Frank47 Loc: West coast Florida

I also use Nikon and the kit lenses are quite good. I suspect the same is true of Canon. For the overwhelming majority of us, it is the individual NOT the lens that will limit the visual images that result.

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

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stephena Loc: Carmel, Indiana

I believe in today's camera equipment market, the major player's kit lens is the same lens you can purchase separately for that particular camera. It may not be their best but the buyer should know that if he/she is interested in that particular brand: The lens is in their overall inventory In days gone by, a somewhat inferior lens may have made up the kit, but

stephena Loc: Carmel, Indiana

I believe in today's camera equipment market, the major player's kit lens is the same lens you can purchase separately for that particular camera. It may not be their best but the buyer should know that if he/she is interested in that particular brand: The kit lens is in their overall inventory. In days gone by, a somewhat inferior lens may have made up the kit, but I do not think that is today's practice. The Fuji folks have standardized on their excellent 18-55 zoom as a kit lens on the X-E1 and Z-E2 bodies for example. They have no other zoom in that focal length. Canon, for example, attempts to mate up a body with a lens according to price points, not that the lens or body is inferior, but it is suited for a particular buying audience. It's all in the marketing. If you are concerned about a particular kit, go on line and search for an evaluation of the lens. Most of that stuff is fairly presented. Steve

photoman022 Loc: Manchester CT USA

One of the groups I "like" on Facebook published one of the best photos taken in the past ten years. It was taken with a Nikon D40 with the 18-55 kit lens. When I pointed out the fact that it was all done with "entry level" gear (which I still use), the original poster pointed out that the photo was taken 8 or 9 years ago when the camera was "new"! We don't realize the great materials we have to work with even when it is "kit" material!

Yes, I've updated my kit to a 24-70 f/2.8 (Tamron) for portraits and the 70-300 (Tamron) for more reach than my 55-200 kit lens gave me. But I "upgraded" both because of specific needs. But my 18-55 is still on my D40 and is always with me.

SX2002 Loc: Adelaide, South Australia

Sadly there are too many "equipment snobs"...I have both kit lenses and more expensive ones as well and I defy anyone to tell the difference in pic quality. All but one of my comp winning shots were taken with one of my "kit" lenses.
One stupid comment I read was that you can't take portraits with an APS-C camera...!!! Not a lens issue I know but just to show how some people think.
My every day lens is an 18-105mm Nikkor and it's great...

Frank47 Loc: West coast Florida

Yup! Agree! I have taken many great images with my $200 fixed DX 35mm f1.8 Nikkor
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betterinblackandwhite

Interesting thread on 'kit' lenses. My recent conversations with Canon consumer/tech support services (January 2014) verified that all Canon lenses within one of their particular lines are made to EXACTLY the same specifications/standards for materials, components, manufacturing processes, etc. That is, all 'red ring' or L-series lenses are built to a certain quality standard for that line; and, while built to different standards, all lenses in any other product line are manufactured identically.

The urban myth of the 'kit lens' persists without basis. The EF-S 18-55mm IS STM included with various Canon 'kits' is EXACTLY the same quality in every way as the one you would purchase separately off the shelf from a Canon distributor. Think about it this way if you doubt the veracity of corporate Canon and its representatives. From a business/profit standpoint, it violates common sense to 'sully' your brand-line with inferior quality lenses, that will drive your loyal customer base to the competition, just to save a couple of bucks.

The time has come to stop 'tilting' at this particular windmill.

SX2002 Loc: Adelaide, South Australia

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