what do you guys think about the efs 18-55mm

i got it with my 300d (actually only $20 more with the lens from b&h..some special) and i havent taken any shots with it until today...i took a few and they seem pretty decent (especially for $20!)...my question is...would it be wise to just hold on to this thing or to sell it and think about another wide angle zoom?

How much are u going to sell it for? For that price, why not keep it? The lens is not as bad as what you heard from other people. I like my kit lens because it gives me wide angle for a low price. Unless I have the $$$ and go all the way to 10-22mm wide angle lens, i'll keep my kit lens for a long time.

Hold on to it for the price you payed!! How much can you sell it for, $60 $70 not worth the head ache and its a good little lense.

Dan

For that price keep it, it's a cheap wide angle.

I really like mine. It takes great pictures for such a cheap lens. If you sold it, what would you buy that that could go as wide as it does? And at what cost? It'd be a heck of a lot more than the $20.00 you spent for a 18-55mm kit lens! Most of us spent about $100.00 for the kit/lens before the 350D came out and still consider that a deal good enough to hang on to. And the bottom line is, the kit lens actually takes decent pictures.

Keep it. Use it.

Jon.

Apart from what the others have said, I agree, it's a very capable lens, though not as fast as how I'd want it to be. Besides, it's not the equipment that matters in taking photos. You may have the money to spend for the best bodies and lenses but if you don't have the eye for it...

Just my two bits worth.

Cheers!

I was not happy with the quality I got from the kit lens. I got one when I had a 300D and I got another one when I bought 20D. The last kit lens has now been sold for $100 ! ($80 cash + a BP511 clone battery worth about $20)

Unless you are ready to spend the $$$ for a 17-40L minium, keep the kit lens.

I've kept mine. I don't shoot a lot of wide-angle, but it's handy to have around when wide-angle is needed.

Joe

Yeap. Absoulutely agree that it is a keeper, even ignoring resale value. It's a very utilitarian lens and I love how light it is. When I take my next trip to the US it's most likely that I will take only the 18-55 because it did a good job last time. It might be cheap, but it's by no means rubbish.

I like the 18-55 ef-s . I think it is a bit underrated..
Anyhow, I am not 100% fond of it as a portrait lens, but it serves me good for landscapes where I am always at f8, and below.

See an example here
http://www.pbase.com/b​rucescott/image/415537​68
http://www.pbase.com/b​rucescott/image/422627​88
http://www.pbase.com/b​rucescott/image/422621​17

I may be looking into the Tokin 11-24 f4 as my newer wide angle.
That way I can go really really wide.

good point...i really have no reason to sell it do i unless i get an L replacement which isn't going to happen (my first L piece will be the 70-200 f4)

I thought my 18-55 was fuzzy. I set it aside. But I began to wonder how some people thought it was pretty good and others (like myself) found it pretty useless. Plus I saw some pretty good photos taken with it. So I took mine out of mothballs and ran some tests. I found that if I manually focussed(a challenge in itself with that lens) the pictures were much sharper than if I autofocussed. I suspect that accounts for many of the contradictory reviews. So I've changed my tune--it's a decent lens, esp. for the money, if you get a good one. I agree it's not worthwhile to upgrade unless you step up to a 17-40L which I still think is noticeably better, though the 18-55 compares surprisingly well.

My 300D came with that lens, and it worked alright for me. Then I bought a USM, and I was hooked. With the exception of the Nifty Fifty, I don't know that I'd want another non-L lens that's not USM.

I sold mine for $65.00, so I'd say you got a deal!

Steve

Keep your EFS 18-55 lens, the optical quality is very good for the price. I recently purchased a 17-40L and was disappointed when i did some comparison tests with my EFS 18-55 to find it did not
perform a great deal better. (Quadphoto)