Lenses canon ef s 18 55. What is a kit lens: advantages and why it is bad. Using the Kit lens as a wide angle

For the opportunity canon EF-S 18-55mm f / 3.5-5.6 III lens review huge thanks to Vitaly Kukota.

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f / 3.5-5.6 III is a kit lens, that is, the lens that comes with the camera.

TTX Canon Zoom LENS EF-S 18-55mm 1: 3.5-5.6 III
Focal length: 18-55mm
Maximum aperture: F / 3.5-F / 5.6
Minimum aperture: F / 22-F / 38
Aperture blades: 6
Optical design: 11 elements in 9 groups
Minimum focusing distance: 25cm
Front filter diameter: 58 mm
Weight: 200g

There are many modifications of the Canon EF-S 18-55mm f / 3.5-5.6 series lenses, in modifications the devil himself will break his leg.

Lenses without stabilizer Images:

An accurate and complete list of all Canon EF-S / Canon EF-M lenses can be viewed.

This review presents exactly the Canon EF-S 18-55mm f / 3.5-5.6 III without image stabilization, one of the simplest versions. Although my Canon EF-S 18-55mm f / 3.5-5.6 III is one of the cheapest lenses, it can produce quite normal image quality.

The lens has a very short name Canon EF-S 18-55mm f / 3.5-5.6 III

  • Canon - indicates that the lens is designed for Canon cameras
  • EF-S - EF-S mount type, this lens can only be attached to Canon APS-C cameras that support EF-S mount lenses
  • 18-55mm is the focal length of the lens. When used with Canon APS-C 1.6x cropped cameras, the EGF will correspond to 29-88mm.
  • f / 3.5-5.6 III - indicates the f-number values. Roughly speaking, this shows the value of the lens aperture.

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f / 3.5-5.6 III lens has only one switch on its body, which is responsible for switching between focusing modes. In AF mode, only auto focus is available and works with all Canon APS-C cameras. In M mode, only manual focus is available. When focusing manually, the lens focusing ring rotates approximately 90 degrees. Focusing manually is very inconvenient as the focusing ring is very narrow and it moves back and forth when focusing. The focusing method is the most primitive, due to the fact that the front lens rotates and moves back and forth, it will be problematic to use specialized light filters. I recommend using at least this lens, as the protective filter doesn't care if the front lens rotates or doesn't.

Auto focus speed is average. I did not feel any lack of focusing speed, especially since at the short end (at 18mm) the lens is almost always focused at infinity. Of course, this unpretentious Canon EF-S 18-55mm f / 3.5-5.6 III cannot compete with the focusing speed with advanced lenses like.

The Canon EF-S 18-55mm f / 3.5-5.6 III is not a fast lens. This means that it is very difficult for them to shoot in low light conditions. Moreover, the Canon EF-S 18-55mm f / 3.5-5.6 III does not have an image stabilizer. The aperture value f / 3.5-5.6 is fairly common.

Photo by Canon EF-S 18-55mm f / 3.5-5.6 III. Sun glare.

The focal length of the lens is very good for basic tasks, the Canon EF-S 18-55mm f / 3.5-5.6 III has a wide angle which is very important, and the 3x zoom allows you to quickly compose the desired frame. A nice feature of the lens is the ability to shoot very close distances. You can even shoot good macro.

Image quality

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f / 3.5-5.6 III at open apertures gives a sharp image in the center of the frame, sharpness decreases at the edges and corners. Good sharpness appears around F / 8.0 across the field. The lens suffers from strong distortion at 18mm and strong vignetting. are also present in sufficient quantities. The lens poorly catches rabbits and performed well in the backlight. Due to the fact that this is a standard dark zoom, it doesn't boast good bokeh.

Lens

Sample photos on Canon EF-S 18-55mm f / 3.5-5.6 III

All photos in the review were taken with a camera, photos without processing. RAW -\u003e JPEG, Q80%, downsized to 2MP and imprinted data from, missing the ‘III’ signature at the end of the lens name.


For the opportunity of the Canon Zoom Lens EF-S 18-55mm 1: 3.5-5.6 IS huge gratitude to the Fotoprokat.com.ua project, by the way, you can rent this lens there.

Canon 18-55 IS F 3.5-5.6 EF-S is a regular kit lens, that is, a lens that comes with the camera.

Such a lens can be found with almost every Canon consumer SLR camera. You can find an updated version of this lens - Canon Zoom Lens EF-S 18-55mm 1: 3.5-5.6 IS II,and there are a whole bunch of earlier versions of the 18-55mm class.

Lenses without stabilizer Images:

An accurate and complete list of all Canon EF-S / Canon EF-M lenses can be viewed.

View of the Canon 18-55 IS 3.5-5.6 EF-S lens on a modern camera

Canon Zoom Lens EF-S 18-55mm 1: 3.5-5.6 IS is one of the simplest lens options for modern Canon APS-C crop cameras. Designation EF-S indicates that the lens can only be used on crop-sensor cameras such as the 7D, and can not use on cameras like Canon EOS-1D Mark II, Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III. I've never met people who would like to use a whale crop lens on a full frame camera.

Canon 18-55 IS F 3.5-5.6 EF-S has mediocre, maximum value at 18mm focal length is F / 3.5, and at 55mm focal length is F / 5.6. The diaphragm can be closed up to F / 22 18mm and up F / 36 by 55mm. A closed aperture helps to greatly increase and make a long exposure. The lens diaphragm consists of only 6 petals, but they are strongly rounded, and therefore allow you to get even circles in the out-of-focus area even with closed apertures, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the lens bokeh.

The focal length varies from 18 to 55mm, so the zoom ratio of the lens is 3 times... The zoom ratio is easy to find out by dividing a larger number in the focal length by a smaller one, for example, in this case 55mm \\ 18mm \u003d 3.05 times. If we recalculate the focal length, then the EGF will correspond to 29-88mm for a full frame. These focal length limits allow for the ability to photograph using a wide angle at 18mm, which is very important in a number of cases. Finding a cheap wide-angle for a crop camera is tricky, and the Canon 18-55 IS F 3.5-5.6 EF-S lets you get a wide field of view for a ridiculous price. In general, 3x zoom is not so bad, for example, almost all high-aperture professional lenses also have 3x zoom, in particular Canon EF 24-70mm f / 2.8 L II USM, EF 70-200mm f / 2.8 L II IS and the like.

By speed of work lens focus is average - not fast, but not very slow either. When focusing, the front lens rotates and the ‘trunk’ of the lens lengthens - one of the most poor focusing systems, as it complicates the use of special photo filters. The lens has a focus mode switch 'AF MF', in MF mode, only manual focus is available. Manual focusing is inconvenient due to the very narrow plastic focusing ring, which also travels back and forth when focusing. When focusing, the focusing ring rotates only 45 degrees, making accurate and smooth manual focusing difficult. The lens boasts good macro 1: 3Since the minimum focusing distance is only 25cm, photographing every little detail with the Canon 18-55 IS F 3.5-5.6 EF-S is no problem.

The lens has a very useful iS function (Image Stabilization), which is responsible for stabilizing the lens during shooting. This function allows you to get rid of and avoid blurring the picture. It is stated that the stabilization system can help to squeeze an extra 4 stops in, but in practice, the lens is far from 4 stops. But in general, the stabilizer in the lens works well and really helps in the fight against shake at long exposures.

A plastic hood may be included with the lens. The Canon 18-55 IS F 3.5-5.6 EF-S itself is made of plastic, including the bayonet mount, but the weight of the Canon 18-55 IS F 3.5-5.6 EF-S is only 200 grams... The lens itself is made in Thailand. The lens uses an optical design of 11 elements in 9 groups, and one of these elements is aspherical. The zoom ring is rubberized, in fact, the zoom ring is the largest visual part of the lens. The diameter of the front filter is 58mm... As indicated on the lens, it can be used for 10 years before being disposed of.

Each manufacturer has its own kit lens class 18-55, here small comparison with Nikon 18-55mm f / 3.5-5.6G ED VR AF-S DX Nikkor

Two kit lenses - Nikon on the left, Canon on the right

Both lenses have a plastic body, a stabilization system, are made in Thailand, have the same focusing principle and are equally inconvenient for manual focusing. Also, both lenses use only 1 aspherical element in the optical design. Nikon's lens is slightly heavier and has a slightly worse macro performance. A Canon lens has a larger filter diameter and fewer aperture blades. I did a test in which both lenses showed identical focusing speed,the Canon version is noticeably more noisy when focusing.

Two kit lenses - Nikon on the left, Canon on the right. It can be seen that both have a plastic mount.

Sample photos

All sample photos in the gallery below without processing, only the size is reduced to 3 MP and the data is imprinted from, the examples were shot on a camera with the image stabilization function turned on.




Image quality

Talking about the image quality of a whale lens is a very thankless job. I would like to raise the enthusiasm of people who bought themselves an expensive DSLR with a whale, the Canon 18-55 IS 3.5-5.6 EF-S produces pretty good image quality. The weak point of the lens is the 18mm zoom position, which shows pronounced distortion and vignetting and. The camera processor can handle vignetting, but not all cameras can correct distortion. Interestingly, the lens has decent sharpness, especially at f / 5.6-f / 11. The lens tolerates backlight well and provides good contrast. In general, the image quality is good.

Open aperture bokeh example:

An example of bokeh at a closed aperture:

Personal experience

Canon 18-55 IS F 3.5-5.6 EF-S turned out to be a decent lens in many respects, you can squeeze out a lot of good shots from it, after all, and not on any technique. For cropped cameras, the best universal lens is just a focal length of 18mm. If you need a full replacement for a kit lens to perform more complex photo tasks, then E-katalog, or large online stores such as Rozetka, can serve as a good option. A lot of photo trivia can be found on Aliexpress.


Conclusions:

Canon 18-55 IS F 3.5-5.6 EF-S - kit lens with stabilizer... Suitable as the first lens for a cropped DSLR camera, it has a convenient focal length range. It can't boast a huge zoom, but the image quality is pretty good.

Whale lens can be purchased separately or complete with a carcass. We talked about this earlier. There are usually two types of whale lenses. Today we will try to deal with the question: which zoom to take, 18-55 or 18-135 (18-105)?

The most standard cheap lenses have a focal length of 18-55mm. All systems have them: Nikon, Canon, Sony, Pentax. Lenses 18-55 have only 3x zoom... For those who switch to a DSLR from a soap dish, this can be a serious blow. So, if you want 5x or even 7x zoom, then you should look towards such kit lenses as Nikon 18-105mm, Nikon 18-140mm, Canon 18-135mm STM and other similar lenses depending on the brand, which you are using. Of course, these lenses are more expensive. First of all, precisely because of universality, that is, a larger range of focal lengths. Don't expect the picture to be better - it won't.

The limitations of the 18-55 kit lenses are obvious - you shouldn't shoot face portraits with them because of distortion, distant objects at 55mm are also quite difficult to shoot. Lenses with extreme focal lengths such as 105, 135 or 140 millimeters allow you to capture distant subjects. As travel-zoom, the only lens on the go, lenses with a wider focal range will be more comfortable. However, what's interesting is that usually 18-55mm lenses have a shorter focusing distance, which is beneficial in terms of macro photography.

For those who are a little confused about the variety of kit lenses, let's clarify the situation. Below are the full abbreviations for modern whale lenses.

  • The Canon EF-S 18-55mm f / 3.5-5.6 IS STM is Canon's most advanced lens (which we recently covered in our video review). Unlike its predecessor, it has an STM motor that helps when shooting video. This motor will work on modern Canon crop cameras (100D, 650D, 700D, 70D). The rest will also work without problems, just without smooth focusing in the video.
  • Canon EF-S 18-135mm f / 3.5-5.6 IS STM is also a lens for Canon cameras. An analogue of the previous glass with a wider range of focal lengths.
  • The Nikon 18-55mm f / 3.5-5.6G AF-S VR II DX Zoom-Nikkor is the latest version of Nikon's kit 18-55 lens.
  • Nikon 18-105mm f / 3.5-5.6G AF-S ED DX VR Nikkor is the equivalent of the previous lens with a wider focal length range.
  • Nikon 18-140mm f / 3.5-5.6G ED VR DX AF-S is essentially an updated 18-105. It is newer and has an even wider focal range. But it is also more expensive, which is why I still indicated above the 18-105mm lens, which is not much different from this, but will cost you less.
  • The Sony DT 18-55mm f / 3.5-5.6 SAM II is again the most modern 18-55 lens for Sony.
  • Sony DT 18-135mm f / 3.5-5.6 SAM is the latest version of Sony's kit lens in the 18-135 range.
  • Pentax SMC DA 18-55mm f / 3.5-5.6 WR - Pentax has two 18-55mm lenses, which are currently in use. To choose, in my opinion, this model is better, since it is waterproof.
  • Pentax SMC DA 18-135mm f / 3.5-5.6 ED AL DC WR - analogue of the previous one, also all-weather. As with previous brands, it differs in focal range. Plus, this is probably the most expensive 18-135 lens on the market. We can only sympathize with the owners of Pentax cameras.

So, I don't want to complicate a simple idea and write something else. If 3x zoom is enough for you, go for 18-55mm. As a bonus, you get a slightly better macro. If you need the most versatile lens for the minimum money, if you need a travel lens as well, then you should look towards the 18-105mm, 18-135mm or 18-140mm lenses. The current lenses for different mirror systems are presented above. That's all for today. Make the right choice!

Articles

I recently got acquainted with the Nikon D 5000 in a kit version and could not deny myself the pleasure of comparing side by side two kit lenses from Nikon: Nikon 18-55 / 3.5-5.6G ED DX II with its younger but stabilized brother - Nikon 18-55 /3.5-5.6G VR DX.

The attitude to "whale" lenses among the newly minted owners of SLR cameras is, to put it mildly, prejudiced, about "advanced" users generally keep silent. There are many reasons for this. The subjective ones are rather psychological - the person bought a far from cheap camera, and most of the newfound companions in one voice solemnly "condemn" the whale to a pillory. “Do you seriously think that a lens can shoot well for ... rubles ?!”, the girl sincerely asked at one of the photo forums. The piquancy of the situation was added by the fact that the author of the above quotation (it was, however, not a whale lens, but a Canon EF 50 / 1.8 II) was not familiar with the subject of discussion.

Objective reasons lie, on the one hand, in a certain tactile and constructive "prematurity" of whale lenses (in any way "if you put it in your hands - you wipe a thing" is not applicable to them), and the original compromise of the "whale", made primarily with an eye on the price, with another.

I can't resist mentioning a whole galaxy of vague "whales" from Canon: the company released 4 modifications of the frankly unsuccessful (even with a discount on the price) lens EF-S 18-55 / 3.5-5.6 before I came to my senses and offered a redesigned version equipped with a stabilizer. Speaking of persistence: starting in March 2011, entry-level Canon digital SLRs can be equipped with the 5th reincarnation with the old optical design (Canon EF -S 18-55 / 3.5-5.6 III).

Let's go back to the "whale" lyrics. The ideology of a real "whale" is simple and uncomplicated - this is the first lens that will help you understand where to go next, and in the absence of craving for movement, it will remain on the camera as a tool that does not shine with exquisite artistry and impressive characteristics, but quite allows you to shoot and use the camera ... It is here that the dog digs in and the substitution of concepts occurs: the limitations inherent in this class of lenses often result in the conclusion about the complete inability of the "whale" to perform the functions assigned to it.

Specifications

18-55 / 3.5-5.6G ED DX II

18-55 / 3.5-5.6G VR DX

Production

since November 2006

since November 2007

Focal

18-55 mm

18-55 mm

Equivalent focal

27-82 mm

27-82 mm

Angle of view

26 - 79 degrees

26 - 79 degrees

Optical design

7 elements in 5 groups including 1 aspherical and 1 ultra-low dispersion glass

11 elements in 8 groups including 1 aspherical

Aperture range

18 mm: 3.5-22; 55mm: 5.6-38

18 mm: 3.5-22; 55mm: 5.6-36

Closest focusing distance

28 cm

28 cm

Maximum magnification

0.31x

0.31x

Aperture blades

7 rounded

7 rounded

Filter diameter

52 mm

52 mm

Weight

205 gram

265 gram

Overall dimensions

71 * 74mm

73 * 80mm

Nikkor 18-55 / 3.5-5.6 G

Design and ergonomics

Nikon AF -S DX Nikkor 18-55 / 3.5-5.6 G II

A prominent representative of the "cetacean" squad: budget plastic, plastic mount for the bayonet, resizing when focusing and zooming, rotating front element, disgusting manual focusing system.

The zoom ring is rubberized, wide and comfortable, but no damping. Ring travel is reasonably smooth. The "trunk" of the lens is somewhat loose.

Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55 / 3.5-5.6 G VR

The above is fully applicable to the Nikkor 18-55 / 3.5-5.6 G VR. But, when compared side by side, the stabilized version seems to be more solid and better. I think that the reason is in the more pleasant plastic used for the production of the case, and in the greater weight, which subjectively adds "quality".

The Nikkor 18-55 / 3.5-5.6 G VR stabilizer works flawlessly: efficiently and almost silently. Nikon claims to be 3 stops faster than standard shutter speeds. I won't say about 3 stops, but an increase of 2 stops the stabilizer provides: stable results at 18 mm at exposures of 1/8 second, at 55 mm - 1/15 of a second.

AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55 / 3.5-5.6 G

Both lenses change sizes when zooming, extending the trunk at 18 and 55 mm and folding at 35 mm. The lenses come with a front and a back cover; hoods must be purchased separately. With a maximum aperture of f / 3.5, both lenses are difficult to classify as fast; maximum aperture varies depending on the selected focal length:

    18mm - f / 3.5

    24mm - f /4.0

    28mm - f /4.2

    35mm - f /4.8

    45mm - f / 5.3

    55mm - f / 5.6

Nikon 18-55 / 3.5-5.6G

Focusing

In both lenses, a micro-USM motor is used in the autofocus drive. It does not allow using manual focusing in autofocus mode, a little slower than the standard ring focusing (there are no claims to the speed, but it is impossible to call focusing "instantaneous"), rotates the front element, but provides almost silent autofocus. The motor is not circular and the lens is designed in the same way as the "screwdriver" lenses: the motor seems to replace the screwdriver drive.

There are practically no complaints about accuracy and speed, both lenses are capable of focusing confidently and accurately even in rather difficult conditions; I did not notice a particular tendency to "yaw".

I am pleased with the ability to focus from a distance of 28 cm: it is clear that this is far from macro, but enough to get interesting shots when photographing at close range.

Manual focusing is more difficult: I think that the convenience of manual focus was one of the last places on the list of priorities when developing these lenses. Manual focusing is carried out by rotating the lens trunk; there is no focusing ring as such - there is a corrugated stamp on the trunk; the ring travel is very short - just over 45 degrees.

Chromatic aberration

Surprisingly well controlled, unexpected for this class of lens. Present, but expected much worse. They are especially noticeable at the edges of the frame at positions 18-35 mm, at 55 mm they are practically absent.

In terms of chromatics, the Nikon 18-55 / 3.5-5.6G ED DX II is clearly inferior to its stabilized counterpart: for both lenses, a "colored border" appears on contrast transitions regardless of the aperture value at focal 18-35, but it is narrower (and therefore less noticeable ) for Nikon 18-55 / 3.5-5.6G VR DX. Interestingly, the stabilized version has lost its UD-element, which is designed to combat optical aberrations, although it has acquired a new lens coating.

Nikon 18-55 / 3.5-5.6G

Vignetting

Predictably large at 18mm at full aperture. It is treated by covering the diaphragm. The effect is much weaker on other focal lengths.

It should be noted that the Nikon 18-55 / 3.5-5.6G VR DX performed more convincingly than the Nikon 18-55 / 3.5-5.6G ED DX II, especially at the 18mm position: there is less darkening of the edges.

Sharpness

Doesn't match the price. Both lenses do not cause any particular complaints, and taking into account the price, they are simply pleasing: the center is sharp on all focal lenses already fully open. Miracles, however, are absent, and at 18 and 24 mm the edges and corners of the image are a little "soapy", but covering the aperture a couple of stops pulls them up to completely acceptable sharpness. At 35-55mm focal lengths, both models are slightly softer at fully open apertures, but evenly across the entire image field. Both the Nikon 18-55 / 3.5-5.6G ED DX II and Nikon 18-55 / 3.5-5.6G VR DX can be used fully open, and the picture is sharp edge-to-edge at apertures 5.6-8.

At 18-24mm focal lengths, the Nikon 18-55 / 3.5-5.6G VR DX again performed slightly better.

Backlit work

Both lenses frankly do not shine. Rather, on the contrary: the sun in the frame leads to numerous "hares" and sharply reduces the contrast of the picture. There is only one advice: do not forget about the price of the lens and be careful with the location of the light source. Here I will also mention the "bokeh": it is difficult to expect anything from a lens with an aperture of f / 5.6 at a focal length of 55 mm. Moving the background away from the subject at a sufficient distance, you can achieve some blurring of the background, but its quality is unlikely to please.

Conclusion

It is naive to expect outstanding design characteristics from a whale lens, both lenses are sinful of tactile indistinctness, a certain looseness and an accompanying set of inconveniences (rotating front element, disgusting manual focus, plastic mount).

At the same time, both differ in good optical characteristics, which in no way correspond to expectations and price both allow you to take high-quality pictures without any problems. I'll make a reservation: I am not defending "whale lenses" and am not advocating them. I am opposed to the opinion that they are completely worthless and useless. If you are not afraid of the size and weight of a DSLR, then the budget Nikon with these lenses will give odds to most top-end compacts comparable in price in terms of image quality.

Almost all DSLR and mirrorless cameras with interchangeable lenses can be bought in two versions - camera only or complete with a starter lens. This lens is also popularly nicknamed "whale" - from the English word kit (kit). More experienced photographers will most likely advise you to take your camera straight away with a “normal” lens, because a kit lens is not considered worth your attention. However, they could already forget that at one time they were also beginners, and the whale lens helped them to deal with many parameters in order to choose a more suitable lens for creative tasks in the future. We will tell you everything you need to know about this unpretentious "whale" optics so that you can draw your own conclusions and decide for yourself which configuration to buy a camera.

What is a kit lens?

As a rule, this is the cheapest lens in the manufacturer's lineup. Its price should strive for the minimum in order to only slightly affect the total cost of the camera. A camera with such a lens is the most affordable entry ticket to the world of photography. In the recent film past, a lens with a fixed focal length, usually about 50 mm, played the role of a whale. Nowadays, lenses with a variable focal length of small magnification are most common: from a moderate tele to a wide angle.

What kind of whale lenses are there?

Kit lens family 18-55mm

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

Lenses 18-55 have the most popular focal lengths and are most often found on digital system cameras in the entry and middle price segment. Their range of focal lengths allows you to cover the main spectrum of subjects in amateur photography. So, 18mm is already wide enough to accommodate beautiful landscapes with complex foregrounds, 35mm is ideal for event or genre photography, and 55mm will help you take a beautiful half-length portrait. However, in some cases this zoom ratio may not be enough, and then a larger zoom lens may suit you. These lenses are also sold with cameras, and are also included in the kit.

What are the best kit lenses?

Kit lens family 18-135mm

This family of lenses is more of a hyperzoom (more than 3x zooms). In essence, this is also a whale lens, but due to a more complex optical scheme, its total cost is slightly higher and as whale optics they are not attached to all budget models of the manufacturer's cameras. With such a lens, the camera becomes more versatile, and this greatly expands your possibilities. Quite often they are preferred to take on a trip, because there is no need to buy and carry a special telephoto lens. Additional focal lengths of 75 and 135mm will allow you not only to bring distant objects closer, but also help you reach the center of events if you cannot get closer to your subject. With a focal length of about 80-135 mm, it is convenient to shoot close-up portraits. And the background blur in this case turns out to be much stronger than at 55 mm.

If you are just starting your steps in photography, then you will buy your first serious camera with an 18-55 or 18-135 type lens. But do not rush to put it on the shelf right away and run to the store for the top glass costing tens of thousands of rubles, as some “more experienced” photographers may advise you. These inexpensive whale zooms are the best solution to try your hand at photography.

Advantages of whale optics

The first and foremost advantage of a kit lens is that it will cost you almost nothing. Whichever lens you buy next, you will never get a better value for money. Modern whale lenses are not inferior in sharpness to their much more expensive counterparts in such genres as landscape or macro, as well as when traveling, since they use a closed aperture (f / 5.6 - f / 8) to shoot such scenes. Of course, in terms of sharpness, they are still inferior to their many times more expensive counterparts in those cases when you shoot in low light levels (for example, in the evening or indoors) with an open diaragm. However, one should not believe that the multiple price difference will also multiply the quality of the photos. Even at an open aperture (f / 3.5), the whale lens is sharp enough to print cards with a size of 20x30 cm, and modern matrices allow you to significantly raise the sensitivity level in order to compensate for the lack of aperture of whale optics and at the same time not lose detail.

Most whales have a built-in optical stabilizer. This will allow you to take clear pictures in poor lighting conditions handheld without the need for a tripod. Another advantage of whales is the minimum focusing distance of about 25 centimeters. Even if you cannot remove the antennae of some small beetle from such a distance, you will be quite capable of trying yourself in macro photography. Not all lenses can boast of such a focusing distance. Even if this may not seem enough for you, there are numerous extension rings and correction filters for macro photography at your service.

Many people forget that a kit lens weighs only 200-250 grams. The weight of a set from a camera with such optics turns out to be just over half a kilogram, while a more professional technique with professional optics can weigh at least twice or even three times more. Few people take this fact into account, but when it comes to long walks with a camera, weight begins to play an important role. The less weight, the less you get tired and the more you focus on photography.

Disadvantages of whale optics

So, what are the disadvantages of kit lenses? Yes, over the past ten years they have taken a big step forward: from plastic “bayonet covers” to quite high quality universal lenses. The difference between the current and early generations of whale lenses is significant, but they still have a number of shortcomings that make them what they are.

The first drawback is the build quality and materials. The lens may creak and have slight backlash. Autofocus is unlikely to be silent, and its speed will be slower than that of more expensive models. The cheap plastic from which the whale optics cases are made is not the most pleasant material to the touch. They also lack dust and moisture protection, so operating them in harsh conditions is quite dangerous for both the lens itself and the camera.

The second and main drawback is the relatively low aperture ratio. Almost all whales have apertures ranging from f / 3.5 at 18 mm to f / 5.6 at 55 or 135 mm. This is significantly lower compared to fast fixed focal length lenses and still insufficient compared to good stock zooms. Modern sensors are capable of producing high-quality results at high ISO values, and if you are fond of landscape or street photography, low aperture will not be of decisive importance for you. However, with a whale lens, you will not be able to "tear" the subject from the background, and you should forget about the beautiful blur of the background. Aperture value too low, optical design too imperfect Nikon 70-300mm f / 4-5.6D ED AF Zoom-Nikkor

Lenses 75-300 are paired with the standard lens 18-55. A set of two of these lenses covers 99% of all the required focal lengths you may need. This is also a very handy solution for getting started in the world of photography.

Let's sum up

Do not neglect the whale lens. If you do not understand such terms as “aperture” and “focal lengths”, then all the more it is worth starting with a kit lens. With its help, you can try as many genres as possible, get acquainted with the main parameters of optics and decide what you need and what your soul is more for. Even as you start expanding your optics fleet, a whale lens can serve as an excellent wide-angle lens. Or cannon fodder, if you have to shoot in difficult weather conditions or there is a high risk of damage to the optics. In short, it is your key to the world of photography, and it has everything you need to get a quality image and for your creative growth.