Canon Announces EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS, Est. $699

This will be very popular.

It took awhile, but Canon finally is releasing the widely anticipated, and waited for, 18-200mm IS lens, a format that is wildly popular with Nikon owners due to its “one lens and go” nature. Canon is claiming 4 stops of shake compensation, and according to Imaging Resource:

Canon staff members were unusually enthusiastic in describing its image quality, saying that early image samples they’d seen have led them to believe it’s going to ‘trump everything out there.” If true, that’d certainly be welcome news to Canon fans, and pressure on other camera companies and third-party manufacturers that consumers will welcome as well.

On a personal note, I’m not feeling the silver ring. At all. Better to have been solid black in my opinion, but I digress…

Press release after the jump…

Press Release

The EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS: versatile, compact, telephoto zoom

United Kingdom/ Republic of Ireland, 26 August, 2008: Canon today strengthens its EF-S series of lenses with the launch of a versatile new model: the EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS. With an equivalent focal length of 29-320mm, the lens offers an 11x zoom range – making it a powerful, lightweight alternative to carrying multiple lenses.

The EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS is designed exclusively for use with EOS cameras featuring an EF-S lens mount – including the new EOS 50D, EOS 1000D, EOS 450D, and earlier models.

High quality optics
The EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS features a 16 element, 12 group construction. This includes UD and aspherical lens elements, which minimise chromatic aberration and ensure crisp, corner-to-corner detail across the zoom range. A close focusing distance of just 45cm offers photographers total framing flexibility.

4-stop Image Stabilizer
A Canon 4-stop optical Image Stabilizer – specially designed for the lens’ specific focal length range - works to counteract image blur that can occur when shooting handheld, or at slow shutter speeds. Automatic panning detection ensures effective performance when tracking moving subjects. Plus, because the IS system is based in the lens, results are visible through the viewfinder during framing.

No flare or ghosting
Reflection off a digital camera’s image sensor can cause flare and ghosting. To suppress this, the EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS uses optics treated with Canon’s patented Super Spectra coatings – for crisp, undistorted images with natural colour balance.

Price: est. $699

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