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Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 USM SLR Lens , Thursday, 25 September 2008


Overall rating (weighted)		1.0
Sharpness		1.0
Build Quality		1.0
AF Speed		1.0
Value for Money		1.0

This is the Kit Lens that came with the 30D purchased new from National Camera.
Pay attention to the title. If the lens is marked just as the title, then we are on the same page.
Don't get suckered into a kit lens.
It will end up on a deep shelf a month later.

Don't test lens performance in bright sun or showroom.
Go to typical dim area to see what you need to do without flash to get decent results.
Now put on real lens to compare.

I ended up with the Wide Angle EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Autofocus for about $1200.
This lens is built the same as the red banded L series quality, but made special for the non full frame digital cameras. Like most of them from 50D on down.

The kit lens listed in title is 1/10 the weight, and 1/4 the physical size.
See the difference here: [...]

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

Cheap Lens!!!, Monday, 02 June 2008


Overall rating (weighted)		1.3
Sharpness		1.0
Build Quality		1.0
AF Speed		1.0
Value for Money		2.0

This lens I thought was fine. I would get pictures and they would be very soft, but I thought it was just my camera. I got out a 30 year old zoom lens and those images had 20 times better results than the brand new kit lens! This lens has never been sharp, and has always been slow!!! The majority of the images with this lens were pretty much a waste!

Why should you care what I think?

My relationship with this item: I own it

Conclusions at a glance

Would you recommend this Item: No
Pros: Light
Cons: Horribly soft images, Slow AF, Barrel Distort.

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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful

NOT a USM, Sunday, 11 May 2008


Overall rating (weighted)		2.8
Sharpness		3.0
Build Quality		4.0
AF Speed		2.0
Value for Money		2.0

I dont know what lens everyone else here got but look at the photo on this product page.. this is NOT a USM lens, it does not say USM anywhere on the lens which means it is NOT a USM lens, at least the one I have is not a USM.

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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

Was good when first purchased... , Sunday, 20 April 2008


Overall rating (weighted)		1.8
Sharpness		2.0
Build Quality		1.0
AF Speed		1.0
Value for Money		3.0

I have this lens, because it came with my Rebel XT. It was the first SLR camera I ever owned, and good deal that it came with it's own lens. Well, when I first had it... it worked pretty good. My pictures were pretty sharp and good quality.

NOW, it looks like I take pictures with a child's toy digital camera. I use it on my 20D now, and it is HORRIBLE. My pictures are blurry and not sharp, you can see EVERY pixel. I mostly shoot models, and it's NOT cutting it anymore. I bout the 50mm lens, and the quality difference is incredible. I really would be baffled if anyone bought this to OWN. It's okay for a lens you get with a camera, but besides that, I think it's the worse lens out there for Canon cameras.

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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

Basic Lens for Beginner, Saturday, 19 January 2008


Overall rating (weighted)		4.0
Sharpness		5.0
Build Quality		3.0
AF Speed		4.0
Value for Money		4.0

I got this lens to go with my Canon EOS 6.3MP Digital Rebel Camera. This is a very basic lens not for professional photographers. The lens works great and has taken photos of images that I need most of the time. There are two things I don't like about this lens though 1) the Canon snap on cap doesn't stay on ALL the time. I have to make sure the cap is securely on and fiddle with it or else the cap falls off in the bag. 2) the lens exterior part is made of plastics so must take extra care when using it or it will get damaged easily. Otherwise, this is a decent lens for beginners to tote around.

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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

Cheap Kit Lens, Thursday, 13 December 2007


Overall rating (weighted)		3.3
Sharpness		2.0
Build Quality		3.0
AF Speed		4.0
Value for Money		4.0

I got this lens as part of a 20d kit. The lens feels cheaply made, with plastic construction. Feeling cheap isn't the only problem as many of the images come out pretty soft. I ended up buying the Sigma 18-125 after about 3 months of putzing around with this lens. The sigma proved to be much sharper and afforded more reach, albeit at a price double what this lens is worth.
If I were to do it again I would have bought the 20d body only and gotten the Sigma lens.
The one great thing about this lens is the 18mm wide end. Before this lens I had been using a 28-85 and didn't realize how much I was missing.

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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

Image Stabilized (IS) Version Now Available, Monday, 03 December 2007


Overall rating (weighted)		1.5
Sharpness		2.0
Build Quality		2.0
AF Speed		1.0
Value for Money		1.0

While for the money this is an OK lens, Canon has now come out with an image stabilizied version, the Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS SLR Lens, for only a little more money and it's also available on Amazon.

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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful

I needed it fast, Friday, 19 October 2007


Overall rating (weighted)		4.5
Sharpness		5.0
Build Quality		4.0
AF Speed		5.0
Value for Money		4.0

I needed the lens very fast because my other one who cames with the camera set fall down and broke. I couldn't get a new one at any stores. It is a basic lens and you need it.

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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

Very good lens for the price., Saturday, 08 September 2007


Overall rating (weighted)		3.5
Sharpness		4.0
Build Quality		4.0
AF Speed		3.0
Value for Money		3.0

As already mentioned this lens is much better than the kit lens and I would highly recommend buying only the camera body and fit it with this lens.

This is a very sharp lens (see my lens sharpness comparison test, http://www.creative-wedding-photography.com/LensTests/default.aspx
, between the following Canon lenses: EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 USM,
EF 24mm f/2.8, EF 50mm f/1.4 USM, EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM, EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM).

The lens does exhibit fringing problems, and the color and contrast are not on par with the "L" class, but for the money, it's hard to beat.

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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

Great lens, better than the kit 18-55, Saturday, 14 July 2007


Overall rating (weighted)		5.0
Sharpness		5.0
Build Quality		5.0
AF Speed		5.0
Value for Money		5.0

As mentioned before, it is important to realize that this lens is NOT the kit lens that Canon includes with its digital SLR cameras. It has an ultrasonic motor (USM), which is the reason I bought my Rebel XT's body without a lens and picked up this lens to go with it. The USM feature means the focus is very quick, accurate, and nearly silent compared to many other lenses. I have not noticed any significant amount of softness or any defects in the photos I have taken with this lens, and it works like a charm. I would definitely recommend it to the first-time SLR user who wants a lens that will serve as a good starter model but not become obsolete as their photography progresses.

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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

EF-S 18-55mm USM, Monday, 11 June 2007


Overall rating (weighted)		4.3
Sharpness		4.0
Build Quality		4.0
AF Speed		4.0
Value for Money		5.0

A good lens for outdoor use. A bit too slow for indoor use, though. I got this to replace the kit lens that came with my Rebel XTi. The kit lens was okay, but I wanted a lens with like quality to my camera. I probabaly really don't need it as I have the 28-135mm IS USM, but I got the 18-55mm first. At least it's a good backup lens.

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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

why get an amazing slr and a mediocre lens?, Monday, 07 May 2007


Overall rating (weighted)		2.3
Sharpness		3.0
Build Quality		2.0
AF Speed		2.0
Value for Money		2.0

This lens takes ok pictures, by ok I mean that if you want your $700 SLR to take pictures like a $300 point-and-shoot, then this lens is fine. But for anyone who has an SLR for any other reason than to look cool (say, you are serious about photography and want to learn more), there are much better lenses out there. I *highly* recommend canon's prime (non-zoom, fixed) lenses, which can be had at very low prices, and which will really help you take (tecnhically, at least) amazing images. I use the 50mm 1.8 and am desiring the 28mm 1.8, but there are many other options.

If you are new to the world of DSLR's and want to learn more and grow as a photographer, forget this forgettable lens!

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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

CANON EOS DIGITAL SLR 18-55MM LENS, Saturday, 05 May 2007


Overall rating (weighted)		5.0
Sharpness		5.0
Build Quality		5.0
AF Speed		5.0
Value for Money		5.0

Great beginning slr lens takes great pictures, it could be coupled eventually with a telephoto and/or more powerful lens to bring out the best in the camera.

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18-55mm Lens, Sunday, 25 March 2007


Overall rating (weighted)		4.5
Sharpness		4.0
Build Quality		5.0
AF Speed		4.0
Value for Money		5.0

When I got my new camera...a Rebel...I got a macro zoom lens with it...rather than start out learing the camera with a lens like that, I wanted a basic lens to use for routine photos...and to use when learing how to use the camera...it's perfect...ciao

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A good place to start, Thursday, 22 March 2007


Overall rating (weighted)		1.8
Sharpness		3.0
Build Quality		2.0
AF Speed		1.0
Value for Money		1.0

If you are just starting out as a photographer and this is your first DSLR, this wide angle to medium telephoto zoom lens will do just fine. A focal length of 18 millimeters on the wide end of this zoom is the same as 28.8 mm on a full frame camera. The edge sharpness suffers when used with a wide open aperture but improves as you stop down a few f-stops. Also, this lens lacks a focus ring that has a distance scale which might make focusing tricky (for instance if you are trying to capture the aurora borealis). The lens also has a cheap plastic feel about it which is quite expectable since it is designed as a low cost lens. To this lens's credit it is very light which makes it ideal for light backpacking.

However, if you plan on becoming serious about your work, you might want to start considering the alternatives. One option is to pass this lens by completely and go with the Canon EF-S 17-85 IS USM lens. Not only is the EF 17-85 (~$500) equivalent to ~27 mm on the wide end, it has IS capability and is a much sharper lens (it should probably come with a box of bandaids!). If you plan on becoming very serious about your work, I would also strongly urge you to consider the Canon 17-40 f/4 L lens which is one of Canon's professional lenses. While it is much more expensive (~$600) and heavier, the results are very sharp and it is weather sealed. If you are after and ultra-wide angle lens, the EF-S 10-22 is the way to go although it is only useable on APS-C sized DSLR sensors which to be honest is only going to be a problem if you plan on upgrading to a full frame camera such as the Canon 5D in the near future. The EF-S 10-22 is equivalent to 16-35 mm on a full frame camera and is another very sharp lens.

It is important to remember that you just dropped $800+ on a camera body and trying to get off cheap by buying a cheap lens will lead to disappointment.

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