300D - get kit lens or no?

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maw

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hi all,

i'm planning on buying a 300D and am debating whether i should opt for the kit 18-55mm lens or would my money be well spent on something else?

i can spend about $300 on a lens for it, but i'm not sure if that will buy me anything significantly better than the kit lens. it doesn't have to be a Canon lens, but i would like a zoom lens that covers the the same (if not better) range as the 18-55mm.

thanks for any advice on this..
 
I'd say get it. There arnt all that many cheap alternatives for zoom lenses out there with this quality. At least not for $100. Its far from a great lens, but it really is quiet a good lens.

Spend $180 on lenses, $100 on the kit lens, then $80-ish on the 50mm f/1.8. It may seem stupid but once you see what that little 50mm prime can do you'll understand.

On top of it all, it's harder to sell a camera without a lens so think of the future. When you decide it's time to get rid of the 300D you'll have a lens to sell along with it.
 
[TQ] said:
I'd say get it. There arnt all that many cheap alternatives for zoom lenses out there with this quality. At least not for $100. Its far from a great lens, but it really is quiet a good lens.

Spend $180 on lenses, $100 on the kit lens, then $80-ish on the 50mm f/1.8. It may seem stupid but once you see what that little 50mm prime can do you'll understand.

On top of it all, it's harder to sell a camera without a lens so think of the future. When you decide it's time to get rid of the 300D you'll have a lens to sell along with it.
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Cool, thanks.. I did some hands-on testing today with the kit lens and it is actually pretty decent, especially around f8 (actually pretty damn good at f8 and above). it seems quite acceptable a wider apertures, though little soft. I'll be doing 80% 4x6 prints, with the occassional 5x7 and very rare 8x10, so i'm hoping i won't encounter too many problems. I've also been hearing excellent recommendations for the 50mm 1.8, so i'll definately be getting that as well.
 
you arent going to find a 18mm alternative for anywhere close to 100$, so its worth it for that.


i heard it goes for >$100 on ebay, so if you turn out to not like it, you can probably make your money back.

I have also seen the canon 17-40 f4L talked about as the replacement zoom for that range, but its $700! I got it, and enjoy it for semi-wide shots.

plus if you order the rebel and your other lens is delayed in shipping, you need something to play with ;)


edit: i have the kit lens, not the 17-40F4L. I dont have $700 to spend on that :(
 
ambientZ said:
plus if you order the rebel and your other lens is delayed in shipping, you need something to play with ;)
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He'd be walking around with blurry white shots of odds and ends :p
 
i guess while we're at it, i might as well ask opinions on a good tele-zoom? something that will take me to around the 200mm range.
again, something reasonably priced since "L" glass is probably not going to fit into my budget anytime soon. :)
 
maw said:
i guess while we're at it, i might as well ask opinions on a good tele-zoom? something that will take me to around the 200mm range.
again, something reasonably priced since "L" glass is probably not going to fit into my budget anytime soon. :)
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Dont be so sure of that, i'm not sure what your budget it exactly but the 70-200 f/4 is an awsome lens at an awsome price.
 
[TQ] said:
Dont be so sure of that, i'm not sure what your budget it exactly but the 70-200 f/4 is an awsome lens at an awsome price.
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i'm probably thinking in the $200-350 range. I could probably go higher if i'm willing to live in the dog house for a few days. :)
 
ambientZ said:
you arent going to find a 18mm alternative for anywhere close to 100$, so its worth it for that.


i heard it goes for >$100 on ebay, so if you turn out to not like it, you can probably make your money back.

I have also seen the canon 17-40 f4L talked about as the replacement zoom for that range, but its $700! I got it, and enjoy it for semi-wide shots.

plus if you order the rebel and your other lens is delayed in shipping, you need something to play with ;)


edit: i have the kit lens, not the 17-40F4L. I dont have $700 to spend on that :(
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yeah, but the 18 mm does not offer very much wide angle distortion, if the OP is into that sort of thing.
 
[TQ] said:
I'd say get it. There arnt all that many cheap alternatives for zoom lenses out there with this quality. At least not for $100. Its far from a great lens, but it really is quiet a good lens.

Spend $180 on lenses, $100 on the kit lens, then $80-ish on the 50mm f/1.8. It may seem stupid but once you see what that little 50mm prime can do you'll understand.

On top of it all, it's harder to sell a camera without a lens so think of the future. When you decide it's time to get rid of the 300D you'll have a lens to sell along with it.
Click to expand...


Yes -- this is about the cheapest zoom lens you are going to find that is 1) new, and 2) decent quality. I've even considered purchasing it and modding it to fit on a D30. Canon isn't going to include its best lenses in a kit, but that company knows what it's doing and knows the quality it must achieve to attract the market it wants -- so it builds a decent quality lens for the prosumer. Canon won't make a crappy lens and put it in a kit, IMO.


The problem with the 18-55 and the 50 mm 1.8 is that there's no telephoto in there. Since you already have the 50 mm "covered" I might suggest an ultra wide angle (ultra expensive) or a long telephoto. I use the 50 mm 1.8 all the time and let me tell you, 55 mm is not very much zoom.

But to each his own.
 
there are also interesting alternatives from sigma and tokina brands if you don't want to get a Canon lens. These two lenses tend to utilize EF mounts.
 
my best shots have been taken with a 50mm f/1.8. The fact that you have to get closer doesnt mean you cant take a good photograph.
 
[TQ] said:
my best shots have been taken with a 50mm f/1.8. The fact that you have to get closer doesnt mean you cant take a good photograph.
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heh.. good point.. espcially when you can easily crop in Photoshop..
 
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