How much better would this lens be?

chris012543 · May 18, 2012

How much better would 18-135 IS Canon EF Lens be than the normal kit lens that comes with the Canon Rebel T3i? Would it be worth $200 more than just buying the normal kit?

Sorry for posting basically the same thread twice, the first one didn't show up right away and I though something didn't work.

belial · May 18, 2012

From what I hear it's basically optically the kit lens with more range

Derrel · May 18, 2012

The difference between a 55mm top end and a 135mm top end is SIGNIFICANT in many real-world situations. 135mm on 1.6x is enough "reach" to give some telephoto effect when at the beach or shooting from 30,40,50,100, feet away...55mmm is "ehhh". I've used the Nikkor 18-135 zoom on the D40, which is similar...it's actually a VERY handy zoom range to have on an APS-C sensor camera. the weight is not too bad,either, nor is the size. The kit lens is SMALL...the 18-135 lenses are longer, heavier, and bigger, but not to the point that they are a giant PITA to carry or use.

To me, the difference is easily worth the extra two hundred dollars; the added length gives simply much,much more in the way of creative options...the kit zoom is designed to be cheap and basic; the 18-135 is designed to be an all-in-one "solution" lens for casual and hobbyist use, and for being able to carry only "one" lens and to be able to do a lot, without needing to swap out lenses.

Josh66 · May 18, 2012

See the other thread for my reply.

bratkinson · May 19, 2012

I started with the EF-S 18-135 on my 30D and thought it was great. I thought the image quality was quite good as well. For an all-in-one lens, I think it's great. Wide enough when needed, and long enough when needed, too. The only limitation with the 18-135 is indoors, when a flash is needed to get most shots.

I also bought a 55-250 to go with 18-135, but found very little use for anything over 135mm, so it got sold after only being used twice.

In short, go for the 18-135. The 18-55 just doesn't have enough zoom-range and you'll definitely need the 55-250 to get 'reach' you'll soon want.