New 5DII..... thoughts on the 'kit' lens??

[Kwak12r]

Well I took the plunge and went to the 5DII. They only had the kit with the 24-105 F/4 L IS. Since I do not own a whole lot of L glass, I thought that this would be OK.
I am just getting the battery charged and have not taken any pictures yet but I am really excited.
I am planning a trip up to Zion in a few weeks and then over to Napa.

What do you think about the "kit" lens? From what I have read, it seems to be a very good lens.

 

[rufus5150]

It's a little distorted on the wide end and the lack of really wide open settings might disturb some people, but it's a really solid lens. I had the pleasure of using one for a shoot a few weeks ago and loved it. I was shooting almost exclusively at f/5.6 and above, though.

 

[AlexColeman]

Pretty nice kit lens. Does the D700 or D3 even come with a kit lens?

 

[Sw1tchFX]

D3? no kit.

D700 has the 24-120 Kit though.


The 24-105 f/4 IS L is the one of the few Canon lenses I with Nikon makes.

 

[KvnO]

From what I've read, some prefer the 24-105 to the 24-70 (for various reasons).

So, I'd say it's a fine lens.

 

[Big Mike]

Certainly nothing wrong with it...I wouldn't insult it by calling it a 'kit' lens. Really, it's biggest drawback is that it's only an F4 lens (compared to the 24-70 F2.8 L)...but with the 5DII, you can just bump the ISO to make up for the shutter speed. (not the DOF though).

 

[JerryPH]

Pretty nice kit lens. Does the D700 or D3 even come with a kit lens?

D700 typically comes with a 24-120... and no its nothing special. There is nothing special about ANY kit lens. There is an obvious reason for that... kit lenses are put in just so that you can have a lens to use with that new camera. The qualities of these lenses are always low end and way underneath what the camera's true capabilities are.

I often repeat something that I feel strongly about. Camera bodies are pretty much upgradeable every 2-3 years, but you should buy your lenses and lighting only once and buy the absolute best you can afford.

I would rather be without than settle for 2nd best of any lens focal length that I choose.

 

[tsaraleksi]

D700 typically comes with a 24-120... and no its nothing special. There is nothing special about ANY kit lens. There is an obvious reason for that... kit lenses are put in just so that you can have a lens to use with that new camera. The qualities of these lenses are always low end and way underneath what the camera's true capabilities are.

I often repeat something that I feel strongly about. Camera bodies are pretty much upgradeable every 2-3 years, but you should buy your lenses and lighting only once and buy the absolute best you can afford.

I would rather be without than settle for 2nd best of any lens focal length that I choose.

Try and do some research before you launch into a tirade. The 24-120 is probably a pretty junky lens, given its variable aperture, etc. The 24-105 is not. Tests seem to indicate that it's really as good as any L lens that Canon makes, with it's only drawback being the constant f/4. I don't own one because I valued the constant f/2.8 of the 24-70 over the IS of 24-105, but if I shot static subjects then I'd have been happy to use it.

 

[Montana]

I agree, the 24-105 is hardly a "kit" lens.

 

[Sw1tchFX]

D700 typically comes with a 24-120... and no its nothing special. There is nothing special about ANY kit lens. There is an obvious reason for that... kit lenses are put in just so that you can have a lens to use with that new camera. The qualities of these lenses are always low end and way underneath what the camera's true capabilities are.

I often repeat something that I feel strongly about. Camera bodies are pretty much upgradeable every 2-3 years, but you should buy your lenses and lighting only once and buy the absolute best you can afford.

I would rather be without than settle for 2nd best of any lens focal length that I choose.

The 18-70 that came with the D70 is pretty special. Metal mount, sealed, easily sharp enough for 12mp cameras...

 

[Village Idiot]

D700 typically comes with a 24-120... and no its nothing special. There is nothing special about ANY kit lens. There is an obvious reason for that... kit lenses are put in just so that you can have a lens to use with that new camera. The qualities of these lenses are always low end and way underneath what the camera's true capabilities are.

I often repeat something that I feel strongly about. Camera bodies are pretty much upgradeable every 2-3 years, but you should buy your lenses and lighting only once and buy the absolute best you can afford.

I would rather be without than settle for 2nd best of any lens focal length that I choose.

Wierd. I bought the 5D MKII kit because bodies were sold out and had 5 hits and sold the "kit" lens for $900 within the first week of listing it on POTN. The 24-70 f/2.8L sells for about that much.

Strange that a "kit" lens would be in such demand at such a high price for being such crap.

 

[JerryPH]

Wierd. I bought the 5D MKII kit because bodies were sold out and had 5 hits and sold the "kit" lens for $900 within the first week of listing it on POTN. The 24-70 f/2.8L sells for about that much.

Strange that a "kit" lens would be in such demand at such a high price for being such crap.

What is it PT Barnum said? "There is a sucker born every minute."
Glad that you sold your kit lens... but if it was so good... why did you sell it?

 

[Seefutlung]

The 24-105, like all 'L" lenses is an exceptionally sharp pro-level lens and normally retails for around a $1,000. The PT Barnum remark just punctuates your ignorance.

I prefer the 24-70 because the 2.8 lens speed opens up a whole new level of focusing on Canon bodies.

Gary

PS- The "L" in Canon lenses designates a pro-level lens in both IQ and build, ("L" stands for Luxury ... a branding that only Canon knows why).
G

 

[Overread]

I would probably sell a 50mm f1.2 if I were given one for free (or in a similar situation as above). Its a great lens, but its not a lens I would use or really need in my shooting. The 24-105mm f4 IS L is a popular lens and often many people debate between it and the 24-70mm f2.8 L with the former generally winning as a generalist walkaround lens whilst the latter tending to be favoured by those who end up in closer and darker conditions in general (wedding togs, nightclub shooting and studio work (where you don't need IS or 100mm of extra range as much as you do in a field)

 

[bigtwinky]

I would not consider the 24-105 as a "kit" lens. The only reason its being referred to as that is because it is sold as a kit with the camera. Typically, when people say the word "kit", they associate it with the kit stuff that comes with the Rebels or the 40D/50D, which are usually lesser quality lenses that people tend to replace fairly quickly.

Some people go out and specifically buy the 24-105 as its a nice lens.

So yes, it comes as a kit with the camera, but its not your typical kit lens.