Problem with canon 18-55mm lens help!!!!

[mortimer]

I have an rebel XT camera which i have had for 7 years now and it has been working fine i take good care of it. I use several different lens with this camera but noticed to my horror yesterday that for some reason my 18-55mm len is producing an image that is blurry from the bottom to about half way and then in focus the rest of the way. It has never done this before. I have cleaned the lens, cleaned the inside of my camera also and this has had no change. Could it be something i have done with the settings or is it unfortunately the 18-55mm lens? I use a sigma 70-300mm len and have not notices any strange blurring and a macro lens but i am aware the depth of fields on these could be disguising any potential problems.

Basically the image looks blurry out of focus that fades into clear and sharp near the top. This happens whether i am taking an image straight on or at an angle.

what is it? Help needed urgently

Mortimer

 

[KmH]

It is likely one of the lens elements has moved, is no longer positioned in the lens properly, and the lens is in need of repair.

 

[Big Mike]

Welcome to the forum.

Yes, it does sound like the lens is in need of repair. I'd suggest that maybe you could probably find a replacement lens for less than it would cost to repair. This 'kit' lens is owned my many, many people as it came with so many cameras....but it's also one of the most disliked lenses, so a lot of people upgrade to something else. I have one sitting around and I haven't used it in 3 or 4 years.

 

[mortimer]

if it is my lens does anyone have any reccomendations as to a lens that is good to replace it with?

 

[Dao]

It depends on your budget.

 

[Robin Usagani]

18-55mm is the most common lens out there. You will see one for sale on CL quite frequently for like $60. Dont bother trying to fix. Use it as a paper weight .

 

[Big Mike]

if it is my lens does anyone have any reccomendations as to a lens that is good to replace it with?

Depends on your budget and the type of shooting you do.

If you just want an all-around lens that work similarily to your 18-55mm, then I'd suggest the EF-S 17-85mm IS or the newer 15-85mm IS. Either would make a great 'walk-around' lens as they have a good range and Image Stabilization.
The downside to either lens (and the 18-55mm) is that they don't have a large maximum aperture. A larger aperture lets in more light, which gives you more freedom to shoot in lower light and also gives you a shallower DOF.

In that direction, I'd suggest the Tamron 17-50mm F2.8 or the Sigma 18-50mm F2.8.