Canon 18-55 STM vs 18-135 STM

Last Updated on May 10, 2021

Canon 18-55 STM

If you are debating which kit lens to get then you need to know the difference between the Canon 18-55 STM and the 18-135 STM lenses. We will give you the complete rundown so you know which is the right lens for your photography style.

Canon 18-55 STM Specs

Lens Type: Standard
Compatible Mountings: Canon EF-S
Maximum Focal Length: 55mm
Minimum Focal Length: 18mm

Focal Length & Maximum Aperture: 18–55mm 1:3.5–5.6
Lens Construction: 13 elements in 11 groups
Diagonal Angle of View: 74°20′ – 27°50′
Focus Adjustment: Inner focusing system
Closest Focusing Distance: 0.82 ft. / 0.25m
Filter Size: 58mm
Max Diameter x Length, Weight: 2.7 x 3.0 inches, approx. 7.2 oz. / 69.0 x 75.2mm, approx. 205g

This lens offers a good build quality and it feels sturdy in the hand. It is built to last making durability a plus.

Who It’s For

Since the lens can be used on crop sensor cameras then it is great for those who want to share lenses between a crop and full frame camera. It also works well if you buy a camera body for general use and only need one lens.

It is not good for pro portrait photography since it doesn’t offer the focal length to be able to blur the body of the person in shot. You also need more than 55mm when doing landscape photography but this will cover most of your needs when shooting mid-range or hobby portraits.

What We Love About It

We love that it offers great value for the price and is a good quality lens. It is small and light which makes it easy to carry even when paired with a heavy DSLR camera.

What We Don’t Love About It

There are some features missing from this lens like weather sealing. This means you need to buy an extra lens coat to ensure you are protected from dust and water, especially if you spend your time shooting outdoors.

How It Performed In Our Tests

The lens performed well when tested. We took it on a few photo walks and the lens held up to the day. The camera’s sensor did have some fogging when we took it out in a blustery day but this cleared up after two minutes of keeping the camera in our pockets.

Canon 18-135 STM Specs

Lens Type: Telephoto
Compatible Mountings: Canon EF
Maximum Focal Length: 105mm
Minimum Focal Length: 24mm

Focal length and maximum aperture: 18 135mm, 1:3.5 5.6
Closest focusing distance: 0.39 meters/1.3 feet
Lens construction: 16 elements in 12 groups
Diagonal angle of view: 11 Degree 30 feet; 74 Degree 20 feet
Inner focusing system

This lens is also built well. It will offer durability and consistent performance. It offers plenty of features and performance for it’s price point.

Who It’s For

This lens is great for beginners and pros alike. It is a good telephoto lens that can be used to capture portraits, landscapes, wildlife and much more. You can even use the camera for sports but you need to be in close proximity.

What We Love About It

The lens has the versatility we want in all of our lenses. It offers good quality images at all focal lengths without having to switch lenses, which means you can capture more moments by keeping this one lens with you.

What We Don’t Love About It

Well the biggest downside about this lens is that it is heavy. You would need to pair it up with a DSLR camera that can handle the weight.

How It Performed In Our Tests

This lens performed well when tested and is a great telephoto lens for capturing nature images. The zoom range works nice and covers most of the body image when used hand-held. This lens also did well in low light situations without a flash relative to it’s price.

Which Should You Get?

Both lenses offer good performance for what they are designed to do. The key is to select the lens that is best suited for your style of photography. If you are looking for a low cost all around lens then the Canon 18-55 STM is a solid choice. But if you are looking for higher quality and versatility as well as the ability to shoot simple landscapes and wildlife then the Canon 18-135 STM Specs is the right choice.