Canon Kit Lens 18 - 55mm - Any good?

pullandbang

I recently got a 40D with the 28-135mm lens but would like to get my hands on something wider. I see lots of the 18-55mm IS lenses on ebay / adverts.ie etc and they can be had fairly reasonable - less than €100 brand new.

What is the general opinion on them?

Are they good, bad or indifferent?

docentore

excuse my language but they are sh*te. Even for me, amateur.

I would deffinetely stay with your one.

Blazer

I swapped mine for the EF-S 17-85 IS USM one to give me that big of a wider shot..
I have a Canon 70-200 L F4 so I didn't lose out really.

Sleepy

While it's not a great lens I actually think it's somewhat under-rated.

It's a little soft at the wide end, non-usm so a bit slow to focus at times but certainly focuses faster than the 50mm 1.8, doesn't have a very wide aperature (the 3.5 ends to become 4 at about 19/20mm).

BUT: when you can get it for fifty euro or less on ebay, it's not a bad buy if you're not going to pixel-peep and won't be printing above A4.

Freddie59

Sleepy wrote: »

While it's not a great lens I actually think it's somewhat under-rated.

It's a little soft at the wide end, non-usm so a bit slow to focus at times but certainly focuses faster than the 50mm 1.8, doesn't have a very wide aperature (the 3.5 ends to become 4 at about 19/20mm).

BUT: when you can get it for fifty euro or less on ebay, it's not a bad buy if you're not going to pixel-peep and won't be printing above A4.

I got it as the kit lens with a 450D. As I was only starting out it seemed OK, but when you look back now you can see the difference between that lens an the f/2.8 17-55 which I now have on a 40D. But, as has already been said, how wrong can you go for sub-€100?:)

dazftw

Ever wonder why there is so many for sale at cheap prices?


Canon 17 - 40mm is great!

Sleepy

Freddie59 wrote: »

I got it as the kit lens with a 450D. As I was only starting out it seemed OK, but when you look back now you can see the difference between that lens an the f/2.8 17-55 which I now have on a 40D. But, as has already been said, how wrong can you go for sub-€100?:)

Got it the same way myself and can't afford to upgrade to the f/2.8 17-55, don't get me wrong, I'd much prefer that lens to it but if you're on a budget, it's not the worst lens... certainly a big improvement on the original 18-55 (the non IS version).

pullandbang

Yet a chap I know who also shoots a 40D thinks the 17-55 is crap - he hates it. Hard to know what to do. I'm kinda constrained with having nothing less than 28mm but maybe I'll hold out and see will Santa be kind.