my first DSLR -- kit lens or no kit lens?

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TheChort

Diamond Member
May 20, 2003
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I need some advice.
I've been looking into buying my first DSLR. My top choices right now are the Rebel XTi and XT models. I've been thinking of buying the body only, without the lens, and buying a separate lens.

Any ideas on whether or not I should do this? And any ideas for beginner lenses?
I'm willing to spend $200 on the lens if I find something worth the price.

my experience so far includes about 3500+ pics on a Canon SD400
and a few hundred pictures on a Zenit TTL 35mm

***UPDATE***

thanks for all the comments so far ... it's been really helpful
based on the replies this threads been getting, I'm gonna up my budget and get something better.
:) for me
:( for my pocket

The question now is what would be a good general use lens?

I'm looking into the Tamron 17-50mm (thanks fuzzy ;))

any comments on these?
Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6
Tamron SP Autofocus 24-135mm f/3.5-5.6
Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6
Wish I had that kind of money
 
pyonir

pyonir

Lifer
Dec 18, 2001
40,856
321
126
people say the canon 18-55 kit lens is a great lens for the price, i've never been happy AT ALL with it. IN fact, it's stored away in a box. Since you only have 200 to spend though...i guess it might not be a bad lens for you to get. Depends on what kind of shots you want to take...that's what will determine the best lens for you.
 
D

Deleted member 4644

My Nikon kit lens is not a really great piece of glass. That said, if you are on a limited budget, the kit lens is pretty flexible and useful, and for ~150 or so, it seemed worth it to me. You can always upgrade!
 
jpeyton

jpeyton

Moderator in SFF, Notebooks, Pre-Built/Barebones
Moderator
Aug 23, 2003
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Nikon and Canon sell their fast 50s (50mm F/1.8) for ~$100.

That'd be the first lens I would buy with any SLR, digital or film.
 
D

Deleted member 4644

Originally posted by: jpeyton
Nikon and Canon sell their fast 50s (50mm F/1.8) for ~$100.

That'd be the first lens I would buy with any SLR, digital or film.
Click to expand...

Yes, but a 50mm can be almost useless indoors (group photos) or for architecture shots. For $100 the kit lens gives you some flexibility.
 
pyonir

pyonir

Lifer
Dec 18, 2001
40,856
321
126
Originally posted by: TheChort
what would be a good budget to upgrade on the lens?
Click to expand...

depends on the usage, but really the 50mm should be first on your list at around $100 as others have said...and other than that, i'd say a decent budget would be 300-600 depending on lens and usage. if you dont need F2.8, then a F4 would be great...
 
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TheChort

Diamond Member
May 20, 2003
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Originally posted by: pyonir
Originally posted by: TheChort
what would be a good budget to upgrade on the lens?
Click to expand...

depends on the usage, but really the 50mm should be first on your list at around $100 as others have said...and other than that, i'd say a decent budget would be 300-600 depending on lens and usage. if you dont need F2.8, then a F4 would be great...
Click to expand...

the best i can answer is general use
since I'm still experimenting, I expect I'll be doing all sorts of shots from indoor to outdoor, and from macro to landscape.
One of the things that worries me, is that I've heard the kit lens does terrible under low lighting conditions, so I'm considering buying something better
 
pyonir

pyonir

Lifer
Dec 18, 2001
40,856
321
126
Originally posted by: TheChort
Originally posted by: pyonir
Originally posted by: TheChort
what would be a good budget to upgrade on the lens?
Click to expand...

depends on the usage, but really the 50mm should be first on your list at around $100 as others have said...and other than that, i'd say a decent budget would be 300-600 depending on lens and usage. if you dont need F2.8, then a F4 would be great...
Click to expand...

the best i can answer is general use
since I'm still experimenting, I expect I'll be doing all sorts of shots from indoor to outdoor, and from macro to landscape.
One of the things that worries me, is that I've heard the kit lens does terrible under low lighting conditions, so I'm considering buying something better
Click to expand...

low light is horrible with the kit lens. and it isn't that sharp, and has serious vignetting issues. I can't stand the lens. The 50 will be great for macro style shots. it isn't a macro lens really, but will give you great crisp results.

I'd say your best bet is a 70-200. that's really all purpose. You can get a F4 in that...and shouldn't break the bank.
 
C

Czar

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
28,510
0
0
Either start cheap and get only the 50mm f1.8 canon lense.

Or spend a bit more money and get the Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 lense.

both are lenases which will last you quite some time before you start wanting something better, that is if you feel you want something better. The kit lense on the other hand you would very quickly find the limits of.
 
Spineshank

Spineshank

Diamond Member
Jun 8, 2001
7,728
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I just bought the K100D and I bought it with the kit lense but also bought another one.
 
Mrvile

Mrvile

Lifer
Oct 16, 2004
14,066
1
0
Bah you guys are haters.

I've taken some pretty nice pics with my kit lens when I had it. Here is one of them.

I'm not going to say that I actually liked the kit lens, but it is a great learning tool and gets the job done when you really need it.

I also recommend getting the 50/1.8 if you're on a tight budget. BTW, the 50 would never be able to take a shot like the one above because its magnification is so much smaller than the kit lens.
 
virtuamike

virtuamike

Diamond Member
Oct 13, 2000
7,845
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I stuck with my Nikon kit lens for about 9 months before I upgraded. It's fine. Save your money.
 
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TerryMathews

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
11,464
2
0
Another thing to keep in mind is that the 'kit lens' varies from kit to kit. I've seen a few people in this thread talking about the 'Nikon kit lens', but there are actually several. The kit lens from the D70 (AF-S DX 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G ED-IF, 67mm) is markedly better than the kit lens from the D50 (AF-S DX 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED, 52mm), for example.

Find out what the kit lens is and read some reviews on it. They're out there, since these companies to sell the kit lenses outside of the kits.
 
M

Mellman

Diamond Member
Jul 9, 2003
3,083
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the kit lens is great to start with, as much as I want to replace mine, there is no 'cheap' option to do so. Granted i'm coming from a 18-55mm nikon D50 kit lens. I also just bought a 80-200mm AF-S nikon to play with :-D next on my list are a 50mm prime, and a 17-50mm f/2.8 or similar. If i could snag a 20mm prime...i would in a heartbeat but my wallet says no.
 
vi edit

vi edit

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Oct 28, 1999
62,484
8,345
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I just can't agree with the 50mm suggestions. It simply does not work for most casual shooters.

If you are upgrading from a little P&S the fixed 50mm is going piss you off to no end because it simply isn't wide enough for a lot of indoor stuff. It's fast, it's sharp as a tack, it's cheap, it's light, but it isn't friendly to a new user of a DSLR.

I like the kit lens simply for the fact that it's light and wide. And it's still a decent upgrade over most point and shoots.
 
T

TerryMathews

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
11,464
2
0
Originally posted by: vi_edit
I just can't agree with the 50mm suggestions. It simply does not work for most casual shooters.
Click to expand...

50mm on a digital body is going to be the same as 70mm or so, on a film body.
 
N

NuroMancer

Golden Member
Nov 8, 2004
1,684
1
76
Originally posted by: vi_edit
I just can't agree with the 50mm suggestions. It simply does not work for most casual shooters.

If you are upgrading from a little P&S the fixed 50mm is going piss you off to no end because it simply isn't wide enough for a lot of indoor stuff. It's fast, it's sharp as a tack, it's cheap, it's light, but it isn't friendly to a new user of a DSLR.

I like the kit lens simply for the fact that it's light and wide. And it's still a decent upgrade over most point and shoots.
Click to expand...

The canon kit lense?
 
mugs

mugs

Lifer
Apr 29, 2003
48,920
46
91
Originally posted by: vi_edit
I just can't agree with the 50mm suggestions. It simply does not work for most casual shooters.

If you are upgrading from a little P&S the fixed 50mm is going piss you off to no end because it simply isn't wide enough for a lot of indoor stuff. It's fast, it's sharp as a tack, it's cheap, it's light, but it isn't friendly to a new user of a DSLR.

I like the kit lens simply for the fact that it's light and wide. And it's still a decent upgrade over most point and shoots.
Click to expand...

I agree.

But instead of the kit lens I'd get the Tamron f/2.8 28-75mm.
 
GTaudiophile

GTaudiophile

Lifer
Oct 24, 2000
29,767
33
81
Originally posted by: mugs
Originally posted by: vi_edit
I just can't agree with the 50mm suggestions. It simply does not work for most casual shooters.

If you are upgrading from a little P&S the fixed 50mm is going piss you off to no end because it simply isn't wide enough for a lot of indoor stuff. It's fast, it's sharp as a tack, it's cheap, it's light, but it isn't friendly to a new user of a DSLR.

I like the kit lens simply for the fact that it's light and wide. And it's still a decent upgrade over most point and shoots.
Click to expand...

I agree.

But instead of the kit lens I'd get the Tamron f/2.8 28-75mm.
Click to expand...

I have this lens and it simply isn't wide enough on a crop body like the Rebel XTi or EOS-30D.
 
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