Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II

In lens land there's no such thing as a free lunch and the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II is an example for that. Under controlled conditions (stopping down two stops at 18mm) the lens can provide very decent results - certainly more than enough for casual users who are the target group anyway. However, technically the resolution is mediocre all-in-all and at 18mm @ f/3.5 it's downright poor. Distortions and vignetting are very high at the wide-end but no big issue at the... Read more

To me it seems like buying the Digital Rebel Kit which includes the 18-55 for $999 (vs. Body only at $899) seems like a no brainer. It's a great "walking around" lens with the same angular coverage as a 28-90 lens on a film camera. It's small, it's light, it's cheap and as long as you know it's limits, its a good performer. Of course there might be times when  a 20-35 or a 50 or a 28-105 would yield a technically better image, but lenses are only useful if you carry... Read more

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens

. In fact everything on the outside is plastic except for the glass on the Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens. There are advantages to this construction - light weight (the 18-55 is extremely light) - and of course cost. Read more

Canon EF-S 18-55mm

Canon EOS 400D / Digital Rebel XTi lens group test verdict Each of the three lenses we tested as upgrades for the EF-S 18-55mm have their pros and cons. We’ll discuss each in turn before making our final recommendations. The most popular general-purpose Canon lens upgrade for 400D / XTi owners will undoubtedly be the EF-S 17-85mm. This lens primarily delivers a longer, more useful focal range than the kit lens while additionally boasting Image Stabilisation along with... Read more