Are kit lenses rubbish?

[dcclark]

Actually, most DSLRs do sharpen by default. That can be change in the settings, of course. However, it's true that most P&S's sharpen a lot more by default (and also increase saturation more, etc.).

[TerryMC]

Originally Posted by Jill H

I have a Canon Power ShotPro1 with 28-200mm integrated lens which I bought in 2005 (which is a great all round camera and it has a fantastic super macro facility) and I have recently bought my first digital SLR - a Canon EOS 450D (Rebel XSi). I wanted to "step up" but I couldn't justify forking out a huge amount of money - so of course it came with 2 kits lenses - 55-250 and 18-55.

My question is? Are kit lenses rubbish? I have read various articles about the "glass" not being as good as more expensive lenses and if you want good quality photos you need to pay more. Is this correct?

Your Canon Powershot Pro 1 18-200mm is a L (Canon's expensive) lens while your XSi kit lenses are not ('rubbish').

[Jill H]

That is an interesting point that you make that P&S sharpen a lot more than SLR's. And that my PowerShot Pro1 has an L lens - I know I paid a lot for it. One wonders then why I bought the SLR..........was buying the SLR really an upgrade as I thought?? - is my SLR going to at some stage be better than my PowerShot when I learn to use it properly???

So are you saying that when you use an SLR the automatic settings really aren't that good - that it will force you to learn to use it's settings in order to get good shots? Don't get me wrong, I do want to learn, it is just an interesting concept that the SLR's auto settings don't work as well and the results aren't as sharp as the PowerShot Pro1 I have. I know I have been getting inconsistent results - some really good sharpness and colour and some fairly average.

Thanks everyone for your input. I appreciate it.

[TerryMC]

Without going to check all the specifications, I'll generalize a bit here.

Your Powershot Pro 1 is near the top end of the fixed-lens camera while the XSi is near the bottom end of the consumer DSLR. What you get from the DSLR is a bigger sensor and able to change lenses.

Since both are Canon cameras, shooting automatic shouldn't be that much different between them (may be a difference in focusing?). You may want to check and compare their settings and match the XSi to Powershot 1. When in doubt, ask around for recommended settings from other owners.

You can try some better lenses at local shops to prove to yourself what better lenses can do for you (not for others).

Don't be afraid to try out L lenses. Maybe you have already been spoiled by L lens quality.

[bebo1998]

I have been married to my tamron 28-300 lens - I purchased it for my D50 (body only) a few years ago. I just treated myself to the D90 and the kit lens (18-55) sat lonely for a while. So I decided to uses both cameras and lenses on a recent trip and discovered I really liked the 18-55 for tighter spots,and the clarity is great. I also have a 105 Signa Macro and even though it is a little slow to focus, the results are great. I have enlarged photos from each of these (lenses and cameras) up to 12 x 18, and have not been disappointed. Actually, in a few instances, the 18-55 images were sharper.

Bottom line, buy the best you can afford,and experiment. That is not to say you won't want to upgrade later - but maybe not. And Have Fun!

[Silverz]

I mainly use a kit lens. It is not perfect and there are several things about it I do not like which I could fix by buying a better quality, expensive lens.
However I can still get a decent photo out of it when I need to despite its limitations. If you are not happy with your results now then I think it is going to be more down to how you are using the camera than the lens it has on.

My best advice is to keep at it and try to improve with what you have, then when you can fully identify areas where a better lens will bring you benefits you can then look to upgrade to something that will suit your needs.

[wilswong]

If people commented that it is the photographer that maketh the picture, then why would the lens take centre stage?

No doubt, lens helped the photographer to capture the image and better lens make life much easier. Imagine low light situation, would you take at 5.6 at telephoto or 2.8?

Still the kits lens has its uses and one of those uses is to teach you the limits of the lens and force you to think what you want to do with your images and hence understand what kinds of lens you need.

My favourite kit lens is the 18-70mm that comes with the D70. it is light and sharp and has construction that is way better than the kit lens that shipped with the latest consumer DSLR.

[Jill H]

thanks everyone for your comments. It is certainly creating a lot of discussion - and highlighting the fact that I should learn and practice more before I go and fork out yet more money on a better lens. I am also now wondering if I should have jumped in and bought the SLR when the Power Shot already has a Pro lens - however I was wanting to expand on my learning and range. Thanks everyone, the feedback has been great.

[djotaku]

Hey there,

Let me relate a little story to you. I have the Canon 350D and 400D dSLRs. When I take photos they come out great (to my standards). Any time someone asks me to use my camera to take a photo of me, I tell them to use my point and shoot. They always say, "what, I can't take a good photo with your dSLR?" And, frankly, the answer (I don't tell them is) "No, you absolutely can't. You freakin' suck!" It always happens - anyone I give my dSLR to takes rubbish photos. Why? Because they're used to their point and shoot doing all the work. Nowadays they find the faces so you don't even have to focus and recompose. So it will take you time to get to the same level of shooting as your point and shoot.

As for the kit lens - it is rubbish. I have just returned the Canon EF 24-70mm f2.8L USM that I borrowed for my cousin's wedding and the technical quality of those photos was amazing. It was up to me to compose good shots, but the lens made my compositions shine!

Another way in which the L lenses are awesome is that they tend to do a lot less focus hunt. This means that when it's dark or when you're focused close and go to focus on something far away, the better lenses find what you want to focus on a LOT more quickly.

For some advice on choosing a lens, check out this blog post I wrote a earlier this year: It’s A Binary World 2.0 » Choosing a Lens