Ranking the worst of the kit lenses
 

From what I gather, the standard zoom supplied
with the entry level DSLRs would rank something
like this, worst to best.
Correct me if I'm wrong.
Olympus
Canon
Pentax
Nikon
Konica-Minolta

It seems like Nikon's is quite acceptable and Konica's
is the only "kit" lens that isn't a 2nd grade compared
to others in that line. Going the next step with
Olympus, Canon, or Nikon requires spending another
$300-$500 above the standard kit price, I'm not sure if
Pentax offers another zoom apart from the one that comes
with it as a kit. Because of this, it would seem that
the Minolta is the subjective "best buy" when dealing
with the standard kit.
-Rich

I have seen references to tests from a German magazine which rated
Olympus as 'super', top ranked, and the Canon, Nikon and Pentax next
rank down,
DonB

"DonB" wrote ...
I have seen references to tests from a German magazine which rated
Olympus as 'super', top ranked, and the Canon, Nikon and Pentax next
rank down,

-------------------------

My own results agree. I rate the Olympus 14-54 as a good, sharp lens. I've
also seen good results from the Nikon 18-70. I have heard the Canon 17-55 is
a lens to avoid, while the 17-85 is a better choice. Did I hear correctly,
some of Konica Minolta's lenses are actually made for them by Tamron?

Rob

" Stan Birch wrote in message
...

On the Upside: the Canon 18-55 kit-lens tends to perform admirably as a
wide-angle alterative . . .

It gives good results, but it does have a very cheap feel to it.

RichA wrote:

From what I gather, the standard zoom supplied
with the entry level DSLRs would rank something
like this, worst to best.
Correct me if I'm wrong.
Olympus
Canon
Pentax
Nikon
Konica-Minolta



Where did you gather this? The olympus kit lens (both the 14-54 and the
cheap 14-45) has been ranked as one of the best kit lenses by several
testers.
--

Stacey

On Sat, 23 Apr 2005 00:30:06 -0400, Stacey wrote:

RichA wrote:

From what I gather, the standard zoom supplied
with the entry level DSLRs would rank something
like this, worst to best.
Correct me if I'm wrong.
Olympus
Canon
Pentax
Nikon
Konica-Minolta



Where did you gather this? The olympus kit lens (both the 14-54 and the
cheap 14-45) has been ranked as one of the best kit lenses by several
testers.

So the weak point I've seen is actually the Olympus camera, the E-300
itself?
-Rich

RichA wrote:



Where did you gather this? The olympus kit lens (both the 14-54 and the
cheap 14-45) has been ranked as one of the best kit lenses by several
testers.

So the weak point I've seen is actually the Olympus camera, the E-300
itself?


ZzYawn...

http://www.villagephotos.com/pubbrow...der_id=1189841

Yea, this camera really is ****ty..
--

Stacey

" Stan Birch wrote in message
...
On Fri, 22 Apr 2005 16:17:48 -0400, RichA wrote:

For the most part, the Canon 18-55 kit lens is not all that bad, and
serves a significantly credible purpose.

I bought a 50 1.8 having been told about its outstanding qualities.
I was shocked to find test shots of similar subjects taken using the 18-55
and 50 1.8 were indistinguishable on screen.
Pulling up the corners and edges 'till the pixels were obvious they were
still on a par.
Either I've got a flukey good 18-55 or an inferior 50 1.8

But who cares about MTF data - the image is everything ;o)

On Sat, 23 Apr 2005 01:59:22 -0400, Stacey wrote:

RichA wrote:



Where did you gather this? The olympus kit lens (both the 14-54 and the
cheap 14-45) has been ranked as one of the best kit lenses by several
testers.

So the weak point I've seen is actually the Olympus camera, the E-300
itself?


ZzYawn...

http://www.villagephotos.com/pubbrow...der_id=1189841

Yea, this camera really is ****ty..

Your shots are excellent, saturated and sharp.
"Problem" doesn't mean bad, just not as good as similarly priced
cameras from other manufacturers. In most tests I've
seen they've scored it lower for overall image quality
than Canon's Rebel XT and the new Pentax, principally because
of noise. So it's unlikely you'd see the problem much in well-lit
shots where you can use low ISO speeds.
Shots like this might be an issue though;

http://www.photozo.com/album/showpho...cat=500&page=1

-Rich

Stacey wrote:
Where did you gather this? The olympus kit lens (both the 14-54 and
the
cheap 14-45) has been ranked as one of the best kit lenses by several
testers.

The 14-45mm is cheap? Its listed at $250 at B&H. I don't know about
other kit lens, but the Canon 18-55mm can be had for about $100. Now,
thats cheap.

- Siddhartha