There are many decisions to make when designing, specifying, manufacturing, and testing optical components for high-energy laser systems — each is a potential failure mechanism that must be understood and …

Space can be a harsh environment for optical coatings. Our engineering team has successfully provided antireflection (AR) coatings for a wide range of space applications. Our coatings have been qualified for many missions, demonstrating:

Full page examples of images taken using one of the RF 24-105 lenses. Gallery of Canon RF 24-105mm F/4-F/7.1 sample photos

The versatility of its zoom range and the moderate price tag of the Canon RF-S 18-150mm f/3.5-6.3 STM lens make it worth the money.

We are a world leader in high precision optical manufacturing, delivering custom optics to a wide range of innovators around the globe. Meeting these goals demands the right people. Teamwork, adaptability, and an enthusiastic approach to problem-solving are central to the Optimax culture. But what unites all our employees best is a hunger to continuously learn. We strive to find driven individuals who are committed to lifelong learning; who will continue to add value in their work throughout long and successful careers.

The RF-S 18-150mm zoom range makes it well suited for photographing wildlife, landscapes, macro, portraits, street photography, and travel photos.

Generally speaking, architectural photographers want the widest lenses available on the market. For APS-C mirrorless cameras that includes the Canon RF 14-35mm f/4 L IS USM Lens, as well as the EF-S-18mm or 10-22mm with one of the EF EOS-R adapters.

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Do you want to learn more about our optical manufacturing innovation? Refer to our Knowledge Center to read technical papers on, aspheres, business leadership, coatings, freeform optics, innovative optics manufacturing, and lens tolerancing & inspection.

Optimax delivers finished optics faster and with less risk because we own the complete manufacturing process, including optical coating. Our customers choose us because we can reliably deliver the highest quality optics at expedited timeframes and with reduced risk, because we not only have one of the largest teams of optical engineers and state-of-the-art manufacturing facility and technologies at our disposal but because we own the entire manufacturing process. This includes an advanced cleanroom where we routinely generate coatings for some of the most demanding markets on earth.

The RF-S 18-150 has an ideal range of zoom settings for portraits. It's good for large group portraits, to individual full-length photos, to headshots. The maximum f/stops of f/3.5 through f/6.3 are wide enough to intentionally blur the background behind your subject if you use the right technique.

*Pulsed testing results are fluence at which 0 defects were observed at 150x magnification after raster scanning with a 1mm beam across 2500 sites at 5-10Hz per LLNL Spec NIF-5008633 MEL01-013-OD protocol

Completing our suite of deposition equipment, we are developing a new Ion Beam Sputtering (IBS) System with different substrate configurations.

The travel photo above of the Scottish Highlands was photographed with my lens shooting through the window of the motor coach as we were traveling toward Loch Ness.

Optical engineers must go through a detailed decision-making process when designing high-precision optical components. At Optimax, we have years of experience supporting manufacturing teams in critical application areas with high-performance optical coatings that stand up to the harshest operating conditions. We consider the needs of our valued customers at every step of the fabrication process and strive to deliver optical coatings which go beyond standard specifications.

The RF-S 18-150 lens does a great job with getting in super close to capture details of the amazing world we live in. Macro photography is most often done with flowers and insects, but there are so many more possibilities for crating visually interesting images at the macro level.

When zoomed in fully to 150mm, this lens has a maximum aperture of f/6.3. That's too slow for many sporting events, especially those that are being held indoors (unless you raise you ISO to its higher settings).

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At Optimax, we are manufacturing the future, creating the highest precision optics underlying high-tech systems in key markets and applications. We offer rapid and expedited delivery upon request and are committed to our customers in the long term.

My big mistake forced me to test the RF-S 18-150 Image Stabilization to a level that I didn't want to use. I was blown away with the results.

Every optical application requires a “clean” optical surface. However, what defines “clean” is subjective and is based on the needs of the application.

The use of high-power continuous wave (CW) lasers in the emerging directed energy (DE) market has put greater emphasis on the quality of optical coatings.

Whether it's a candid outdoor portrait like the one above taken with using the self-timer, or a posed head shot taken in a studio, the RF-S 18-150mm is a good lens choice for shooting portraits.

Although the larger RF lenses are usually used on the full-frame Canon mirrorless cameras, this compact and light RF-S lens makes sense to use on APS-C and full frame camera bodies because it's convenient and versatile to use.

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Optimax has developed a novel optical coating (OTR‐AR). OTR coatings have been demonstrated to provide excellent resistance to latent scratching, staining and dimming of chemically sensitive optical glass surfaces in …

The RF-S 18-150mm f/3.5-6.3 works very well at your local zoo for photographing large wildlife like tigers, giraffe, and zebra.

In the nighttime scene above, I shot at wide angle and an aperture of f/7.1 to make sure everything was in sharp focus. The RF-S 18-150 lens works just fine for this type of shot.

My big mistake forced me to test the RF-S 18-150 Image Stabilization to a level that I didn't want to use. I was blown away with the results.

The RF-S 18-150 is adequate, but not ideal for architectural subjects. You can get nice shots like the student recreation center above,

Thousands of Optimax coated optics are used in the highest energy pulsed lasers in the world. Our coating and cleaning processes have been developed under National Ignition Facility and Omega Laser guidelines to achieve low defect counts, low absorption, and high laser damage thresholds.

Optimax develops optics solutions to suit a variety of needs. Our industry-leading custom optics are developed by expert engineers. Discover our expertise, solutions, and opportunities today.

Design, specification, and procurement of optical coatings all benefit when the designer has a good understanding of measurement techniques and uncertainties.

The list and details of the appropriate type of photography for the 18-150mm lens is coming up, but I'll start with this general statement:

It comes as a kit lens with the Canon R7, but what is the Canon RF-S 18-150 good for? This post will look at the specific type of photography that the 18-150 lens is used for. As soon as I got this lens, along with the R7 camera, I started testing it in different shooting situations.

It has a1.4x macro magnification. It's fast at f/2.8. It's a Canon L lens, but is it worth the money. What it's good for + is the Canon RF 100mm lens any good.

With a maximum f/stop of f/3.5 at its widest angle focal length of 18mm, this is not a good lens for shooting the nighttime stars. Lenses that can open up to f/2.8 are slightly better and f/2.0 or faster are usually chosen for the best results with nighttime photography.

Optimax is a world-class manufacturer of precision optics. Our capabilities incorporate a wide range of manufacturing technologies from which we can engineer solutions that best fit your requirements. Fabrication capabilities range from conventional machinery to highly deterministic CNC machining.

Our continuous and pulsed wavelength (CW/PW) high-power laser coatings have been applied in some of the world’s most demanding CW laser systems, offering a laser damage threshold of >10 MW/cm2 plus low defect counts and low absorption.

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This make the 18-150mm lens adequate, but not ideal, for wildlife photography. Long distance wildlife subjects are better photographed with a 400mm lens or longer. Large-sized wildlife, like lions, tigers, giraffes, and elephants can be adequately photographed with this lens.

As an example, in the image below, I got a great daytime baseball photo at a Phillies game from a12th row seat on the 3rd base side of the stadium.

The only difference is that the lens was zoomed to opposite ends of its 8.3x zoom range. This is why I say this lens is so versatile for shooting portraits.

Space can be a harsh environment for optical coatings. Optimax has successfully provided antireflection (AR) coatings for a wide range of space applications.

We have also developed highly uniform filters for ultraviolet and deep ultraviolet (UV/DUV) lithography applications, supplying the world's lithographic engineers with optical substrates qualified for more than a billion cycles of KrF illumination with no spectral degradation.

Opticalcoating process

Optimax low-stress Ion Beam Sputtered (IBS) coatings enable tight post-coating wavefront control on complex mirror geometries while maintaining low absorption and high CW laser damage threshold.

Types of lens coating for glasses

An f/2.8 lens would have given me a faster shutter speed and/or a lower ISO setting for the best image quality in this darker environment.

Answers to the questions you have about the Canon 18-150mm lens. Important features that you need to know first. Canon RF-S 18-150 FAQ

The RF-S 18-150mm lens has images stabilization rated at 4.5 stops, making it great for maintaining sharpness in more dim shooting situations even with slow shutter speeds.  See my test of the RF-S 18-150 lens image stabilization.

I shot this 3 year old soccer player in a very dimply lit facility and had to use ISO 6400 to shoot at 1/60 second at f/6.3.

It really depends on the specific sport and the specific venue that you're shooting to determine whether the Canon RF-S 18-150mm f/3.5-6.3 lens is any good for shooting sports.

I zoomed the lens in as much as I could for the frog photo below, but it was positioned in the middle of the muck in this pond. I had to crop the original composition tighter in Photoshop to get the resulting photo below.

The candid photo above was shot with the RF-S 18-150mm lens zoomed to about the halfway point between wide-angle and telephoto range of focal lengths. This framed in the subjects nicely without disturbing the activity that was occurring.

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The 18mm wide-angle focal length is good for shooting landscape photos. The 18mm focal length gives you a nice wide angle of view of 64° from side to side to capture scenic vistas. Alternatively, you can zoom in to 100 or 150mm to get those detailed landscape photos.

I took the photo above hand-held, without a tripod. Macro photography can sometimes be challenging when using smaller apertures to gain more depth of field and sharp focus of your subject. The shutter speed can get slow and that can lead to camera shake and motion blur, especially when your subject is magnified up close.

The 150mm telephoto focal length is good for shooting wildlife that is not too camera shy. On Canon APS-C cameras, like the 80D, 90D, t7i, t8i, SL2, SL3, R7, and R10, the telephoto angle of view is the same as you'd get with a 240mm lens on a full frame camera.

If you're photography your kids outdoor soccer game, baseball contest, or outdoor swim meet on a sunny day, the 18-150 f/3.5-f/6.3 lens will be fine.

My goal is to provide useful information and sometimes I recommend products that I believe will help you with your photography, but there are no guarantees. I have used most, but not every single one of these products personally. There are simply too many (millions) for one person to try. I base my recommendations on the performance of the product, other photographers' feedback I gather, as well as my personal experiences with photography equipment since 1969. Yes, I'm that old!  THANK SO MUCH!  Bruce

We produce custom anti-reflection coatings; beamsplitters; metal mirrors; laser line and broadband dielectric mirrors; and filters. We produce functional coatings for the full spectrum, from DUV to mid-IR applications. Our coatings have been used successfully in some of the most demanding space, defense, high-power laser (HPL), medical, and semiconductor applications. Learn more about the industries we serve.

While the RF-S 18-150 lens is a solid performer as a take-anywhere, general purpose photography, you're likely curious about its performance with the specific genres of photography that you shoot. The main reason it's such a useful lens is its 29-240mm full frame equivalent focal range. Here is the list:

With a continuously expanding coating facility and a solutions-based approach to optical coatings, we have overcome a range of critical issues for our customers. We can coat substrates up to 500mm with capabilities extending into the directed energy market (IBS coatings), OTR coatings, and low-stress coatings.

Bruce Lovelace is the publisher of Canon Camera Geek. Read more about him on the About Page. He also publishes how to articles and camera gear reviews at the Photography Tips website.

Types ofoptical coatings

The compact size of the RF-S 18-150 lens make it ideal for taking along on your nature walks. In my case, I gave the 18-150 lens a test drive with it stowed on my R7 camera secured in a belly bag as I rode to a few locations on my bike.

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Another alternative for shooting high level architectural photography is to take advantage of the tilts and swing capabilities of a professional architectural lens like the Canon 17mm TS-E lens attached to a full frame sensor camera, like the affordable Canon R.

*As tested at Penn State EOC, 17kW laser, 0.5mm spot size, 63.5 mm2 raster area. **Max peak absorption as measured using Photothermal Common-Path Interferometry at Optimax, 2 mm scan length. Measurements verified by Stanford Photothermal Solutions.

In the photo above of the water fountain I was able to use the versatility of the 18-150 zoom to try a few different distances and lens zoom settings to get the framing and composition the way I wanted. It's a pleasure to be able to shoot with variety like this without having to change the lens.

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The 18 to 150mm zoom range will enable you to shoot all your candid photos without having to switch to another lens. Candid photos are often left to shooting with smartphones these days, but the image quality and optical zooming you get with the 8.3x zoom range of the RF-S 18-150 lens are far superior.

Are they any good and which ones are the best Canon RF prime lenses to use. List of RF lenses designed for Canon mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras

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The RF-S 18-150mm lens is an excellent lens for travel photography. I used it mounted to my Canon R7 95 % of the time on a recent trip to Scotland and it handled the job very well. The other 5% of the time I used my 10-18 lens for super wide photos of architecture and landscape photos.

Tightening specifications and increasing demands for high performance optical coatings continue to drive advancements in many areas of the optical manufacturing industry.

Likewise with the photo below, I tried a few different perspectives until I settled on using a 50mm lens focal length setting to get my composition to include the Canadian geese, the water fountain, and the shoreline of this small pond near my home.

The Canon RF-S 18-150mm is a great walk-around, all-purpose lens, good for both the full frame and crop APS-C Canon mirrorless "R" series of cameras. It's compact size and 8.3X zoom range make it very versatile to handle most types of photography.

Answers to the questions you have about the Canon 18-150mm lens. Important features that you need to know first. Canon RF-S 18-150 FAQ