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Canon EF-M 15-45 3.5-6.3 IS STM

Compact Normal Zoom for EOS M Series

Peter Kun Frary

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The EF-M 15-45 3.5-6.3 IS STM debuted with the EOS M5 in 2016, replacing the prior M-series kit zoom, the EF-M 18-55 3.5-5.6 IS STM. Here's my thoughts on this lens after a few years of shooting.

Nuuanu Valley | EOS M3 and EF-M 15-45 3.5-6.3 IS STM | 45mm F7.1

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Canon EF-M 15-45 3.5-6.3 IS STM | Photo courtesy Canon Inc.

This review consists of my opinions and observations as a hobbyist. No scientific measurements, MFT charts or pixel peeking comparisons will be found here.

Compatibility

The Canon EEF-M 15-45 3.5-6.3 IS STM fits M series cameras like the EOS M, M3, M5, M6 and M50 MK II. It will not work on Canon DSLRs or R series cameras.

Construction

The EF-M 15-45 3.5-6.3 IS STM is sleek, petite and modern. When retracted, it’s about 3/8” longer than the EF-M 22 2.0 STM pancake. The lack of AF/MF and IS switches contribute to the sleekness but require a visit to the menu or button presses to enable/disable AF or IS operation.

The original EF-M designs felt luxurious with anodized aluminum barrel, knurled metal focus and zoom rings and metal lens mount. In contrast, the barrel, rings and mount of this zoom are plastic, albeit well made and sturdy feeling. At 130g it’s feather light and small enough to slip in a coat pocket or purse.

Palm Shadows | EOS M3 and EF-M 15-45 3.5-6.3 IS STM | 26mm F8

After mounting, a LCD message reminds you to unlock the lens: hold a spring-loaded switch while rotating the zoom ring to the 15mm position. Retraction shortens the length of the lens to 44.5mm (1.76") for storage. The lock is a nuisance, costing candid shots until I learned to keep it unlocked. Not as compact with the front barrel extended but shaves off a few seconds of fumbling.

Focus and Zoom

The 15-45 range is only 3X, but covers the most useful range for snapshots and general use. The zoom ring is easy to use: large, grippy and smooth in rotation. During zoom operation, a small nested barrel extends from the main barrel.

Brown Anole | Canon EOS M3 and EF-M 15-45 3.5-6.3 IS STM

Focus is internal—no front element extension or turning—and fast and sure-footed in auto focus mode, but silent to onboard mics. And it focuses moderately close: tight head-shots are a snap, albeit the macro range is not tight enough for small flowers or most wee critters. The STM based focus was effective for both video and stills. Pulls and Movie Servo were silky smooth on my M6.

Manual Focus

The electronic or "by wire" manual focus is smooth and well damped. However, I found focus pulls easier with my finger on the LCD screen than with the MF ring. While manual focus works without flipping a switch, the gotcha is it only works when the camera is powered up with the shutter button half-pressed.

Rainbow Skies | EOS M3 and EF-M 15-45 3.5-6.3 IS STM | F8 21mm

Image Stabilizer (IS)

The image stabilizer (IS) gave me about three stops of additional hand holdable range at 45mm. IS is quiet and isn't audible on video when using built-in mics.

Image Quality

This is the second 15-45 STM zoom I've owned. The first one, purchased in 2016, was mediocre optically. My current one, purchased in 2020, is sharp. Wide open, images are sharp center frame but oh so slightly soft in corners at 15mm. Stop down or zoom and extremities improve. It's shockingly sharp at 45mm, and corners are nearly as sharp the center at F6.3 (wide open). Sharpness is consistent across most of the zoom range from 1 meter to infinity. While I realize this is not a macro lens, image quality at close focus (0.82 ft./0.25m), while decent, is not as good as from one meter to infinity.

There's moderate barrel distortion at 15mm but reduces as zoommed out, disappearing by 28mm. Slight pincushion distortion is evident at 45mm.

Light falloff is visible at 15m but fades as you stop down or zoom out. If you shoot JPEGs, the camera's built-in Peripheral Illumination Correction automatically reduces light falloff. RAW shooters may easily correct in Lightroom or DPP.

Slight chromatic aberration (CA) is visible along high contrast edges. e.g., tree branches against a bright sky. It's a tiny band of cyan and not the usual magenta. However, in everyday shooting I rarely notice fringing, probably because cyan tend to blend better with skies and leaves than magenta!

Photos of sunsets, spotlights and other bright light sources exhibited little flare (no filter installed) and no ghosting. Hood use is recommended to help protect from stray light, raindrops and doggie noses. Unfortunately, the Canon EW-53 Lens Hood is not included and is pricey.

City Life | EOS M6 and EF-M 15-45 3.5-6.3 IS STM | 15mm F3.5

Last Blurb

The EF-M 15-45 3.5-6.3 IS STM is a great lens for casual snapshots, video and travel. Plus, it's sharp throughout its range and 15mm at the short end yields nearly 10 degrees more coverage than an 18-55 kit zoom, taking in significantly more of that landscape or cathedral ceiling. All in all a nice little zoom and my favorite for light packing days.

Finally, please help support this website by purchasing this lens at Amazon.

Specifications

• Zoom range & maximum aperture:15-45mm, 1:3.5-6.3

• Lens construction: 10 elements in 9 groups ( three aspherical elements)

• Diagonal Angle of View: 84°30'–33°40'

• Closest Focusing Distance: 0.82 ft./0.25m

• Filter size: 49mm

• Circular aperture (7 blades)

• Includes Lens Cap E-49 and Lens Dust Cap EB

• Diameter x Length: 2.4 x 1.75 inches | 60.9 x 44.5mm

• Weight: 4.6 oz. /130g

• MAP: $299

• Made in Taiwan

Image Samples

05/23/2017 | Updated 09/26/2023

©Copyright 2017-24 by Peter Kun Frary | All Rights Reserved