18-135 STM with C100

[Dave Partington]

I'm seriously considering getting the 18-135 STM for outdoor work with the C100 where I know people / vehicles etc will be moving around constantly so AF would be useful.

Is the AF in such circumstance relatively reliable / fast etc or am I going to be disappointed?

I've seen lots of tests where people are moving the camera to static objects around a room, but none that are tracking moving vehicles, athletes etc.

Also, if I happen to zoom a little (slowly) during shooting (not something I do very often) does the AF maintain focus well enough since this doesn't appear to be a par focal lens.

How does the C100 deal with the variable aperture?

How happy are you with this lens wide open at wider angles, say 18-40mm ?

[Michael Bishop]

Dave I have the 18-135 STM lens, but I use it on a 70D. There is a thread where they are talking about using it with a C100 and the lens. I have never try zoom when shooting video yet.

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/canon-ci...lens-c100.html

[Dave Partington]

Thanks Michael, I've read that thread (lots of people recommending the 24-105 which I already have) but it doesn't really address my questions on AF tracking of moving objects, especially those coming towards you or away from you.

[Docea Marius]

Canon Objektiv STM 18-135mm an der Canon C100 (Video Samples) - YouTube

[Dave Partington]

Thanks for that. My german (I assume it was german) is not that good so I didn't really get the audio part, but there was still a little more jumpiness than I'd hoped. Maybe this will be fixed by the new upgrade coming.

Hmmmm... I guess I should wait for that and see how my 24-105 works first.

[Lico Francisco]

I use that lens as my run and gun for the church. I like continuous AF. It is silent

[Wayne Avanson]

Just got one. going to have a play with it over the weekend. First test not brilliant. A little too slow for my liking I think. But the DSLR Newshooter test of the new dual pixel auto focus looked a little too fast! Maybe I need something in between…

[Jim Snow]

I have a 18-135 STM lens but it will not do continuous auto focus although the one shot auto focus works fine. I have the latest firmware installed. Any ideas about what the problem may be?

[Mark Dobson]

This Canon C100 autofocus upgrade film tutorial has been posted up on Vimeo.

Handcrafting Unique Wedding Films with the EOS C100 Digital Video Camera on Vimeo

[Matt Davis]

Sorry to be a little late to the party.

I have this lens on the C100. I was initially excited by it in the camera store, but once purchased, I was hit by a huge dose of Buyer's Remorse and ended up hating it quite a bit due to its fly by wire characteristics:

Canon 18-135 STM tests on C100 on Vimeo

This compares the 18-135 STM with the 'Classic' 24-105 L

BUT there are two things I've learned since then, which change the whole dynamic of the lens:

1) Switch on Zoom Iris Correct (Camera Setup --> Iris --> Zoom-Iris Correct)
2) Switch on Peripheral Lens Illumination (Periph. Illum. Corr. in the Camera Setup menu)

I found the Continual AF a bit underwhelming, but looking forward to the new Dual Pixel quasi-phase-detection update, which should really transform this lens.

[Jim Snow]

Thanks for the info Matt. It's very informative. The problem that I'm having with the 18-135 lens is that it will not operate in AF mode. One shot works fine but not AF. I have the latest firmware that should support AF on the 18-135.

[Matt Davis]

I found the Continuous AF mode, erm, 'ponderous' - taking a few (!) seconds to kick in. Even then, it might need a recomposition to initiate it. No, not good. I could see how it would appear to be not working. LOL

[Dave Partington]

Thanks for the replies guys. I'm going to skip this one for now I think and just use the XF for the moving shots until the C100 gets the new AF upgrade and we see how it's performing.