EF-S 18-55 "II"?

John27 · Jan 7, 2012

Hey all,

So my grandpa (A former film SLR buff, now converted to digital as of this Christmas) got a T3, and the kit lens it came with was a "II" as opposed to mine. I didn't think anything of it at first, but when I picked up his camera the first thing I noticed was that it focused SUPER fast (Compared to my 18-55 anyway). I didn't really play with it much but it was definitely interesting.

So anyway, here's my question: I haven't built my glass collection up enough to ditch the 18-55 just yet (er... considering it's one of two lenses I own! hehe :lol:

). But they certainly do go cheap, every once in a while you can find guys selling these kits lenses on craigslist for next to nothing, the big box stores basically ONLY carry the kits of the lower and mid-range Canon DSLR's and these film guys (like my grandpa) convert over and have no use for that lens. I once saw one go for $20 never used. So the question is, is it worth buying the II, or am I getting nothing more than my first generation 18-55? Are there any other upgrades or improvements other than just focusing faster? (And for the record, Grandpa shot minolta cameras, so while he's got a ton of great glass, none of it will fit obviously, so he is as lens-less as I am, so I can't just use his! haha.)

Just curious. As cheap as they go, even for fifty bucks or whatever, if it'll shoot better quality images, then it's worth it, since it'll be quite a while before we're ready to buy another lens (Wedding coming up!)

-John

PhillOS · Jan 7, 2012

I say save your money.. the upgrade wont be that much of a notice, except the added Image Stabilization, which ofcause does benefit you from being able to get more "keepers" while handheld.

EDIT: Sorry didn't read the entire post through, my bad!
If you're feeling you should upgrade, why not get the 17-85 EF-s? It's a great overall lens and perfect upgrade from the kit 18-55 lens, (keep in mind it doesn't perform outstanding at wide angle)