EFS 18-55 photo example: Pretty good, actually

[Stephen Lutz]

I was caring for my daughter yesterday, and she was in a baby basket next to a window. The window is covered with a translucent screen to block the harsh morning light. I noticed that the light was good on her, so I got out my Rebel XT with kit lens attached and dialed up 800 ISO. I shot off a few, focusing on the closest eye. This is at 55mm, 1/50 of a second, f/5.6.

Not an "L" class shot, but I am well pleased with it. The kit lens is not bad. It can produce some very nice photos. Don't be misled into thinking you can't do some really good work with it.

[Photo-John]

Yeah, I was impressed with it, too. I'm not using it. But I will acknowledge that it's much, much better than the old 28-80mm kit lens I got with my EOS A2E. That thing was junk! I think all of the camera manufacturers have stepped it up with the kit lenses. I think the lens that comes with the Sony A100 is also very good. And people seem to like the Nikon kit lens, too. I've got a Pentax K10D tester on the way and I'm curious to see how that kit lens performs.

[Stephen Lutz]

I had the original 28-80 kit lens (had a metal mount), which I got with my EOS Elan (first SLR I owned). The metal mount kit lens was pretty good. The plastic mount one blew.

The EFS 18-55 II, which comes with the newer rebel and D-20/30 is better than the first 18-55 that came with the first rebel digital camera. It seems better built to me, plus it looks to me like there are better lens coatings on the version "II" model. I have read several threads where people have said, "I only have the kit lens so I won't post pictures because they will blow in comparison with everyone elses." Not so. I am as proud of my daughter's picture as if I had taken it with my 28-70 2.8L. Would the L have produced a better picture? Oh yes, particularly in re: depth of focus, but it cost over a grand, and the kit lens costs about $100. Believe me, I have both and there isn't $900 worth of difference between the two, at least where it comes to this sort of shot. Where the L shines is in low light, and also when you are going for a specific artistic/photographic effect. The coatings on the L also lend to a fantastic "glow" to the pictures that make them pop right off the screen (or print, as the case may be). Still, the EFS kit lens represents very good value and produces quite good quality.