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Canon, Nikon, Sigma, Tamron, and Tokina have all made mad dashes to get ultrawide-angle zooms into the hands of DSLR owners whose styles were crimped by sub-full-frame imaging sensors. Canon’s entry, the from-the-ground-up new 10–22mm f/3.5–4.5 USM EF-S, offers a 16–35mm (equivalent) focal-length range that gives Digital Rebel or EOS 20D owners about as wide a view as most 35mm users enjoy. At $710 (street), it’s Canon’s most expensive non-L, nonspecialized lens, and also the most expensive digital-only EF-S optic.
HANDS ON: Though about average in size, the Canon 10–22mm EF-S is the lightest of all DSLR ultrawides, in some cases by a significant margin. (For example, Tokina’s 12–24mm f/4, at 20 ounces, is nearly half again heavier.) The surfacing is Canon’s familiar matte-black crinkle finish. Construction values are not L-series tough, but seem rugged nonetheless.
The zoom and focusing rings are ribbed and rubber-clad; the former is amply scaled, but the latter, at 0.33 inches, seems skimpy. The focusing scales (metric, white; U.S., green) are close on the lensmount and not easy to read for a few reasons: Digits are small, low-contrast, and often in the shadow of their plastic-shrouded window. Focus and zoom actions are smooth and reasonably well-damped, though not fluid.
The ring-type USM motor provides AF action that’s rapid and utterly silent. As with all Canon digital-only lenses, its lens-orienting index mark is a small 3-D white pyramid, not Canon’s usual red “bubble.”
IN THE LAB: SQF performance fell in the Excellent range for all tested focal lengths, indicating superior sharpness. Distortion performance, according to DxO Analyzer tests, was even stronger: At 10mm, barrel distortion fell in the lower sectors of the Visible range (0.52%), a well-above-average performance. At 14mm and 22mm, distortion control improved into the Slight range, with 0.11% barrel distortion at 14mm, and 0.22% pincushioning at 22mm. This is a very strong showing—significantly better than any similar optic we’ve tested.
Light falloff was gone in the corners by f/5.6 at 10mm and 14mm, and by f/8 at 22mm—also an above-average performance. At the universal close-focus distance of 9.4 inches, the maximum magnification ratio was a best-in-class 1:6 at 22mm.
CONCLUSION: Based on its superior sharpness, distortion, close-up characteristics, reasonable size and very light weight, this zoom sits at the top of the digital-only ultrawide class. Hands down.
What's Hot:
Ultra wide angle of view.
What's Not:
Expensive.
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