Is the 18-55 really that bad?

[dorsetdruid]

Hi All,
Hope everyone had a good Christmas. I'm in the market for an upgrade SLR and am looking at the 550D. Problem is everything looks great except for the fact that there seems to be a lot of concern written in the reviews regarding the standard lens that accompanies the body.
My question is...can it really be THAT bad? It's a Canon after all and surely one of the major players wouldn't release something that truly warranted so much negative press.
Or am I being naive?
All comments gratefully received.

Dave

[donoreo]

I have seen some reviews say that for a "kit lens" it is fairly decent. I think that is the qualifier: if you compare "kit" lenses to kit lenses it fairs ok, but when compared to replacements it does not.

I am quite happy with mine.

[Stormsong]

I have had no problems with the kit lens (18-55mm) issued as part of the bundled package on my model either, although my 55mm-200mm lens of another make seems to live permanently on my camera, as I find it more versatile.

Regards,
Denise

[cosmicma]

i think it depends on what you are upgrading from and what your comparing it to

for example if your upgrading from a cheap compact then the camera and kit lens will be a significant upgrade but if your trying to compare the lens to say L glass then it's gonna give pretty poor results in comparison

if it is something that has become an issue just buy a body only and add a lens you think you would be happy with

[SieSmith]

It's never going to be the greatest lens you have ever owned, but for a £100 lens it has quite reasonable performance (see link)

http://www.slrgear.com/reviews/showp...ct/1114/cat/11

I never really had any problems with mine, but I didn't give it a second thought when i sold it with my camera when I upgraded.

There are better lenses out there, but they cost more. Try them, you'll see the difference.

Cheers, Sie

[mazawatea]

The snide remarks I have had about the 18-55 kit lens have usually been from owners of another brand of camera........
Although 'er indoors has just treated me to another brand 17-50 f2.8 which I have found very useful
Salut

[Mr Yarrow]

I bought myself the 550D for Christmas and the one thing I read in reviews is that the kit lense is actually rather good. Indeed what some people have been refering to is the older cheaper non IS kit lens that comes on the 1000D for example.

Only taken a dozen or so shots so far and am very pleased with it, it is in my opinion superior to the 18-55 kit lens I had on the Sony A380 I bought in the summer.

A good bit of kit from what friends tell me and a good start to step up from

Rgds

[rbarry]

I too bought a 550D last year and opted for the kit that included the 18-55 lens. I did the same when I bought my 400D some three years ago that had the earlier model 18-55 lens.
This lens is far from poor. Optically it's great value for money, and as already mentioned comes with IS. This later version is also said to have slightly better optics than it's predecessor's. It lacks finnesse in the build department as it's a plastic body and feels "cheap", but so long as you don't set fire to it and melt it or use it as an ice hockey puck it shouldn't matter.

You will inevitably upgrade your lenses over time anyway, but this lens will give you pretty good results in the meantime. The reasoning why I went for the kit bundle rather than a body only deal was the value you get with this combination, but more importantly when it's time to upgrade your camera, you will be able to include the lens with the sale. You should find it easier to sell if you can offer a lens with the body, and an IS lens at that, which you have also enjoyed the benefit of using.

[Tom Peppiatt]

I think its okay as a starter kit lens, but there are much better lens out there!

[Drew Smith]

Hi Dave

My first camera was a 1000D with the NON IS 18-55mm. I took some corking pictures with it. Okay, I never had a need to blow my images up to the size of a building but I thought it was a great lens. I hear the IS version is even better. Great value for money - I doubt there's much to touch it for the price.

For future reference the Canon 55-250mm budget lens (sometimes available as a kit package) is even better. I kept mine when I bought a Canon 70-200mm 2.8 L lens. It's small, lightweight and as long as you have the light, takes great, sharp pictures.

Drew