rayofdarkphoto Posted August 18, 2007 Share Posted August 18, 2007 How good is that lens. I am talking the 18-55mm....should I sell it? Or keep it as backup? Im still at the point where I could return it. But it seems to be alright as far as sharpness and color tones. Have any of you had experiance with this lens? Can you produce quality images with it, or should I look at getting a much better 18-55? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julie wainwright photograp Posted August 18, 2007 Share Posted August 18, 2007 I have it and love it. It is fairly versatile. Depends on what you are going to be shooting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayofdarkphoto Posted August 18, 2007 Author Share Posted August 18, 2007 im going to be shooting people......that didnt sound right. Full body shots of people and etc. My prime lens doesnt always do what I want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
valo_soul Posted August 18, 2007 Share Posted August 18, 2007 Others are sure to tell you this very thing, so I may as well say it. The 18-55 EF-S lens is a fantastic value for the money. But honestly, even with money aside, it is a very good lens optically. I own the 18-55 as well as a 16-35mm f/2.8L II. The kit lens is almost indistinguishably less sharp in the center when shot at equal apertures. It nearly matches the $1600 L zoom in this regard. Where it is not is good, are in the corners and edges of the frame, build quality, color reproduction and richness, aperture, and autofocus speed. So, to answer your question; Keep it. YES you can produce quality images with it. If you stop down to f/8 or so, you can produce fantastic images. But, as I said, even at wide open aperture, it's still very good especially in the center of the image. It's incredibly small and lightweight as well (as you know). Great overall lens IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimstrutz Posted August 18, 2007 Share Posted August 18, 2007 Here's a comparison of similar lenses: http://www.wlcastleman.com/equip/reviews/17-85compare/index.htm Bottom line: There are better lenses out there, but none for this price, and as far as cheap lenses go it's not that bad. Best to close the aperture down a stop or so, and since this is a small aperture lens to start with it's not a good low light lens. For shooting in daylight or with flash it's fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colinsouthern Posted August 18, 2007 Share Posted August 18, 2007 Worst lens I ever owned. Period. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisjb Posted August 19, 2007 Share Posted August 19, 2007 Hi Jeremy, from what I see in your pics you seem to be getting quite reasonable results with the kit, I have seen some exceptional images from some PN members one mainly landscapes but can`t remember who. someone might one was of SF bridge. the lens has not got a good build but optically within its limits is fine. Many folks hate it, a better built lens will give a lil more sharpness wide open and you will get far better background blur with a quicker lens also focus will be improved especiall in low light studio, but at a price. The better 17 55 f2.8IS would be one of the best as a zoom. but even better for portraits primes will usually work best. with ahat you are doing and as long as you are satisfied with the results, keep it and save for what suits you. I recently bought the tamron 17 50 2.8 as a backup but it does really well for its price (I don`t use IS) worth a look. have fun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard_oleson Posted August 19, 2007 Share Posted August 19, 2007 It's not a $600 lens. But you can't get $600 in exchange for it either, and it's a very useful lens for the money. I don't know what you plan to replace it with if you don't keep it, a 50/1.8 is a real bargain for portraits... but wide angle coverage with a 1.6x crop factor body is like gold, there are very few affordable ways to get it... and the 18-55 is one of them. Anything else that will cover that focal length will cost you a lot more, even if it's in the form of a manual focus film lens on an adapter. I've done some comparisons between the 18-55 and some very well respected prime lenses (such as 50mm Nikkors) and the lens was actually quite impressive. I'm not sure about the "worst lens I've ever owned" comment above. Maybe the writer has a lot more money, or a lot fewer lenses, than I have.... but I'm sure I've got at least a dozen worse lenses than that one, and I'm sure that some of them have better reputations on the internet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wayne_campbell Posted August 19, 2007 Share Posted August 19, 2007 Wayne Campbell, May 29, 2007; 09:19 p.m. I, too, have grown a litle weary of the 18-55mm kit-bashing that continually goes on. Take a look at the following photos and don't tell me they aren't sharp. And they're from the forum you're on right now. http://www.photo.net/photo/5666738 http://www.photo.net/photo/3884679 http://www.photo.net/photo/3433680 http://www.photo.net/photo/5900589 http://www.photo.net/photo/5838593 http://www.photo.net/photo/5996512 http://www.photo.net/photo/2938035 http://www.photo.net/photo/5950216 http://www.photo.net/photo/5932119 http://www.photo.net/photo/5980863 http://www.photo.net/photo/4420419 http://www.photo.net/photo/4878483 http://www.photo.net/photo/5418187 and on and on and on...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freelance Posted August 19, 2007 Share Posted August 19, 2007 I would not ever get rid of it. You will miss it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rddelliott Posted August 19, 2007 Share Posted August 19, 2007 Without starting a flame, if you know how to use the 18-55 kit lens, it will produce excellent, sharp photos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colinsouthern Posted August 19, 2007 Share Posted August 19, 2007 Antonio Flores wrote: <i>"I would not ever get rid of it. You will miss it."</i><p> I got rid of mine - and I don't miss that hunk of junk one little bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digitmstr Posted August 19, 2007 Share Posted August 19, 2007 You CANNOT judge how 'sharp' a lens is merely from viewing pictures on the web, or even on the monitor. Make some prints and you'll get the idea. Compared to my 24-70L it's a dog but, it's a very nice dog to have when you don't want to carry the size and weight of the more expensive zooms. I have taken my 400D and kit zoom exclusively on a recent family trip and left my 5D with grip and 'super-duper' L zooms at home. I got respectable results and I was actually able to spend time with my family and keep an eye on my young kids...instead of my 5D rig ;p So, keep it, it's a great lens to have! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisjb Posted August 20, 2007 Share Posted August 20, 2007 Hey Colin, maybe you`ll like the new 18 55 with IS ? :o) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayofdarkphoto Posted August 20, 2007 Author Share Posted August 20, 2007 Thank you all so much! I was shooting with a model tonight and I switched my setup to make my room elongated instead of the other. Reason being a also bought the 50mm f/1.8. My lighting was giving me so much trouble that I just busted out my 430ex and turned all the lights out and started playing with positioning of the flash...the results were outstanding. I cant wait to get a remote to link that to my camera somehow so I can fix it on tripod. I love that little flash. Great for black and whites! The 18-55 helped me where the 50mm was too much lens. So I was very greatful to have it near. Although I plan on upgrading I think I will just use this lens as a learning experiance until I get a new one. Thank you all for your responses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard_oleson Posted August 20, 2007 Share Posted August 20, 2007 Just in case anyone would like to see just how good, bad or indifferent this lens, I popped off a quick comparison between it and the 50/1.8. Not surprisingly the 50mm beats the zoom; but bear in mind that with both lenses at f/5.6, the 50 is at its best aperture and the zoom is at its worst case: wide open at the extreme end of its zoom range. If both lenses were shooting in the middle of their aperture ranges, or if both were shooting wide open, the zoom would look better; but I kept both at 5.6 for this comparison. http://rick_oleson.tripod.com/lens_test_center.jpg http://rick_oleson.tripod.com/lens_test_edge.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayofdarkphoto Posted August 21, 2007 Author Share Posted August 21, 2007 Thanks for the comparison. I shouldve have thought of that myself! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now