What's the difference between the lenses EF-S 18-55 DC III and EF-S 18-55 IS II?

Question

I'm planning on purchasing a Canon 1100D with an image stabilized lens.

However, I've found two offers with different lenses. Can you explain to me the difference?

1. Canon EOS 1100D + EF-S 18-55 IS II
2. Canon EOS 1100D + EF-S 18-55 DC III

A similar offer on amazon.de suggests that offer 1 has an image stabilizer, but I don't know about offer 2.

Asked by gentmatt

Answer

Canon's overview for lenses with EF-S mounts does not use the descripton DC. The reason for why several third-party resellers use this description remains unclear to me

This list on Wikipedia suggests that the DC version of the lense is the basically the same, but without image stabilization.

Block diagrams

(source: Canon)

EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 III

EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II

Description

(source: Canon)

EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 III

The Canon EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 III is a lightweight, compact standard zoom lens specifically for cameras that take EF-S lenses. Featuring a high-precision aspherical lens element, the lens compensates for chromatic aberrations that can occur while zooming to deliver high-resolution, high-contrast imaging performance. Through optimized lens positioning and coatings, the model greatly minimizes the flare and ghosting commonly associated with digital camera photography. It is a worthy successor to the EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II and features a revamped external design.

EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II

The new Canon EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II inherits the highly regarded optical design utilized in its predecessor, the EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS, released in September 2007. Featuring a high-precision aspherical lens element, the lens compensates for chromatic aberrations that can occur while zooming to deliver high-resolution, high-contrast imaging performance. Through optimized lens positioning and coatings, the model greatly minimizes the flare and ghosting commonly associated with digital camera photography. Furthermore, the EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II includes an optimized control algorithm that has been aligned with the Image Stabilizer structure and characteristics, achieving image stabilization equivalent to approximately four shutter-speed stops.

Based on a shutter speed of "1/(focal length x 1.6)" seconds, considered the limit to prevent hand shake during hand-held photography.

Answered by gentmatt

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