macro look from photos. With autofocus, it provides the best macros at 18mm. Here, the 5.5-inch minimum focus distance enables 1:4.3 life-size reproduction. If you switch to manual focus and zoom out to 10mm, the focus distance decreases to 3.4 inches and allows for half-size magnification. Because lens macro distances are measured from the sensor, there are just centimeters between the front glass and the closest focus point at 10mm. It can thus be tricky to prevent the camera from casting a shadow or creating perspective distortion. Of course, you might find the latter effect useful for some scenes, especially if you have an eye for the grotesque—it causes features and shapes to stretch unnaturally.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

RF-S 10-18mm: In the Lab

I matched the 10-18mm with the 33MP EOS R7 to check its optical performance in our test lab and the field. We rely on Imatest and an SFRplus test chart for contrast-based resolution testing. The zoom provides consistent performance across its focal range, landing in the very good range (3,500-3,700 lines) for the R7's sensor from f/4.5-8. Pictures start to soften at smaller f-stops, an expected result of optical diffraction. In essence, light particles scatter when they pass through a very small opening—in this case, a closed-down aperture.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Despite the loss of detail, some creators look to narrower apertures to create the sunstar effect. It's the result of diffraction—extra bright areas of a photo, like the sun, take on the shape of the aperture as they pass through and render as multi-point starbursts. Forgive the pun, but the 10-18mm isn't an all-star here. Its 14-point bursts don't have crisp tines and introduce some false color.

In general, the RF-S 10-18mm struggles when it comes to capturing pictures against a strong backlight. It's prone to false color and flare, even wide-open. Contrast holds up pretty well, but the ghosting can be ugly and distracting. If you tend to go out on sunny days, I recommend picking up the optional hood. It's overpriced, but I couldn't find an aftermarket alternative at press time.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Automatic in-camera corrections take care of barrel distortion and a vignette, so JPGs and video captures show properly straight lines and decently even illumination across the frame. If you prefer the raw format, make sure your image processor has a correction profile. Adobe Lightroom Classic, our standard for camera and lens reviews, applies one automatically. If you opt not to employ corrections for raw images, you can get a wider view of a scene, albeit one with a slight fisheye bulge and blurry corners. It's something you can use for artistic effect in any case.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

The lens' wide angle of view and narrow aperture make it easier to capture scenes with a large depth of field, but you can still blur backgrounds at macro ranges. The amount of softening is slight overall and I was able to identify background objects in many situations. Although I see a bit of false color (longitudinal chromatic aberration) in the backgrounds, it's not a major issue. Lateral chromatic aberration, which manifests as color fringing in high-contrast areas on the plane of focus, is more evident, but, again, not overly problematic. If you see the latter effect in a photo, try narrowing the f-stop a bit or using a tool like Lightroom's Defringe slider.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Competent, If Unexciting

The RF-S 10-18mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM won't impress hobbyists and pros with exotic specs, but it offers reliably good performance in a carry-friendly design for photographers just starting out with a crop-sensor Canon mirrorless camera. It sees more of the world than the 18-45mm or 18-150mm kit lenses, focuses silently, and features effective stabilization, all for a very affordable price. The narrow aperture range and tendency to flare aren't major downsides either, considering that there aren't currently any first- or third-party alternatives that autofocus and cover the same range at a comparable price. You shouldn't hesitate to get it if you want to experiment with wider angles. If you think you're up for manual focus, the Laowa 8-16mm F3.5-5 CF is one of the few alternatives available. We haven't reviewed it but have rated other lenses from the company highly.