Canon R7 Kit Lens Is Better Than You Think // RF-S 18-150mm

Full review of the Canon RF 18-150 F3.5-6.3 kit lens for the Canon EOS R7 and R10.

CAMERA GEAR:

AUDIO GEAR:

OTHER GEAR:

TABLE OF CONTENTS:
0:00 - Intro
0:42 - Image Quality
2:05 - Filming Birds in 4K60 Crop Mode
4:28 - Stabilization
5:47 - Autofocus
6:34 - Focus Breathing
7:49 - Test Results
9:11 - Build Quality & Physical Characteristics
10:44 - What I Don't Like
12:42 - Overall Thoughts
14:17 - Third Party Options
15:34 - My Recommendation

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[lindenv]

THANK YOU! I’ve been using this lens with the R7 as a C70 B-cam for weddings and it’s been fantastic. The light weight makes it so easy to throw on a gimbal, and it even did a great job shooting a sparkler exit.

[NCatCrew]

I agree, it has a surprisingly good image and my main thing is that it’s super light and easy to cary around such a huge focal range

[MarkBennettCameraCrisis]

Great point about the 4k60 crop getting further reach in video. What sounds like a disadvantage sometimes can work as a big advantage depending on what you shoot.

[Theewintanu]

I brought R7 + 18-150 because it's a combo set in Thailand and Yes it's cheaper than separated bought later. and I realize that's a Excelence LENS, People told it's a "Kit" lens But Quality in very sharp from center to edge, Very very low Chromatic or Lens Ab. Zoom lenght 18-150 (Equal to 28 - 240 in Full frame) You can carry around the world. F srart at 3.5 it's not bad for Bokeh. and very lightweight with Long Zoom Lens like this.I really love it

[thesurgeonkeebs]

I got the R7 with the kit lens not too long ago! I picked up the RF 35mm f/1.8 because I do a good amount of low light and concert photography, but the kit lens has come in clutch in more than one occasion! Especially for low-level wildlife encounters. The images are sharp and the focal range is SO good for the size. I never go out for photos without it.

[randallbrander]

I have no problem with the kit lenses that comes with the cameras that you buy. I am trying out the 18-150mm and the 18-45mm on the R10 and the R7. Performs well. cheers!

[mitchlazorko]

I preordered the R7 body, then cancelled it and ordered it with the kit lens so I could actually get it sooner. I left the 18-150 in the packaging thinking I would sell it, but now you’re making me think I should start using it 😄

[julianayl]

Thank you for the review. Exactly what I wanted to know. This gives me the reassurance of the quality of the camera and the lens. I definitely will go ahead to get them.

[Chris-NZ]

Hi Josh, As one of your other commenters mentioned there is a tendency to look down on kit lenses but they do represent value for money and lens like cameras present the ultimate in diminishing returns so moving from a “good enough” lens to an L series a huge price step especially if the user is just starting out. At the end of the day good photos are made by the user not the gear, gear helps but it’s only part of the equation !!

[evansalmonsen]

I purchased the kit even though I only wanted the body but now I’m glad I got the Kit. As someone who is just getting into the camera space it fills a big gap in my focal length collection

[KevinFlory]

I second that. I bought it just due to availability of the body, but found I really love that lens for the body. Nice and compact, good image quality.

[andrewbalcombe]

Thanks for the great video review. I found in my review for photos, the R7 is pretty tough on lenses because of the hi res sensor. But the 18-150 kit proved to be good enough for stock photography.

[Mariner]

I just got this kit to replace an M5 18-150 kit. With the M, I did fret over the lens not being wide enough or fast enough and ended up accumulating a pile of fast-ish small third party primes. A great kit for sure but I found swapping lenses all the time not ideal for travel use. So, the new travel kit is R7 w/ 18-150 for almost everything, iPhone to cover the extra wide stuff, and one fast prime (85 f/2 for now, but I’m thinking 35 f/1.8 would be more versatile on the crop.). Back home when I don’t care about size and weight I’m all EF mount Sigma Art glass (zooms and primes). Initial tests look fantastic.

[NobleEndeavours]

I absolutely love the 18-150 lens as well. It's excellent especially as a take it with you no matter what lens! I hadn't considered using the 4k crop option to get even more range so this was a great mention on your part. I am going to apply the same test to a RF 100-400/RF 100-500 with the RF 1.4 TC on it to see what range I can get. I like taking shots of moose, bears etc in the back-country so being able to gain some extra reach in this way could be really good.

I am also hoping they come up with a native RF wide angle in the 8 - 11 mm range. Currently my widest is the RF 16mm or a converted EF 10-22.

Thanks for the video. You have some really awesome content which I have been enjoyed tremendously!

[pabloalvaradolopez]

6:48 Me when i try to know if my wife is asleep or just pretending

[wellingtoncrescent]

I used the EOS-M version of this lens on my M6 II before upgrading to the R7. Since I was already impressed by its performance, it was an easy decision to buy the R7 with the lens. Although I use the RF 100-500 mm as my principle "birding" lens, the 18-150 mm kit lens is my general "walk around" lens, and I have no hesitation recommending it for the reasons you mention, including OIS that synchronizes well with the R7 IBIS, minimal focus breathing, and image quality that really is better than one might expect given the wide zoom range. About once a week, I also do some sports videography, and the subject eye tracking autofocus is also very good. My only real complaint is the aperture F3.5-6.3, which is a bit dark. Mind you, that is less of an issue given the high ISO noise performance of modern sensors and de-noising software.

As for the lack of 3rd party lenses, I'm was also annoyed, as I had to sell the Sigma 150-600 C and Tamron 100-400 Di VC that I previously used for birding. But the truth is that Canon is making an effort to support the budget market, with their F11 primes and RF 100-400 zoom, which are well reviewed by wildlife photographers. So I'm not sure that the outrage will persist, particularly as other camera manufacturers follow suit (as Nikon has now done).

[cahoonm]

Thank you for this! I'm looking for some advice. I'm a newcomer to this Canon R7. I bought one of those shoulder bags that allows you to put the lens in first and pull the camera out. My question is am I better off with a wrist strap for this camera which I'm told is like. Or should I get a neck strap.? I would also like advice on exactly what make and model to get depending on whether it's the wrist strap or the next strap or both. Thank you in advance

[musicman]

Thanks for the video especially when you talked about the plastic lens mount. One thing I'd like to ask - what about the durability of that mount? I'm used to metal on metal mounts with my Canon glass. Also a big thanks for mentioning about the inherent noise from the lens.

[paullanoue]

You can use the RF 100-400 lens on the R7. It’s a light lens that’s on sale now for $499. That gets you to a 640 mm view for under $500. Seems very reasonable to me.

[markwiemels]

Interestingly Canon is calling it a ‘travel’ lens, and the 18-45 is a kit lens. It is pretty versatile and light, so I guess the travel moniker makes some sense. I have also found it’s pretty good for video, but 4k is only 8mp, it does fall apart a bit once you start pixel peeping the 32.5mp photos.