i'm more and more appreciative of my 18-55mm lens


IMG_1581--.jpg


haha same same :)

18-55mm IS handheld @ ISO 1600.

haha..but seems like both of us got abit of distortion on the pics..the tower looks curved.. :dunno:
 

if you read the review and stats from slrgear.com.. u will be surprised that the 18-55 IS outperforms the 17-40L on open wide at 17-18mm (f3.5 on 18-55 and f4 on 17-40L) on the corners..

this lens is very sharp that it outperforms a number of lenses on the wide angle..

X2 for effect

a varied no. of online reviews were surprise by the technical IQ the 18~55 IS can perform as compared to much more expensive lenses including some Ls (such as photozone)

those who insist that "when you get more serious hence you will upgrade", please don't forget to credit the technical IQ superiority of this lens and NOT give all the credits to purely "good photographers" who fully utilizes the lens.
 

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i agree, the only issue with this lens is the build quality..if they can replace the build with sigma kind of outlook using back the same lens element..i dun think there is any need to upgrade at all..other than faster aperture and longer range..
 

This may sound stupid....but I will still ask and maybe there is a different opinion.

I am about to get my 60D and the EFS 17-55 F2.8 IS USM soon....so should I still get the kit lens bundle?
 

This may sound stupid....but I will still ask and maybe there is a different opinion.

I am about to get my 60D and the EFS 17-55 F2.8 IS USM soon....so should I still get the kit lens bundle?

Question is: do you need the wide-open aperture of f/2.8? I have compared my personal copy of 17-55 f/2.8 IS vs company kit lens 18-55 IS, and found the latter to be SHARPER. The only optical drawback on the kit lens is poorer color and contrast (apart from its build).
 

This may sound stupid....but I will still ask and maybe there is a different opinion.

I am about to get my 60D and the EFS 17-55 F2.8 IS USM soon....so should I still get the kit lens bundle?

i still have my 18-55 II and no plans to sell it--much less bulky than my 17-55 (and looks less intimidating). on the other hand, with the money you save, you could buy the 50mm/f1.8 (or you could offset it against another more expensive lens).
 

Hi,I just bought a new 550D with kit lens 18-55 and doubt if it is a good lens.Any sample photos from this lens that can really make me appreciate it?
 

Question is: do you need the wide-open aperture of f/2.8? I have compared my personal copy of 17-55 f/2.8 IS vs company kit lens 18-55 IS, and found the latter to be SHARPER. The only optical drawback on the kit lens is poorer color and contrast (apart from its build).

:think:??

How can the 18-55 be sharper than the 17-55?
 

the kit lens from canon cannot make it, compared to other kit lens of brands, its quality is way below expectations.

i guess the marketing plans is to make u buy L lenses.
 

the kit lens from canon cannot make it, compared to other kit lens of brands, its quality is way below expectations.

i guess the marketing plans is to make u buy L lenses.

First and foremost, we'll need to manage user expectations from what is essentially Canon's most basic lens in its lineup.

Yes, it's cheap and yes, the build isn't great. But it doesn't mean it can't do its job well - and that job is to "ease" beginners into the DSLR experience.

It's no slouch, just that it needs good lighting to get good quality shots. Sure, I get more misses than hits with this kit lens but it does still surprise me regularly.

This is a picture I posted earlier:

flowers.jpg



Here's 100% of the same photo:

flowers_sampling.jpg



No editing except slight adjustments in contrast and black levels. Handheld at 1/20.

For me, good value for money. :thumbsup:
 

Hi,I just bought a new 550D with kit lens 18-55 and doubt if it is a good lens.Any sample photos from this lens that can really make me appreciate it?

Sample photos from a similar lens @ NDP Preview, 31 July 2010
(Canon 550D, 18-55mm/f3.5-5.6 II):

1.
4878504731_de50771b14_z.jpg

ISO100, f/7.1, 8 sec. (f=25mm), image has been cropped.

2.
4878504571_c56491fde7_z.jpg

ISO100, f/7.1, 3.2 sec. (f=25mm).

The rest are here: http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=743330
 

the kit lens is always good to have and also reasonably good performing... best of all it's cheap and light!
 

:think:??

How can the 18-55 be sharper than the 17-55?
tell me why not other than it being typically counter-logic

http://www.photozone.de/canon-eos/425-canon_1755_28is_50d?start=1
http://www.photozone.de/canon-eos/404-canon_1855_3556is_50d?start=1

look at the charts yourself

the only downside of the kit lens is it's varied aperture and build quality
unfortunately a varied aperture is a very very big downside

btw the mk II and the IS version have different optical characteristics although their constructions are similar
 

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tell me why not other than it being typically counter-logic

http://www.photozone.de/canon-eos/425-canon_1755_28is_50d?start=1
http://www.photozone.de/canon-eos/404-canon_1855_3556is_50d?start=1

look at the charts yourself

the only downside of the kit lens is it's varied aperture and build quality
unfortunately a varied aperture is a very very big downside to me

btw the mk II and the IS version have different optical characteristics although their constructions are similar

Sure at those range it is difficult to tell with the naked eye but look a little closely and the 17-55mm is faster and sharper. Even the 17-50 Tamron would be better.

If you compare 50mm with the 18-55mm at 50mm and same aperture which would be sharper?

Don't get me wrong, I totally appreciated my 18-55mm Nikkor lens when I had it for 4 years but if given a choice of lenses within the same range I'd go for the faster ones because they tend to be sharper as well.

Here's my 18-55mm examples:

2096833470_348e365b8c_z.jpg


5279711413_c1a145782a_z.jpg
 

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Recently, as i shoot more, and find the pictures i took are pretty good-looking, i felt that i like my 18-55mm kit lens more and more.

really appreciate it alot. anyway bros, is this a good lens to keep?
in my dry cabi now, there is another 50mm f1.8 lens with me. how about this lens? any suggestion on how to push its beauty and capability?

:)

Personally I believe that every lens is 'good' in its own specialization. Afterall, which lens manufacturer in a sound state would make a 'lousy' lens?

The 18-55 is good, for what it's worth. You may find that it has its own shortcomings as well, esp. under low lighting.

A constant f/2.8 lens may not produce an image as sharp as the 18-55 (as mentioned earlier by others), but it allows well-exposed pictures and clear pictures that the 18-55 may not under hand-held, low-lighting conditions.
 

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Sure at those range it is difficult to tell with the naked eye but look a little closely and the 17-55mm is faster and sharper. Even the 17-50 Tamron would be better.

If you compare 50mm with the 18-55mm at 50mm and same aperture which would be sharper?

Don't get me wrong, I totally appreciated my 18-55mm Nikkor lens when I had it for 4 years but if given a choice of lenses within the same range I'd go for the faster ones because they tend to be sharper as well.

Here's my 18-55mm examples:

2096833470_348e365b8c_z.jpg


5279711413_c1a145782a_z.jpg

well to be fair you have to compare them wide open

stepping down would naturally make any (typically and generally) lens sharper, so if you want a fair comparison compare the 50mm f1.8 at f1.8 and 18~55 at 55mm f5.6

well that's why i said the varied aperture is a huge down-side
this thread is about DEFENDING the 18~55 kit lens (cause way too many people use having a "crappy kit lens" as an excuse to their bad photos), so owners of lens with similar focal length please don't get offended :lovegrin:

and of course naturally a wider apertured lens will do better in low light conditions as compared to this 18~55

given a huge budget i would choose the 17~55 f2.8 as well due to the larger aperture :)

btw i was messing with a nikon 18~55 kit lens.... pretty impressive build quality for a kit lens i must say
 

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well to be fair you have to compare them wide open

stepping down would naturally make any (typically and generally) lens sharper, so if you want a fair comparison compare the 50mm f1.8 at f1.8 and 18~55 at 55mm f5.6

well that's why i said the varied aperture is a huge down-side
this thread is about DEFENDING the 18~55 kit lens (cause way too many people use having a "crappy kit lens" as an excuse to their bad photos), so owners of lens with similar focal length please don't get offended :lovegrin:

and of course naturally a wider apertured lens will do better in low light conditions as compared to this 18~55

given a huge budget i would choose the 17~55 f2.8 as well due to the larger aperture :)

btw i was messing with a nikon 18~55 kit lens.... pretty impressive build quality for a kit lens i must say

But you can't compare them at different apertures! (ie. 50mm at 1.8 and 18-55mm at 5.6), that's like comparing a GTR going at 200km/h vs a Mini going at 60km/h, both cars need to run at the same speed to be compared fairly (how is the ride, noise level, fuel consumption, acceleration etc).

That said, I'm a huge fan of the 18-55mm because of its overall performance as a budget zoom lens, I practically had the thing glued onto my D50 for so many years (in which I also didn't realise I had an obvious dust spec all that time doh!). I even labelled my photos outlining that lens I used and I think it scared off a lot of people either from my crappy photos or so-called crappy lens, I think neither hahah.

I don't have one for my Canon but I have a 15-85mm and I think its a nice step up from the 18-55mm where the extra 30mm helps somewhat. However, because I've had good use out of the 18-55mm my expectations are much higher for the 6 times more expensive 15-85mm. I've yet to conclude whether I've made the right decision after a couple of months.

PS. my 2 samples above have very crappy post processing (PP of a JPG that was already PP from an NEF).
 

i love kit lens o~( ̄∇ ̄o~ )

img5747y.jpg
 

How does this kit lens compare to the kit II lens for 550D 18-135mm EF-S?
 

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