Anyone have first-hand experience with the 18-135 STM?

Loving my T3i with the stock 18-55 and the 70-300 IS USM so far, but looking ahead already

I was thinking 15-85 as an upgrade on the 18-55, but also wondering if the 18-135 STM would be a good choice IF (a big IF) the IQ is as good as the 15-85. Everyone here is raving about the 15-85, so that sounds like a nobrainer, but the greater reach of the 18-135 is giving me pause.. but the wider angle of the 15-85 on a crop sounds good too.. Aaargh.....decisions, decisions...

while I don't have experience with the 18 - 135 I have tried out my photojournalism professors 15 - 85, it was nice, but my advice would be, try out both lenses if you can and see which one you like better

I've not tried the 18-135 yet, i do plan to at some point as it looks quite attractive as a general walkabout lens, but i dont feel the speed of AF will be as good as the 15-85. I have the 40mm STM and Its accurate and not too slow but i find my 15-85IS to be almost instant and i would hate to loose that.

Unless any of the posters have used a t4i, they probably have not touched the 18-135 STM- no one out there is selling it- except with t4i's currently. Yes- you can buy one from Canon directly- but that is about it.

I have had the 18-55 IS- which I thought was typically slower- definitely noisier, and range limited - which I personally hated- not good for out and about occasions.
I had the 18-135 IS - which I thought was decent- not the best- but very decent- and was exceptional for me as a walkabout lens. At the time- the only lens I would consider for a replacement for it would be a 15-85 !

Now, I have a 18-135 IS STM. This lens is even sharper than the 18-135 IS. It's relatively quick in good light, a little slower in less - like any slower lens is. Quieter than USM. I would find it hard to replace it with the 15-85. It's manual focus seems to be some kind of fly-by-wire mechanism.

The only other factors that I tend to look at lenses for are faster AF- aka USM (in this case- not- STM ), weight, and build quality (18-135 iS STM is built a little better than the 18-135 IS ), and I also look at the filter thread size ( bigger tends to be better ).

If you wanted me to describe the 18-135 IS STM; Light. quick. fast. accurate autofocusing. sharp. I would find it hard to buy a 15-85 now- because I can't imagine it being that much better.. Maybe it is- maybe it is not.

I was very impressed with the 18-135 my friend got with her 60D. The factor of zoom that it has on a crop is just awesome.

I'm wondering about this lens too- I had heard rumors that it was as sharp as the 15-85, which I find hard to believe, but hope it's true...

Thanks for the inputs!

Do you find the 18mm at the low end limiting on a crop? 15 vs. 18 (24mm vs. 28mm) doesn't sound like a lot.. perhaps either option ought to be supplemented by a 10-22mm?