New Here - Kit Lens Question

[aj_jones]

I am purchasing the 30D for my daughter who has been in photography

classes over the past 6 months, it is a surprise so I am hoping I

will be able to help. Am I waisting my money on the kit lens? 18-55?

I can't ask her because I really want to surprise her. She is just a

hobbyist, however, extremely talented, she takes photos of her

nieces and nephews at soccer games and of the family for the most

part. She has photographed friends at the beach etc. I hope this

forum is able to assist me in surprising her. If the kit lens isn't

what I want please give suggestions of the best lens for the least

amount of money as a lens to "walk around" with and she will

purchase the more in depth lenses.

[christi_jones]

Hi AJ,

 

I am also new here. I have several post about lenses that you can refer to if you would like. I do some very similar photography, however, I am no expert and these people here will have some suggetions for you. I purchased the 30D yesterday and will be purchasing my lenses today. Good Luck! I am sure your daughter will be surprised. I saw your post with your last name and was like is my father in law in here (same name) but then I rethought about the actuality of that happening and laughed.

[peter_daalder]

<i>the best lens for the least amount of money</i><p>About $100...<br> Yeah, that's got to be the best lens for that kind of money. I'm sure that your daughter will get plenty of use out of it, whilst saving up for some other Canon lenses. Check <a href="http://www.photo.net/equipment/canon/efs18-55/"> Bob Atkin's review </a> and take note of his conclusion.

[dogbert]

It is a good lens for the money. I wouldn't bother spending any more on zoom lens unless you were to spend many hundreds more, ie with lenses in the $300+ price range she might start to notice an improvement in picture quality.

 

Lenses tend to be a personal thing, and once she has some experience she will have her own views, so I would not spend too much money.

[kolaczan]

Bob Atkins did a great review of it. It wasn't quite as good as an L series lens that cost 10x as much and it did well. I've found it to be a really nice, compact, reasonably fast and sharp (although really cheaply built) lens. Certainly alot of performance for the money.

If your daughter can suppress her ego for a while and focus on taking pictures it will work well for her.

[RAFAELTATO]

AFTER PURCHASING 4 CANON LENSES I DECIDED TO PURCHASED THE KIT LENS 18-55 MM AND THIS IS THE LENS I HAVE IN MY CAMERA MOSTLY ALL THE TIME.

THIS LENS IS A VERY WIDE ANGLE LENS AND VERY GOOD FOR TAKING PHOTOS OF GROUP PEOPLE, BUILDINGS AND LANDSCAPING. BY USING IT YOU TAKE A LESSER NUMBER OF PICTURES.

 

RAFAEL E GONZALEZ CPA

[robert_hall2]

I suggest the EFS 17-85. This is a really versative lens, and, if you decide to sell, its popularity will bring a better return. This is a great lens, worth the cost. A 30D is a great present, and with that in mind, I would not skimp on that one lens. If you have the funds, the EFS 10-22, the 100mm macro, and a nice tele would make a pretty terrific package. One of the 70-200 L lenses would work well for soccer. I have the 70-300 which works, but it is slow. It works. Both the WA and macro lenses are specialized. Consider a 580EX flash or Sigma equivalent. Don't forget glass "filters" to protect the lenses, and one spare lens cap per lens.

[pjmeade]

I agree with those that say, or shout, that the kit lens is worth getting. Your daughter will get a lot of milage out of it.

 

As her skills develop, she can decide what lens(es) she needs next. So, you know what you will be buying her at Christmas.

 

 

Cheers. P

[whwhitejr]

AJ I agree with the other posts here. Get her the kit lens but she will want the 17-40 f4L $500+, the 24-70f2.8L $1000+ and the 70-200f2.8L $1200+ and thats just the zooms. Maybe after you get her the 30D and the kit lens maybe you can get a second job.:) LOL, Bill

[ifeito]

AJ,

 

Hey, want another photographer son? ;)

 

How much do you want to spend? Like folks here have said, the kit lens is not that bad; but if you want to spend a little bit more you could go for the 17-85 IS and extend her range.

 

You could also get her the kit lens and throw in a 50 1.8 prime for $80 dollars more. I'm sure her teachers at her photography classes will be thrilled to see her walk in with a prime instead of a zoom, there's so much more you can do with the extra aperture and closer focusing distances of a prime compared to a zoom.

 

Actually if she's really into her classes, why not get her the prime and then decide on what else to get. I'm sure that's what her teachers have recommended to all their students.

 

Many people end up selling their "normal" zooms in favor of a wide-zoom, normal prime & tele zoom configuration, so if she already knows her photography you may be taking the first step in the right direction.

 

Finally, you didn't tell us what she's shooting with today. Is it a film DSLR? Perhaps she can use the lens from that camera on her new one!

 

Ignacio

[ifeito]

�Film DSLR?

 

There, had to do that before someone else did it for me. Need to have a cup of coffee before answering.

 

Ignacio

[paul -]

The kit lens (EF-S 17-55mm) is definitely worth getting, as there are simply no other lenses in that zoom range for anywhere near that price (and it's <i>not</i> a bad lens, especially compared to the truly crappy zoom lenses traditionally included in cameras kits).<P>In addition to the kit lens, the $80 EF 50mm/1.8 is worth getting. As far as quality for dollars spent, it is by far the best deal in the Canon lineup. Amazing optical quality by any standards, plus a "fast" (low number, wide opening) aperture which is very helpful for indoors or low light shots.

[phule]

Why the 30D and not the 350D (Rebel XT)? The size and weight of the two are significantly different and I know a couple people that have found the 20D/30D too heavy to carry around all day.

 

This is not true for everyone, of course, but I would consider surprising her with a trip to the camera store instead of the camera itself. She's the one that has to use it, she should be allowed the choice of what feels most comfortable to her.

 

The 18-55 lens will last her quite a while. She can decide later if/what she wants to upgrade to.

[jim_youhouse]

Have been using the kit lense exclusively since I cannot afford a better one. Have been pleased with it overall. This is cropped from a picture with the kit lense from about 200+ feet away.

[m_barbu1]

If you can afford to spend a couple of hundred dollars more, I would really recommend either the EF 28-105 f/3.5-4.5 USM or EF 28-135 f/3.5-5.6 IS USM. Neither will be as wide as the kit lens. However, from your stated uses, I think she'll find greater versatility with these.

 

<p>See this <a href="http://bobatkins.com/photography/reviews/28zooms.html">Bob Atkins review</a>.</p>

[mormegil]

I say get the kit lens and the 50.18 as a start.

 

I agree the 17-85 is a great lens, but so is the 17-40 4L. If you get one over the other (spending an extra $600-800) and she decides she'd rather have the L quality over the IS and range or vice versa, then it's a problem.

 

Something else you could do, is find out what lenses she already has for her current film SLR. Get her something equivalent for her "standard zoom." If she's already shooting Canon, get lenses that compliment her current kit.

 

You could "fake" an interest, and ask her to explain the equipment she has to you. It might make some good bonding time.

[jayhai]

I back the kit lens to start. It lasted me about 1 year. I got my bearings and figured out what I

was missing in a lens. I also back spending 80$ more and getting the 50mm prime 1.8.

[images_in_light_north_west]

I'll put in my 2 cents, I had a 24-105 II USM that is a great all around lens about $280, the lens in that kit is garbage, don't recomend the kit, canon has some rebates now, check those, but your camera is about as good as the lens you use, nice camera? get a nice lens. or go w/350 xt and a 24-105 f4 L.

[pto189]

<i>I had a 24-105 II USM that is a great all around lens about $280, the lens in that kit is garbage.</i><p>

There is no such lens as 24-105 II USM. The kit lens or EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 is <b>not</b> garbage. It's one of the best buy Canon lenses. I suggest you let her use the 30D with kit lens first and let her decide what she needs next. EF-S 17-85, EF-S 17-55, 17-40, 70-105, Tamron 28-75, or Sigma 24-70 are better, but there is no one perfect lens. My experience is that buying lenses is a long process. You buy the next one when you need it, not because it's a great lens.

[gluteal cleft]

I really find the kit lens disappointing compared to all of my other lenses in most every area I can think of. However, I find that having an extra-wide lens to be very useful. Not necessarily on a continual basis, but I do find myself appreciating the wide angle of the kit lens - and sometimes wishing that I could go wider.

 

For that reason alone, unless you're going to buy a higher-quality, extra-wide lens, get the kit lens. For the money, it will earn its keep.

 

If the extra-wide angle shots were more important to me, I'd buy the EF-S 10-22. Each time I think about buying it, though, I realize that the money could buy me something that I would use much more. But for the $80 or so for the kit-lens, it's a no-brainer.

 

steve

[steve torelli]

Another alternative to the kit lens not mentioned much these days, is the 28-135 IS. A good to very good consumer zoom. At around $400 from B&H, it's more than the kit lens but less expensive than the 17-85. It's image stabalized and offers a wider and possibly a more practical zoom range for a beginner. Good luck.

[m_barbu1]

Really? I mentioned it a little over five hours ago. ;-)

[kathywilson]

Rob Bernhard has a very valid point -- take her to the camera store instead of buying the camera. I went from a small point and shoot to a dSLR, and I didn't think size/weight would matter between the XT/20D, and I was more focused on cost. But after handling both of them, I knew right away which I liked more, and so I bought the 20D. It might be that she would find the weight too much, or the size too big - or, God forbid, - she might like to go Nikon. ;) As to lenses -- go for the kit lens if you do get the 30D (or 20, or XT - it's the same lens) I *really* like it, there's very little distortion, it's light weight, and definitely worth the very little extra expense if you buy it with the camera. I would then stop there with the lenses - she will have to decide on what else to get depending on what she winds up shooting. While it's nice to go for a range of zooms, or a specific prime, if she winds up doing something that needs a macro - she's "stuck" with a big bag of great lenses which won't do the job.

[kathywilson]

Steve - I bought that 28-135 IS USM lens when I got my camera. I like it, and thought I'd use that one most the time, but turns out I'm using the kit more often! I find now, that I wish I'd really used the camera more and then bought another lens. I believe I would have gone for an L series lens in the 17ish-85ish range rather than the tele.