User Review: Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM

Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM

Block diagram of the 10-22mm
3x Aspherical elements, 1x Super UD element
Courtesy of Canon Camera Museum

Marketed: November 2004

Lens Construction (group): 10

Lens Construction (element): 13

No. of Diaphragm Blades: 6(circular aperture)

Minimum Aperture: 22-27(1/3-stop increments is 22-29)

Closest Focusing Distance (m): 0.24

Maximum Magnifcation (x): 0.17

Filter Diameter (mm): 77

Maximum Diameter x Length (mm): 83.5 X 89.8

Weight (g): 385

The Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM joined my stable of lenses approximate one year ago and it has seen considerable amount of usage. This ultra-wide angle(UWA) lens features a variable aperture range of f/3.5-4.5 and Ultrasonic Motor(USM) focusing mechanism.

The 10-22mm is designed for EF-S mount(APS-C 1.6x) and will not fit full frame and APS-H(1.3x) camera bodies. In 35mm format, it will translate to a focal length of 16-35mm. Till date, this is the only UWA lens which Canon has for its cropped sensor camera bodies. Coming up next, is my user review of this lens.

General Handling

The 10-22mm comes in at 385g, a pretty light and portable weight. Being light-weight, I feel that the lens does not bog down my camera. In fact with my BG-E7, the camera seemed a little back-heavy when coupled together with the 10-22mm. However being back-heavy has proven to be useful to me, as my 7D does not tilt forward when I side-sling it. In this way, I can shoot photos from my waist discreetly and without much difficulty. This is definitely useful for non-intrusive genre of street photography.

The 10-22mm shares the same build quality as the 17-55mm. Similar materials were used to construct the 10-22mm but with the absence of the plasticky feeling. Zoom ring of the lens is smooth, with the focus ring being even smoother. The protruding AF/MF switch makes switching between auto and manual focus an easy task.

Similar to its bigger sibling, the metal mount, distance window, focus ring and finally the zoom ring.

The AF/MF switch.

The front element of the 10-22mm is actually not that huge but Canon decided to give it a 77mm filter diameter which is commonly seen on pro-grade lenses.

The 10-22mm fitted with a 77mm B+W XS-Pro UV filter.

Size comparison:

L to R: EF-S 10-22mm USM with third party EW-83E lens hood, Sanyo Eneloop AA battery, EF 50mm f/1.8 II.

Front: EF-S 10-22mm USM
Back: EF-S 17-55mm IS USM

Real-time Operation

If you have used EF-S lenses before, then mounting the 10-22mm on a APS-C camera body should not pose a problem to you. Align the white dots, turn, click and you are set to go.

I may be getting very repetitive but the 10-22mm feels just like the 17-55mm. You do not get a rotating front element because the focusing is done internally. Internal zooming is also a notable feature of the 10-22mm. The length of the lens does not change when zooming in and out but the front element does move forward and backwards within the lens.

Full-time manual focusing is available in one-shot focus drive mode which means there is no need to switch to manual focus when you want to manually adjust your focus point when in auto focus mode. The 10-22mm focus very quickly and silently. Focus accuracy is good, even when at close distance.

Image Quality

Multiple aspherical elements plus a super ultra-low dispersion(UD) element, with a focal length identical to the EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM in 35mm format, the 10-22mm is essentially another hidden L-lens. However, to fully materialise the potential of this UWA lens, one has to really work on his/her fundamentals of photography.

An UWA lens requires some knowledge to use because the lens enhances the depth of your pictures, enlarging objects nearer to the camera and minimising the size of objects further away from you. With such a wide focal length, the 10-22mm takes in hordes of stuffs into its field of view, therefore composition can sometimes be a chore, with a lot of unwanted objects in the photo. Slight tilting of an UWA lens will also have enormous keystone effect on the photos. Having said so, when in the hands of an experienced user, the 10-22mm will definitely shine.

As with many high-grade lenses, the 10-22mm is sharp and it will get sharper when stopped down. A little colour fringing can be seen along the edge of the photos @ 10mm however it is minimised with the usage of the super UD element.

Distortion control of this lens is excellent, only slight barrel distortion at 10mm and even less pin-cushion distortion at 22mm. Put it to real-time usage and you should not even notice the distortion at all.

The 10-22mm vignettes like all other UWA lenses. Light fall-off is estimated to be at 1.5 to 2 stops, wide-opened at 10mm. Stopping down to f/8.0, will cut down the vignetting to 0.5 to 1 stop of light. As you zoom in to 22mm, light fall-off will be reduced by approximately 2 times the amount at 10mm.

Resolving power(ability to 'see' details) of the 10-22mm is very good, considering the enormous depth of field of a typical photo at 10mm:

At 10mm.

100% crop from centre of frame. Click to enlarge.

The 10-22mm does not flare easily under normal circumstances, unless you are shooting directly into light sources. Even so, the flaring caused is of minute amount, nothing to lose sleep over:

2 spotlights shining directly into the lens, only slight flaring can be seen.

Again, to demonstrate the resolving power of the 10-22mm:

100% crop from centre of frame. Click to enlarge.

There is not much background blur to speak of, unless you are shooting wide-opened at minimum focusing distance(MFD). The bokeh is average, as seen below:

f/3.5, 0.24m away from flower @ 10mm.

Conclusion

It takes a lot of practice to extract proper photos from the 10-22mm but once you get it right, you will continue to want more out of this fantastic lens. Again, image quality of the 10-22mm is very good and if you long for an ultra-wide angle lens for your Canon APS-C camera body, then the 10-22mm is a worthy contender.

Likes:

• High image quality
• Highly resistant to flare
• Has little to no distortion
• Good resolving power
• Silent, fast and accurate focus

Dislikes:

• High price for a non-L lens
• Lens hood not included in the package despite the high price
• Incompatibility with full-frame camera body

If you are bounded by budget issues, you can always consider third-party offerings such as the brighter and faster Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 or the Sigma 10-20mm variants.

I got my copy of the Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM at SGD1094 from Cathay Photo.

Sample Images 

I apologise for the keystone effect if it is not to your liking.

Unboxed: Barnes & Noble NOOK Tablet + Elsa Cover in Black

With numerous tablet PCs popping up all over the market in the recent 2 years, tech-savvy consumers now have an array of products to look into - from the expensive Apple iPad 2 to cheap China-made ones. Some may prefer a device which works right out of the box, others may be more adventurous and try to turn some really high specifications e-book readers into full fledged tablet PCs. Notable few such readers include the Amazon Kindle Fire, Barnes & Noble NOOK Color and the newly introduced NOOK Tablet.

Here I have, the Barnes & Noble NOOK Tablet + Elsa Cover in Black which I got off BN's website.

Delivered by DHL Express via comGateway.

Barnes & Noble NOOK Tablet + Elsa Cover in Black.

Specifications are listed on the back.

Unboxed the NOOK Tablet first.

Content of the box.
Top left: 2 pin power adapter
Top right: NOOK Tablet-specific USB cable
Bottom: NOOK Tablet
Not shown: User guide

The out-of-the-box NOOK Tablet.

Staring at it, straight on.

On the top left, the power button.

On the top right, the volume control buttons and 3.5mm earphone jack.

At the bottom, the USB input.

And to the back, the speaker port + microSD card expansion slot underneath the 'NOOK' rubber flap.

Next, we have the Elsa Cover in Black:

Looks like a book!

'The art of reading', with proper rails to hold the tablet in place.

Flip the cover to its back, here is the signature 'n' logo.

The NOOK Tablet sits snugly in the cover.

Size comparison:

The NOOK Tablet in its Elsa Cover, with a Sanyo Eneloop AA battery in the middle.

In case you are still wondering if I am going to use the NOOK Tablet as an e-book reader, my direct answer is - no. I am going to turn it into a full fledged tablet PC like I first mentioned in this post. The NOOK Tablet runs on open-source Android Operating System, which means a huge user base over at XDA-Developers forums. Rooting, the Apple equivalent of Jail-breaking, has never been easier with step-by-step written/video guides.

Do stay tune for my user review of this awesome tablet!

Unboxed: New Trent IMP1000 11,000mAh External Battery Pack

Technology is advancing as we speak and nowadays it is not difficult to observe people holding on to multiple electronic devices such as mobile phones, tablet PC, MP3 players etc. However, there is one serious bottleneck which can limit the performance of such devices - battery power.

If you did finish reading the above paragraph, I guess you are one of the many who are affected and currently looking for an all-in-one solution. Here comes the saviour, the New Trent IMP1000 11,000mAh External Battery Pack. Like you guys out there, I quickly got one of it and here is the unboxing of this product.

The box.

Specifications are listed on the back of the box.

At the side of the box, there is a list(including but not limited to) of supported brands of mobile phones and devices.

The box is sealed which means you have to tear away the seal in order to gain access to the product.

The content of the box.

Size comparison: The battery pack with a Sanyo Eneloop AA battery.

On the top side, you can see the power button and down to the left side, the DC inlet to charge up the battery pack.

Beside the power button is the USB charging outlet which you can connect to your devices via compatible adapters.

Turning to the back of the battery pack, you can see the power ratings and safety notices.

The AC wall adapter and retractable USB cable.

USB retractable cable on top.
At the bottom, compatible adapters from L to R: Micro-USB, Mini-USB, Samsung, Nokia, Sony Ericsson.
iPhone adapter is not included due to licensing issue. But if you have your own iPhone USB cable, you can use it as well.

A quick test with my Google Nexus One, yes the battery pack works!

Not mentioned above, are the carry pouch and user manual. So, the unboxing is pretty much done. If you are wondering, I did not bought my battery pack from Amazon, instead I got it from a mass order here. One thing I have to compliment the thread starter is this:

A thank you card from the thread starter - Dan.

From my very layman marketing point of view, this adds a personal touch to the whole purchasing experience. Definitely a good way to ensure returning business. Way to go Dan!

Now, I will have to start charging up the battery pack, give it a few good runs, before I post a more in-depth user review.

Later.