Kit Lens

skysailorskysailor Registered Users Posts: 139 Major grins
edited October 15, 2009 in Cameras
Honest opinions on "kit" lenses. I've heard good things about the Nikon 18-55, what's the one form Canon like? Is it worth getting the body and going with a wider range zoom?
Thanks. Lyle
Gear: D200, G9, Sigma 10-20 f/4-5.6, Nikkor 35 f/1.8, Vivitar Series 1 28-105 f/2.8-3.8, Sigma 18-200 f/3.5-6.3

Comments

  • Art ScottArt Scott Registered Users Posts: 8,959 Major grins
    edited October 14, 2009
    Kit lenses as a whole are very usable but no where near the quality of better lenses???

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  • Awais YaqubAwais Yaqub Registered Users Posts: 10,572 Major grins
    edited October 14, 2009
    Canon Kit lens was a good starter lens for me. I got some of my best photos with it.
    I heard IS version is better than old version.

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  • skysailorskysailor Registered Users Posts: 139 Major grins
    edited October 14, 2009
    Art Scott wrote:
    Kit lenses as a whole are very usable but no where near the quality of better lenses???

    What do you shoot now??

    Hi Art....right now, I'm using a Canon G9, but I'm hunting down a DSLR system that I won't outgrow. I'm looking at the "kit" lens, a s "learner" lens. But a slight wide angle to a medium long zoom would be best for my use. Cheers

    Awais....nice pics!
    Gear: D200, G9, Sigma 10-20 f/4-5.6, Nikkor 35 f/1.8, Vivitar Series 1 28-105 f/2.8-3.8, Sigma 18-200 f/3.5-6.3
  • QarikQarik Registered Users Posts: 4,959 Major grins
    edited October 14, 2009
    skysailor wrote:
    Honest opinions on "kit" lenses. I've heard good things about the Nikon 18-55, what's the one form Canon like? Is it worth getting the body and going with a wider range zoom?
    Thanks. Lyle

    the nikon 18-55mm is actually a fairly good lens and I think will handle many situations. The issue with kit lens is that they are rather slow and build quality is not great (plastic).
    D700, D600
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  • gecko0gecko0 Registered Users Posts: 383 Major grins
    edited October 14, 2009
    the 18-55mm IS that came with my XSi is great...i've been very happy with the results.
    Canon 7D and some stuff that sticks on the end of it.
  • craig_dcraig_d Registered Users Posts: 911 Major grins
    edited October 14, 2009
    Canon has different kit lenses depending what camera you buy. Generally the lower-end cameras (Rebels, 40D, 50D) come with inexpensive lenses that are okay for the price but a little on the slow side. The more expensive 5D Mark II comes with a 24-105mm f/4 lens from their professionally-oriented L series; it's very nice.

    If you're buying your first SLR and you're on a tight budget, Canon's kit lenses are more than good enough to get you started and help you learn. You will probably want to move up to better lenses once you've learned the basics and begun to develop a sense of what you really want to do with your photography.
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  • skysailorskysailor Registered Users Posts: 139 Major grins
    edited October 14, 2009
    craig_d wrote:
    Canon has different kit lenses depending what camera you buy. Generally the lower-end cameras (Rebels, 40D, 50D) come with inexpensive lenses that are okay for the price but a little on the slow side. The more expensive 5D Mark II comes with a 24-105mm f/4 lens from their professionally-oriented L series; it's very nice.

    If you're buying your first SLR and you're on a tight budget, Canon's kit lenses are more than good enough to get you started and help you learn. You will probably want to move up to better lenses once you've learned the basics and begun to develop a sense of what you really want to do with your photography.

    That's the one! Would a 24-105 work with an XSi? That would keep me happy (lens wise, at least) for quite a while.

    The 28-200 is a bit more affordable though...
    Gear: D200, G9, Sigma 10-20 f/4-5.6, Nikkor 35 f/1.8, Vivitar Series 1 28-105 f/2.8-3.8, Sigma 18-200 f/3.5-6.3
  • craig_dcraig_d Registered Users Posts: 911 Major grins
    edited October 14, 2009
    skysailor wrote:
    That's the one! Would a 24-105 work with an XSi? That would keep me happy (lens wise, at least) for quite a while.

    It will work, however, due to the crop-frame sensor of the XSi, a 24-105 lens will have a field of view more like that of a 38-168mm lens. That lens also costs around $1000 new.

    A Rebel can use any Canon EF or EF-S lens; you just have to remember to multiply the focal length by 1.6 to get a sense of the actual field of view you will get with it, due to the Rebel's smaller sensor. (This applies to any lens used on a Rebel, whether it's labeled EF or EF-S. This is why the Rebels typically ship with a zoom lens that goes all the way down to 18mm, which is roughly equivalent to 28mm in full-frame terms.)

    If what you want is a single, relatively inexpensive lens that goes all the way from wide-angle to telephoto, I think the EF-S 18-200mm (or possibly the new EF-S 18-135mm, of which I have seen no detailed reviews yet) may be the way to go. Quality isn't the same as the 24-105mm f/4 by any means, but you get what you pay for.
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  • skysailorskysailor Registered Users Posts: 139 Major grins
    edited October 14, 2009
    What about non OEM lenses? Tokina, Tararon etc?
    Gear: D200, G9, Sigma 10-20 f/4-5.6, Nikkor 35 f/1.8, Vivitar Series 1 28-105 f/2.8-3.8, Sigma 18-200 f/3.5-6.3
  • craig_dcraig_d Registered Users Posts: 911 Major grins
    edited October 14, 2009
    skysailor wrote:
    What about non OEM lenses? Tokina, Tararon etc?

    Non-OEM lenses can be a good way to save some money. Some of them are very good deals and others less so. You really need to read reviews of particular lenses you're curious about to see what people think of them. I've had good results from Tokina, though their lenses tend to be a little slow to focus.

    I'm not that familiar with the third-party alternatives to Canon's EF-S lenses because I no longer buy lenses that only work on crop-frame cameras. So I couldn't tell you offhand whether Tamron or Sigma makes a better 18-200mm lens than Canon.

    Here are some good sources for lens and camera reviews:

    http://www.slrgear.com
    http://www.photozone.de
    http://www.dpreview.com
    http://www.the-digital-picture.com

    The Digital Picture reviews Canon-compatible equipment only (including a handful of Tamron and Sigma lenses), but the others review a variety of brands.
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  • moose135moose135 Registered Users Posts: 1,420 Major grins
    edited October 14, 2009
    I still use the 18-55mm kit lens I got on my 300D over 4 years ago, and get acceptable results with it. Right now, it's the widest lens I have, so it gets a bit of use.
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  • Brett1000Brett1000 Registered Users Posts: 819 Major grins
    edited October 15, 2009
    skysailor wrote:
    Honest opinions on "kit" lenses. I've heard good things about the Nikon 18-55, what's the one form Canon like? Is it worth getting the body and going with a wider range zoom?
    Thanks. Lyle

    I would get the Canon kit lens (18-55IS) with the body. the only downside is the smaller aperture at the higher focal lengths but it's a very sharp lens (and good color for the price.
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