Should I get the kit lens for my Rebel or save up for a better lens?

January 1, 2004 10:55 AM

I'm probably getting a Canon Digital Rebel soon. Should I pay $200CAD (about $155USD) for the kit lens, or should I put that money toward a better lens?
posted by timeistight to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (9 answers total)

timeistight, I posted an AskMe query a few weeks ago, that you might find relevant. My brief, non-expert take is as follows: if you care at all about having wide-angle capability and you're not very wealthy, then you should get the kit lens, because it zooms from 18-55mm, and you will pay many hundreds of dollars to get anything else that wide.

If you don't care so much about the wide-angle business, I can recommend the Canon EF 28-135 mm 1/3.5-5.6 IS USM - it has Image Stabilization technology - good for neutralizing camera shake.

I went with the kit lens and the abovementioned lens, since the kit will serve as a stopgap wide-angle lens while I save up for a better quality one.
posted by stonerose at 11:06 AM on January 1, 2004

From what I've read, the consensus is that you should get it with the lens, because it would cost much more to get a comparable lens separately.
posted by mcwetboy at 11:14 AM on January 1, 2004

BTW, I got my camera at henrys.ca - I'm in Toronto, so I went to their brick and mortar store, but I would certainly trust them if you're looking for a reliable Canadian mailorder outfit. Anyway - I notice that the deal I got is no longer in effect: the Rebel+kit lens came with a $100 gift card, whereas the Rebel body alone didn't. That made the decision easier. You might want to shop around for a deal like that.
posted by stonerose at 11:15 AM on January 1, 2004

Response by poster: Thanks, all. I did read stonerose's thread with interest; the 28-135 lens is definitely one I'd like to eventually get.

Everything I've read talks about the kit lens as being worth getting for $100USD. I was just wondering if people still thought it would be worth getting in the Canadian context where it costs over 50% more.

To tell the truth, I don't know enough about photography to know whether I'll care about having a wide-angle lens.
posted by timeistight at 11:23 AM on January 1, 2004

"whether I'll care about having a wide-angle lens."

You'll want it eventually. The 28-135 is my "every day lens" and it's annoyingly narrow. If you try to get a landscape or something it just doesn't work. I'd suggest getting the kit.
posted by y6y6y6 at 11:59 AM on January 1, 2004

TisT, why not make a trip to the US and get some groceries and maybe a camera with it?
posted by riffola at 11:59 AM on January 1, 2004

Also I just want to add this here. Any Canadian in the market for a camera should really consider Nikon, because they, Nikon Canada, recently increased their warranty to *4* years!!
posted by riffola at 2:50 PM on January 1, 2004

Sorry my mistake, it's two years for cameras and five years for lenses. Here's an article about it.
posted by riffola at 2:53 PM on January 1, 2004

Get the kit lens because it, if nothing else, is a safe investment that will greatly improve the resale value of your DRebel some day. People have auctioned their kit lenses alone for as much as $176 USD (!) on eBay, although most go for around $120-130 or so. There are some various third party "upgrades" to the kit lens (of equally varying quality), but the next Canon upgrade in this range is the 17-40/4L, which is a whopping $750-$800 USD. Get the kit lens and curse the crop factor. :)

By the way, this is coming from someone who didn't get one himself, so you can take it with a grain of salt.
posted by DaShiv at 8:08 PM on January 1, 2004