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Kit Lenses & the Step Up

A complete digital SLR kit includes many components. As with any system, the performance is only as strong as the weakest link. A good car will not perform well on worn tyres, a great HI-Fi will not sound so great with cheap speakers and a state of the art TV will not look very impressive with a budget DVD player attached.

An SLR may be capable of recording very detailed images, with accurate colour and subtle tonality but if the image is coming through a cheap lens then this will not be possible. Most DSLRs are available as a kit with typically an 18-55mm lens. This usually represents a very cost effective way of getting into a manufacturer’s system and shooting with a digital SLR. Whilst theses lenses are adequate for most purposes they are designed to be a budget option and as a result often do not do justice to the capabilities of the camera. You really should not underestimate the importance of the lens, the image can only ever be as good as the lens projects after all. While it is very tempting to buy the next camera up in the range in an effort to get better results you’ll likely be happier if you invest in quality lenses instead. Camera bodies are replaced every couple of years but a lens can easily last a decade or more and are therefore a better investment.

DSLR kits usually come in two forms, single or double zoom kits.
Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Sony and Samsung offer an 18-55mm lens as standard with a 50/55-200mm lens as the second lens. Olympus supplies a 14-42 and 40-150mm kit.

Each manufacturer supplies lenses that are a step up in quality and features from these standard kit lenses but which don’t break the bank like some of the top pro lenses can. You’ll typically get a greater focal range, wider maximum aperture, faster focus, and better build quality. The main advantage however is that these lenses are optically superior, delivering greater sharpness, less distortion and aberrations, more accurate colour rendition and improved resistance to flaring.

With the twin lens kits, the longer focal length lens can also be upgraded with the same benefits and the improvements in image quality are usually particularly noticeable at the long end of the range. For sports and wildlife the upgraded lenses can make quite a difference.

Recommended lenses:

Canon:
Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4.0-5.6 IS USM

Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS

Canon EF 70-300mm f4-5.6 IS USM

Nikon:
Nikon 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR AF-S DX

Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 ED-IF AF-S VR DX

Nikon AF-S VR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF ED

Olympus:

Olympus ZUIKO DIGITAL 14-54mm f/2.8-3.5 II

Olympus 18-180mm f/3.5-6.3 ED

Olympus ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 70-300mm f/4.0-5.6

Pentax: