Canon EF-S 10-22mm USM
APS-C DSLRs only (2004-)
NEWER, BETTER and LESS EXPENSIVE: Canon 10-18mm IS STM
Best for Mirrorless Cameras: RF-S 10-18mm IS STM.
Introduction Specs Performance
Compared Usage Recommendations
Canon EF-S 10-22mm USM (APS-C DSLR coverage only, 77mm filters, 13.5 oz./383 g, 9.5"/24cm close focus, about $550). bigger.
I got mine at Adorama. I'd also get it at B&H or at Amazon, or used at eBay (How to Win at eBay).
My biggest source of support is when you use any of these links, especially this link directly to it at Adorama or directly to it at Amazon, when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. It helps me keep adding to this free website when you get yours through those links — but I receive nothing for my efforts if you buy elsewhere. Thanks for your support! Ken.
July 2024 Canon Reviews Canon Lenses All Reviews
NEWER, BETTER and LESS EXPENSIVE: Canon EF-S 10-18mm IS STM A much better lens for half the price!
Introduction top
Introduction Specs Performance
Compared Usage Recommendations
I buy only from these approved sources. I can't vouch for ads below. |
This 10-22mm was Canon's very first ultrawide for its APS-C DSLRs.
It was hot stuff when announced in August 2004, but today, the newer EF-S 10-18mm IS STM is optically superior, smaller, lighter, adds Image Stabilization and sells for half the price.
The best thing about this lens is its metal lens mount, slightly faster optical speed and direct mechanical instant manual-focus override. Otherwise, the 10-18mm is better in every other way and half the price.
I got my EF-S 10-22mm at Adorama. I'd also get it at B&H or at Amazon, or used at eBay (How to Win at eBay).
For use on mirrorless this lens works great with an EF to RF adapter, but a much smarter idea is to use the dedicated-to-mirrorless RF-S 10-18mm IS STM instead.
Canon 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 EF-S. enlarge.
Specifications top
Introduction Specs Performance
Compared Usage Recommendations
I got my EF-S 10-22mm at Adorama. I'd also get it at B&H or at Amazon, or used at eBay (How to Win at eBay).
Bottom, Canon EF-S 10-22mm.
Name
Canon calls this the Canon Zoom Lens EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5 - 4.5 USM
EF: Electronic Focus
-S: Designed only for the smaller 1.6x sensor of the 20D, 30D and Rebel.
USM: Ultra-Sonic Motor. Focuses silently.
Optics
Thirteen elements, ten groups.
One aspheric and one super UD
Diaphragm
Canon EF-S 10-22mm at 22mm, EF diaphragm not visible.
6 rounded blades.
Stops down to f/22-29.
Close Focus
9.5 inches (24cm).
Focal Length
10-22mm.
On APS-C cameras, it gives angles of view similar to what a 16-35mm lens would give on a 35mm or full-frame camera. See also Crop Factor.
Angle of View
63.5º - 107.5º diagonal on APS-C DSLRs.
Maximum Aperture
f/3.5-4.5.
Size
3.3" (83.5 mm) diameter x 3.5" (89.9 mm) long.
Weight
13.510 oz. (383.0g) measured, 2014.
13.6 oz. (385 g.). rated.
Filter Size
77mm, the professional standard.
Item Number
9518A002.
Quality
Made in Japan.
Case
LP1319, optional.
Hood
The bayonet hood is optional and unnecessary, except for physical protection. I wouldn't buy it; my Nikon hoods that come standard stay home in their boxes.
Announced
August 2004.
Price (USA)
15 July 2024
$399 at B&H if you have them email you the price.
About $130 used at eBay (How to Win at eBay).
June 2014
$600.
November 2011
$840.
2006
$700.
Box, Canon EF-S 10-22mm.
Performance top
Introduction Specs Performance
Compared Usage Recommendations
I got my EF-S 10-22mm at Adorama. I'd also get it at B&H or at Amazon, or used at eBay (How to Win at eBay).
Overall Autofocus Bokeh Breathing Color
Distortion Ergonomics Falloff Filters Ghosts
Lateral Color Fringes Macro Max & Min Apertures
Overall performance top
The Canon 10-22mm is well made, but optically inferior to the newest 10-18mm.
Focus performance top
Autofocus is very fast and quiet, but as fast and not silent like the 10-18mm.
Auto/Manual Switching
Just flick the focus ring with a finger anytime for instant manual-focus override.
To lock it into manual mode, move the switch on the lens.
Bokeh performance top
Bokeh, the quality of out-of-focus areas as opposed to the degree of defocus, isn't visible. There is rarely anything out of focus except at macro ranges, at which point bokeh is neutral.
Color Rendition performance top
The color balance of this 10-22mm seems the same as my other Canon EF and EF-S lenses.
Distortion performance top
The Canon 10-22mm has moderate barrel distortion at 10mm, and otherwise no visible distortion.
For critical use, use these values in Photoshop's Lens Distortion tool to remove the distortion. These aren't facts or specifications, they are the results of my research that requires hours of photography and calculations on the resulting data.
|
at 10' (3m) |
at 50' (15m) |
10mm |
+2.0* |
+2.0* |
12mm |
+2.0 |
|
14mm |
0.0 |
+0.5 |
17mm |
-1.0 |
0.0 |
20mm |
-0.05 |
|
22mm |
-1.0 |
-0.05 |
© 2014 KenRockwell.com. All rights reserved.
* some waviness is visible after correction.
Ergonomics performance top
Canon EF-S 10-22mm.
Ergonomics are perfect. The front half of the lens is the zoom ring, and the focus and IS controls are right under your fingers.
The zoom ring includes the gold ULTRASONIC band, which keeps your hand form slipping forward off the zoom ring.
The thinner black ribbed ring at the rear is the manual focus ring. Flick it with a fingertip at any time for instant manual focus override.
Falloff (darkened corners) performance top
Without a profile, falloff is visible wide open, and goes away by f/5.6.
In the newer DSLRs with automatic correction, be sure you have a profile loaded for this lens and the falloff becomes completely invisible (not shown here).
I've greatly exaggerated the falloff by shooting a flat gray target and presenting it against a gray background:
Canon 10-22mm falloff, uncorrected
© 2014 KenRockwell.com. All rights reserved.
|
Filters, Use with performance top
There's no problem with vignetting, even with thick rotating filters.
There's no need for thin filters; regular thick and rotating filters work great.
In fact, I can stack a regular Hoya rotating polarizer over a fat Tiffen Haze filter, and I get no vignetting so long as I don't zoom wider than 12mm!
Focus Breathing performance top
Focus breathing (the image changing size as focused) is mostly of interest to cinematographers who don't want the image changing size ("breathing") as the lens is focused among different subjects.
There is only the slightest bit of breathing. If you can see anything, the image gets very slightly smaller as focussed more closely.
Ghosts performance top
Shot directly into the Aviara sun at 10mm at f/10. bigger.
There's no problem with flare or ghosts.
If I go out of my way, I can get one faint green blob opposite the sun, but you have to realize that this is an extreme example shown above.
This is excellent performance, but still not quite as good as the 10-18mm.
Lateral Color Fringes performance top
Without an in-camera profile, there are green-magenta corner color fringes at all zoom settings.
Newer cameras with a lens profile loaded will clear these up.
The 10-18mm is much better.
Macro performance top
Macro gets very close.
It's rated as 9.5 inches (24 cm), but that's from the image plane at the back of the camera.
I measure its close-focus distance as 8.5" (22 cm) from the image plane, which is 3-3/4" (9 cm) from the front of the lens!
Here's what you get zoomed to 22mm:
Omega Constellation at close-focus distance at 22mm at f/11.
Crop from above 10MP image at 100%. If this is 6" (15cm) on your monitor, the complete image printed at this same high magnification would be 40 x 26" (1 x 0.7 meters) at this very same sharpness.
Maximum and Minimum Apertures top
Maximum Aperture |
Minimum Aperture |
|
10mm |
f/3.5 |
f/22 |
12mm |
f/3.5 |
f/22 |
14mm |
f/4 |
f/25 |
17mm |
f/4 |
f/29 |
20mm |
f/4.5 |
f/29 |
22mm |
f/4.5 |
f/29 |
Mechanics performance top
Rear, Canon EF-S 10-22mm. bigger.
The Canon 10-22mm is all plastic, except for the metal mount and identity ring.
Filter Threads
Plastic.
Hood Mount
Plastic.
Identity Ring
Metal.
Zoom Ring
Rubber-covered plastic.
Middle Barrel
Plastic.
Focus Ring
Rubbery plastic.
Rear Barrel
Plastic.
Switches
Plastic.
Moisture seal at mount
No, but the rear black flare shield (seen only with lens unmounted) has a rubber bumper on it.
Mount
Metal.
Markings
Paint.
Serial Number
Laser-engraved into plastic lens barrel near mount.
Date Code
None seen.
See Canon Date Codes.
Noises When Shaken
Mild clunking.
Made in
Made in Japan.
Sharpness performance top
Image sharpness depends more on you than your lens, and lens sharpness doesn't mean much to good photographers. It's the least skilled hobbyists who waste the most time blaming fuzzy pictures on their lenses, while real shooters know that few photos ever use all the sharpness of which their lenses are capable due to subject motion and the fact that real subjects are rarely perfectly flat.
This Canon 10-22 is sharp stopped down, and moderately soft on the sides wide-open. It almost look broken compared to the new 10-18mm.
Diffraction will dull the image at the smallest apertures.
At 10mm, the sides are soft wide open and have lateral color fringes if not corrected with a profile. It gets sharper at f/8, but the color fringes, if left uncorrected, can be distracting.
At 14mm, the corners are soft wide open and at f/5.6, and much sharper at f/8 and f/11.
At 22mm, the sides are soft wide open, and much better at f/8 and f/11, but still not that fantastic. Lateral color fringes are visible if uncorrected.
This is what I saw in 2014; I saw similar results with a different sample back around 2006. This used ot be the best you could get for a Canon APS-C camera, until the 10-18mm came out in 2014.
Sunstars performance top
Canon 10-22mm Aviara sunstars at 12mm at f/10. bigger.
With its rounded 6-blade diaphragm, this Canon 10-22mm makes only muted sunstars at best.
Worse, if you can get any sunstars, they are silly 6-pointed stars nlike the one above.
Compared top
Introduction Specs Performance
Compared Usage Recommendations
I got my EF-S 10-22mm at Adorama. I'd also get it at B&H or at Amazon, or used at eBay (How to Win at eBay).
The newer Canon RF-S 10-18mm is optically far superior, as well as half the price. See its comparison.
Usage top
Introduction Specs Performance
Compared Usage Recommendations
I got my EF-S 10-22mm at Adorama. I'd also get it at B&H or at Amazon, or used at eBay (How to Win at eBay).
Use on Mirrorless Cameras
For use on mirrorless this lens works great with an EF to RF adapter, but a much smarter idea is to use the dedicated-to-mirrorless RF-S 10-18mm IS STM instead.
Filters
I use a clear (UV) protective filter instead of a cap (exactly like an iPhone) so I'm always ready to shoot instantly. I only use a cap when I throw this in a bag with other gear without padding — which is never. The UV filter never gets in the way, and never gets lost, either.
The best protective filter is the relatively indestructible 77mm Hoya multicoated HD3 UV which uses hardened glass and has special coatings that really do repel dirt and fingerprints.
For less money, the B+W multicoated 010 MRC is an excellent filter, as is the 77mm Nikon Clear (NC - UV), the 77mm Canon PROTECT and the basic multicoated 77mm Hoya UV filter, but the Hoya HD3 is the toughest and the best.
If I was working in nasty, dirty areas and don't want to spring for the HD3 filter, I'd use a plain glass (uncoated) 77mm Tiffen UV filter instead. Plain glass filters are much easier to clean with soap and water or Windex out in the field, but more prone to ghosting.
Filters last a lifetime, so you may as well get the best. The Hoya HD3 stays cleaner than the others since it repels oil and dirt, and will outlast this lens.
All these filters are just as sharp and take the same pictures, the difference is how much abuse they'll take and stay clean and stay in one piece. Since filters last a lifetime or more, there's no reason not to buy the best as it will last you for the next 40 years. Filters aren't throwaways like digital cameras which we replace every few years, like it or not. I'm still using filters I bought back in the 1970s!
Flash
The 10 - 22 is so wide that it will cast a shadow from a built-in flash at the bottom of the image at 10 mm. It's OK at 22mm. Be careful.
Tip: Turning the camera upside down will throw this shadow into the sky where you usually won't see it!
Recommendations top
Introduction Specs Performance
Compared Usage Recommendations
I got my EF-S 10-22mm at Adorama. I'd also get it at B&H or at Amazon, or used at eBay (How to Win at eBay).
Forget this classic; get the new Canon EF-S 10-18mm IS STM instead for APS-C DSLRs, or the RF-S 10-18mm IS STM for use on Mirrorless Cameras
This is unusual for me, but even if you already own one of these, it makes sense to sell it and buy an EF-S 10-18mm to replace it (or an RF-S 10-18mm IS STM for use on Mirrorless Cameras). Not only is either 10-18mm a much better lens, you'll probably wind up with cash in your pocket after the transaction!
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