question about quality of Canon's 20d package 18-55mm Lens

[johnathanesper]

I noticed a lot of reviews lament the image quality from the packaged 18-55mm lens. Are they being nitpicky here, or is there a real problem? For example, I have been using an Olympus C-4000, and was generaly pleased, until recently, and am planning on purchasing a Canon 20d. But how would the new lens compare to the one I have been using on the point and shoot olympus?
Thank you!
Johnathan Esper
www.wildernessphotographs.com (http://www.wildernessphotographs.com)

[J.A.F. Doorhof]

Hi,
I have made only a few shots with the 18-55 lens.
It's buildquality is very plastic, but for it's price of arround 75,00 what would you expect :D.

I will probarbly not use it anymore, but I own the Tamron 28-75 f2.8 and the Sigma 15-30EX so those lenses are no competition :D.

When you buy the kit lens you can make very nice shots with it, the only REAL problem I found with it was a more than avarage Chromatic abberation at the edges, stopped down to f8.0 the sharpness was adequate.

Greetings,
Frank

[mbze430]

Let me put it in another way. The first thing I did with the 18-55mm was ebay it off. It's slow, its soft. If it wasn't for a deal I was getting, I would have just bought it with only the body.

[tommykjensen]

My 18-55 lens sits on a shelf collecting dust. It is a c*** lens in my opinion. I only got it because at the time I bought my 20D I could only get the kit.

[johnathanesper]

ok, thank you for the advice. I think I will follow it. Now, what lense with similar focal range, but better quality, would you recommend? The 17-85 mm? How much bigger and heavier is this lense, physically?

[mbze430]

What price point are you looking at?

[tim]

Mine's almost as sharp as my Tamron 28-75, when stopped down a little. It's a cheap wide angle lens for a 1.6x crop body, so I say get it. Apart from the very occasional shot I don't use it, but it's fine for that.

[AirEOS]

I got the EF-S 18-55mm with my 300d and i sent it back yesterday because in a bright light it makes a rainbow ring around the light...Eg:. Image Below..but i am getting another one but i found it ok for the type of photography i do (Mainly Aviation)

Quality is only saved on Min for that shot but you see the picture..to test it if its like this..point it at a light and u will see straight away.

[Andy_T]

My 18-55 takes very nice pictures when stopped down to f/5.6 or f/8. I use it when I need wide angle (very seldom) as addition to my Tamron 28-75/2.8 that is an incredible lens (even more so at 300$).

Currently I don't see a need to upgrade the kit lens to the much more expensive 17-40/4.0 L.

From the tests I've seen the 17-85 has comparable image quality and even more distortion on the wide end ... certainly not enough reason for me to spend 600$ on it.

But that is my experience ... maybe I'm a lucky one to get a good 18-55 lens. Still, if I ever decide to sell it, I don't see much trouble to get a nice portion of my money back on eBay.

Best regards,
Andy

[CaseyScofield]

For what it's worth...

I'm not sure what you will mainly be using the 20D for, but when I bought mine, I got the camera body and purchased the 50mm f/1.8. I do a lot of portraits, and for the price, it's about the same as the kit lens package. In my own humble opinion the 50mm is a much better lens, it's got plastic mounts, but still a much better end result - at least from the reviews & pics I've seen come out of the 18-55.

[scottbergerphoto]

My advice is to get the body only and buy the 28-135 IS as a walk around lens.
Scott

[zebedeu]

My advice is to get the body only and buy the 28-135 IS as a walk around lens.
Scott

I'm considering doing just that when I get my first DSLR, only with the 28-105 f3.5-4.5 instead of the 28-135 IS cause it won't break the bank as much. Problem is that lens won't give me wide angle on a 1.6x camera.

I'm still debating wether I should get the kit lens for the cheap wide angle or not. It might come in handy for landscape shots, but it's more money and the focal legths overlap too much.

Either way I´m waiting a few more weeks for the rumoured new Rebel, who knows, it might come with a new kit lens, though truthfully I'm not exptecting any better than a USM version of the current one.

[HJMinard]

I'm considering doing just that when I get my first DSLR, only with the 28-105 f3.5-4.5 instead of the 28-135 IS cause it won't break the bank as much. Problem is that lens won't give me wide angle on a 1.6x camera.

I'm still debating wether I should get the kit lens for the cheap wide angle or not. It might come in handy for landscape shots, but it's more money and the focal legths overlap too much.

Either way I´m waiting a few more weeks for the rumoured new Rebel, who knows, it might come with a new kit lens, though truthfully I'm not exptecting any better than a USM version of the current one.

I don't think you have much to lose - it's dirt cheap (you can't get anywhere close to 18mm without spending quite a bit more) and is capable of acceptable results when stopped down (which you're going to do for landscape anyway).

[johnathanesper]

What price point are you looking at?\

preferably under $500, or at least not any more expensive than the 117-85mm package lens for the Canon 20d.

[johnathanesper]

put another way, I am very mobile, and wont be carrying around a backpack of lenses when I am hiking in the mountains, my primary intended use for the Canon 20d. so, I need a good quality, one-lense-does-it-all type of lense. Size, weight, price and quality are all important considerations for me. Which one lense would be most versatile, and you would recommend, for taking everything from macro shots of flowers to landscapes, and evening sunsets. I dont need extra telephoto power, and I will be taking few nightime shots.
Johnathan Esper
www.wildernessphotographs.com

[johnathanesper]

My 18-55 takes very nice pictures when stopped down to f/5.6 or f/8. I use it when I need wide angle (very seldom) as addition to my Tamron 28-75/2.8 that is an incredible lens (even more so at 300$).

does the Tamron28-75mm lense fit the Canon 20d?

[HJMinard]

does the Tamron28-75mm lense fit the Canon 20d?

Yes.

[Quinn Porter]

I think it all comes down to your plans for covering the wide-end. If you don't shoot wide angle very often and the lenses you plan to purchase are primarily 28mm and above, get the kit lens. It is a very inexpensive way to get wide angle coverage for occasional use. On the other hand, if you plan to shoot wide angle frequently, then I'd say pass on the kit lens and look for a higher quality lens such as: Canon 17-40mm or 16-35mm, Tamron 17-35mm, Sigma 15-30mm or 18-50mm f/2.8.

[triangle]

Wish I had spent the money elsewhere to be honest. But if you want to spend the $$$, I will sell you mine for $50 + S&H. Email me if your interested. ;)

[Jon]

I got the EF-S 18-55mm with my 300d and i sent it back yesterday because in a bright light it makes a rainbow ring around the light...Eg:. Image Below..but i am getting another one but i found it ok for the type of photography i do (Mainly Aviation)

Quality is only saved on Min for that shot but you see the picture..to test it if its like this..point it at a light and u will see straight away.

Shooting straight at a light source, probably wide open, isn't a fair test for any lens. You're positively inviting lens flare.

[MrChad]

My buddy got the EF-S with his Drebel and I couldn't stand the lens just so plastic, no real focus ring.

I purchased the Sigma 18-125mm for my Drebel and I love this lens. At $260 bucks I have no complaints. It works with the built in flash if you remove the hood and it has a lot of length on the 1.6x sensor. It's a great general lens IMO. It's as sharp as the Canon non-L's we have shot it against. In a few weeks I'm going to meet up with my buddy and we plan to test it against the 18-55efs, 28-70L to get side by side shots.