kit lens vs. similar priced alternatives

[sublimelbc]

About to order my xti, but i'm not sure what to do with the lens situation. I have already decided on the canon 70-200mm f4 L, but that has taken my budget way down. The reviews on the kit lens aren't too good, so i was contemplating the 50mm 1.8 since its cheap enough with good reviews. I am however worried about the 1.5x crop making it too long as my shortest lens. Suck it up and use the kit lens, or take a step back for a while with better results?

 

[250Gimp]

I have an Xt with the kit lense as well as the 50mm and some other lenses. The kit lense isn't as bad as some people say. I find it quite acceptable when stopped.

I think you will definitely find the 50mm to long. I find my 28mm-135 too long at times, which is when I switch to the kit lense.

 

[panocho]

a 50mm is always a must-have, I would say. True that in digital that doesn't apply the same as in film, which is where my mind still is, but anyway I still think I would go for that. They are cheap and good.

Of course, it all depends on what you're planning to shoot to confirm whether the 50mm is really the way to go

 

[sublimelbc]

The lens is going to be for general photography. Basically It is going to be a lens for anything i'm not using the 70-200 for.

 

[Don Simon]

As was said, cheap 'kit' zooms are usually acceptable stopped down. Their usefulness in low available light may be limited since you have to make an already slow lens even slower to get the best results out of it (whereas for example the 70-200 f/4 is probably already great at f/4)... personally I am happy to use a kit lens but only stopped down to f/8 or beyond. So if you want something to 'plug the gap' in terms of focal length if only for a while, the kit lens should be ok... but I too would recommend the 50mm f/1.8 so you have one fast lens and because it's great for the money.

 

[panocho]

The lens is going to be for general photography. Basically It is going to be a lens for anything i'm not using the 70-200 for.

so I'd recommend a 50mm, regardless of whatever zoom-lenses you might have or plan to having.

 

[Layton]

The 50mm f1.8 is a great lens. I picked it up a month ago and I haven't taken it off my camera yet.
​

 

[xfloggingkylex]

the 50mm 1.8 is a great lens, a little on the cheap side of the build but it takes nice pictures. The problem is, on a crop sensor that is an effective 75mm focal length on your widest end, not very wide at all.

Depending on what you shoot, pick up the kit so you can cover lengths below 50mm's. This will be very worthwhile if you do any type of outdoor landscape shots, if you like to cover large groups of people in a single picture (at a party or just hanging out, or taking pictures of people playing at a park) whereas to get a whole group in with the 50mm you need to be a little further back.

 

[fmw]

While kit lenses don't compare favorably with manufacturer's higher level lenses, they do work and they work reasonably well. If your camera body comes equipped with a lens then use it. If you plan a higher grade lens for the future, then use that when you can. Don't worry about the equipment. Go make nice images.

 

[DeepSpring]

I have been shooting just the 50mm for a few months now until I recently got the 70-200 f4 L. I can't really comment on the quality of the kit lens because I didn't buy it but for what I have been shooting I hardly felt I needed something any wider.

 

[EOS_JD]

Here's a great thread showing the images that can be taken with the kit lens. http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=185522&highlight=ket+lens

I'd not mormally recommend the kit lens for someone looking for a good new lens because it's poor in low light. I'd recommend stretching the budget to for something faster like the Tamron 17-50 f2.8. That with the 70-200 f4 and you'd have a nice pairing for almost any situation. Obviously the 50 f1.8 is a great help for those times when shooting in lower light and it's always worth having in your bag. I have the 50 f1.4 but I too find it a tad too long with my crop sensor camera (20D).

So good luck on whatever you pick.