Using Canon 18-55mm Lens

[eyadnalsamman]

I am not sure if the Canon 18-55mm Lens which is supplied in the lens kit of

the Canon Rebel XT (350D) is a good lens. I mean since it is 18mm that it can

be categorized as a good wide-angle lens which can be used to get good

landscape and nature shots. I want to know what is the relation between the

category of the lens and the range of the focal length? For example, does the

lens EF 28-300mm will work to get professional shots for both Telephotos and

wide-angle views?

[bennyboy]

It's not an exceptional lens but it's just fine for most beginners, covering a quite useful range (approx 28mm-90mm when you take the 1.6X crop into account). A superzoom like the 28-300 is unlikely to offer any optical improvement, and possibly worse performance. So, in essence, the lens could be described as wide to portrait.

 

I've seen some fantastic landscape and portraiture photos taken with the kit lens, many of which are on this site.

[marks]

The package lens is a realitivly inexpensive one but does a fairly good job and in most subjects you will not notice any difference between it and a more expensive counterpart.

 

You get what you pay for, you are not getting an IS or L range lense in the bundle

 

MArk

[mendonphoto]

It's a fine lens. I took a lot of pictures with it that I was very happy with. Just two things to watch out for:

 

1. Try to use it at f/8 - f/11 for good sharpness.

2. Watch out for lens flare (get a lens shade for it, and really try to not let the sun touch the front element).

[yakim_peled1]

Optically, it's an O.K. lens, especially at medium apertures. Better lenses are significantly more expensive. In the end, no lens is without flaws and it is up to you - the photographer - to make the best of them.

 

Happy shooting,

Yakim.

[mars c]

The 18-55 is an ok lens , but not good or fine. it does'nt have a real focusing ring and is built very cheaply, unlike the kit lens of pentax and some 3rd party lens with similar price.

 

Canon made it that way, so that they could sell camera bodies at a price point, with lens to go with it, and still make good profit.

 

I even sometimes think that manufacturers of dslrs, deliberately make their kit lens not very good optically , even if they could do better at the same cost. So that we'll be forced to buy their more expensive lens if we want better optical quality.

 

I advice you to avoid buying the kit lens, if you could afford to buy the 350d with the efs 17-85 is usm. In the long run, you'll not gonna like the 18-55 and would surely want to replace it. that way , you save 100$ form the start, I know , cause that was the mistake I made.

[mendonphoto]

fine = satisfactory

[steve_dunn2]

<p>Yes, Canon's 28-300 is a professional-quality lens. But given its huge zoom range, it can't help but be not as good as the more bread-and-butter pro zooms like the 24-70 or 70-200. And in case you're considering upgrading from the 18-55 to the 28-300, check out the price difference :-)</p>

[rlk121]

I am so glad I found this posting because I have the 350D with the 18-55mm lense (I bought the package that was mentioned in the origianl post)I am finding that I am not getting very good clarity in my shots. Especially portraits. I was wondering if the lense was defective, if it just wasn't a very good lense or if I really don't know what I am doing:) (I would bet on the later)

 

I am attaching a photo I took today of a flower in my garden. I am really disappointed in the lack of clarity in the picture. I have an Olympus point and shoot (C-765) that takes a better picture than this one.

 

Am I missing something here or is this particular lens not a very good lense for this sort of shooting. As mentioned above I have found it to be fine when taking landscapes but when I have tried to take portraits and closeup photos like this flower I really do struggle with it.

 

any suggestions?

[jim_rais]

<P ALIGN="justify">

Rebecca, as already mentioned by other posters, the kit lens is just a lens to accompany the body with and thus as cheap as possible built so that the manufacturer will still make a profit out of the package camera+lens. While the image quality can be OK, it's also possible that it isn't OK at all due to quite randomly QC. The more QC the more expensive due to the cost factor. In this regard, it's possible that you haven't got one of the better 18-55mm in your hand, while someone else might have another experience with the same lens.<BR>

 

<BR>Taking landscape shot is different than photographing close range objects. For each of these situations another lens correction is needed due to the rule of the nature. That's why you have wide, tele, portrait, macro lenses etc. Zoom lenses are in fact a compromise to these situations, a bit for this and a bit for that with just acceptable results, where the factor of easiness not to having change the lens everytime is more important than anything else. This doesn't mean that you can't get fantastic pictures out of a zoom lens, but - still - you get what you pay for. A kit zoom lens of Eur. 75,- differs in quality in used glass, construction (and therefore might affect the end result) than, say, a Eur. 800,- zoom lens. That's the fact.<P>

 

<LI><A HREF="http://www.photo.net/photodb/user?user_id=332699" TARGET="_blank"><TT>Jim Rais</TT></A></LI><P>

[mendonphoto]

Rebecca - is it possible that you are comparing the depth of field of your olympus with the depth of field of the Rebel & 18-55mm? It's hard to tell from a scaled image, but the clarity of that image looks okay, although depth of field is pretty shallow. As mentioned already, almost every picture from a DSLR can be improved in Photoshop - especially if shot in RAW.

[phule]

<<I am attaching a photo I took today of a flower in my garden. I am really disappointed in the lack of clarity in the picture. I have an Olympus point and shoot (C-765) that takes a better picture than this one.>>

 

The differences you are seeing are indeed most likely due to depth of field. The digital point and shoot, because of it's tiny sensor and the extremely wide-angle lens required provide images with massive DoF without any real ability to change that (save macro photos)

 

A DSLR, on the other hand, allows you to select the depth of field you want through various focal length and aperture values.

 

I'd recommend picking up a couple introduction to photography books at your local library and learning more. Your DSLR is a toolbox, and learning to use the tools inside is important.

[mars c]

Rebecca, I think you shot the flower closer than the minimum distance for that lens, otherwise, the other things that I noticed wrong, are the LIght angle and the shadow near the middle of the flower.

 

Try shooting it at least 9 inches away from the lens' front. and pick a better light angle, or even try an early morning light. and see the result.

 

Some lens can focus closer than others, and virtually all point and shoot today, could beat the 18-55 in close focusing distance.

[mars c]

This is the closest focusing distance I could get with my 18-55, not very close indeed. Any closer, the thing in the center would'nt look as sharp.<div></div>

[rlk121]

Thank you all so much for your suggestions. As you can see I am a graphic artist that is getting into photography. (I studied it years ago in college) I really do need to go back and start refreshing myself with the basics. I shot for many years with point and shoots:)

So I have been learning as I go so to speak. However these formums have been great! I have to agree with an earlier post. I am in much need of a better understanding of DoF. I was pretty certain that my problem was a combination of a cheap lense and lack of experience on my part.

I am off to research better lenses and refresh my knowlege of DoF.

Thank you for your time and expert advice!

Sincerely Becky

[kolaczan]

see:

 

http://www.photo.net/equipment/canon/efs18-55/shootout

 

it is an excellent lens for the price.

[eyadnalsamman]

Thank you all for your kind comments on my first question. Thank you also Rebecca for your question which enriches my information about this EOS DSLR. I am planning to not purchase the camera with the lens kit. I will try to get a GOOD wide-angle lens (10mm f/2.8 or 16mm f/2.8). It will be more expensive but it deserves that price since that I am sure I will get more professional shots. Thank you again for your help.