Kit lens aint so bad

Messages
249
Name
Pete
Edit My Images
Yes
i was a guest at a friends wedding last weekend, the weather was horrible, it rained all day.. the offical tog left just before the speeches..... well during the speeches the weather got better and the rain stopped, and yes i got asked if i would mind taking a few pics of the happy couple.... all i had with me is the 400d and 18-55 kit lens... this picture was taken at the top of a hill at about 19.30pm with only natural light... now i know the picture aint fantastic but for the £40 kit lens, im more than happy with the result ...

3424921426_a1081c4ef3.jpg
 
I imagine the couple would be very happy with it, I know I would. Kit lenses are good for what they are.
 
That sir, is proof that a photograph is about more than just the lens
Nice work
 
What a lovely photograph :clap:

Well done. The location and composition contribute to the image but the IQ looks excellent.

Neil
 
thanks for the comments, i think its madness when people insist on buying over priced gear they dont really need....
 
thanks for the comments, i think its madness when people insist on buying over priced gear they dont really need....

I guess you have to define need there though.
I could easily get by with the kit lens as my walkabout , but IMO it is a horrible thing to use and I simply don't like it. Sure, having the next model up does nothing to improve my photography - but it means I am more likely to get out there because of the enjoyment I get out of using nice kit.
 
It gets knocked quite bad, but its a good starting lens.
 
I like the pic, very good!

but why on earth did the main tog leave during the speeches?

Rude perhaps, but on a busy day its business all the way.
 
I think most people get brainwashed by mags etc slating kit lenses when in truth for 90% of the time you'd be hard pushed to tell the difference between one and a 'pro' lens.

Horses for courses I say.

The difference between my old Nikon 18-55 kit lens and my Sigma 18-50 2.8 is marginal in terms of IQ. I'm not saying the Sigma is a Pro lens BTW.


Cracking shot, I would be please to have this in my wedding photos.
 
I think the only thing you need to be aware of with a kit lens is it's limitations. It won't focus as quickly as a more expensive lens. It isn't as well built and probably won't take a lot of drops. It won't have a constant app through the zoom. But all those things you can work around.

IQ? Well I guess if you're sharpenning the image after you took it it doesn't matter which lens you have - although if the picture is softer to begin with you will add more noice by getting the same sharp result (if that makes sense). One day I will compare identical shots with no added sharpening from my old kit lens and one of the L lenses just to see - although I'm not sure I want to know the end result!
 
Lovely photo, well done, I agree about the kit lens, I have a Canon 400D camera as well, I used the kit lens to take photos of bluebells in the garden and snow scenes (when we had snow in February),I was happy with the pictures :)
 
i think to be honest the offical tog was paid only for day time, didnt even stay for the cake cutting, but i guess you get what you pay for ... i did think it was a wee bit cheeky when i was asked if i could forward the pictures i took just in case the bride and groom wanted them in their album..
 
i think to be honest the offical tog was paid only for day time, didnt even stay for the cake cutting, but i guess you get what you pay for ... i did think it was a wee bit cheeky when i was asked if i could forward the pictures i took just in case the bride and groom wanted them in their album..


DO you men the Photographer asked you to forward them???
The bride and groom can always add more leaves.

I took a number of shots at my Daughters wedding on medium format...
They were much better than the official ones so we just added them or replaced some of his ones with them.

I could not do any thing about the shots I was in myself.

He was using a Bronica and I was using a Rollie with fill flash.
 
i'm not being funny but the kit lens does have to produce pictures of a certain standard but generally they're far from a pro lens, as someone has said you have to know it's limitations.

and the image we're all judging is tiny and probably saved for web

it's like saying oooh look i've done a lap of silverstone in my mondeo wow this is definately comparable to a ferrari.

generally it is but we know they're clearly two different types of car.

what i'd be saying is wow thank god my kit lens isn't a lada :D

that apart it's a really nice shot, but if you've got lightroom try an nd grad or something on the clouds as those highlights are pretty blown and a bit distracting but seriously again as someone has said, it's not the camera or lens that makes a shot. :) and this is definately a worthy example
 
Those look like pretty tough conditions, too. You did really well to get this.
 
i was a guest at a friends wedding last weekend, the weather was horrible, it rained all day.. the offical tog left just before the speeches..... well during the speeches the weather got better and the rain stopped, and yes i got asked if i would mind taking a few pics of the happy couple.... all i had with me is the 400d and 18-55 kit lens... this picture was taken at the top of a hill at about 19.30pm with only natural light... now i know the picture aint fantastic but for the £40 kit lens, im more than happy with the result ...

3424921426_a1081c4ef3.jpg

Well i`m doing a friend a favour in the next 2 weeks, and if i should come away with a picture like that then i`d be well chuffed!!! At the minute i`m bricking it lol

Well Done mate.
 
I love my wee kit lens,it's the 18-55 without IS not that I have much choice in the matter heh. I got it 2nd hand with my camera its got dust inside that I need to clone out from almost every photo but Ive got plenty of shots that I'm quite happy with and hopefully will continue to use for a long time.

Tommy.
 
I think that for the price, the kit lens is an absolute gem! The only reason I upgraded was for a constant f/2.8 throughout.

Chris
 
A very good photo that, well done! Sure , some aspects could have been improved upon but the moment was captured and that is what counts.

I'm sure it has been said in here already but the average bride and groom DO NOT pixel peep and surely don't give half a hoot whether that image was made with an L lens or kit lens.

In hindsight, I made one of my bigger mistakes by buying an EF-S 17-85 IS...because I didn't want a KIT lens...:p


And here we have proof positive as to what a Kit lens can do...and I see no barrel or pincushion distortion there either.
 
DO you men the Photographer asked you to forward them???
The bride and groom can always add more leaves.

I took a number of shots at my Daughters wedding on medium format...
They were much better than the official ones so we just added them or replaced some of his ones with them.

I could not do any thing about the shots I was in myself.

He was using a Bronica and I was using a Rollie with fill flash.

yes the photographer asked me to forward pictures, im not sure how i feel about it, on one hand they are getting paid for the work, so why would i give them pictures, and on the other hand maybe i will have pictures that they dont and the bride and groom may like .... part of me says whats the use of me taking pictures and not using them .... i just dont know !!
 
yes the photographer asked me to forward pictures

WOAH, hold it there. So the official photographer, who either didn't want to, or hadn't been paid to stay around went back home for din dins, and would like YOU to send HIM some of YOUR photos so he can sell them to the bride and groom?! Unbelievable! :cuckoo:

Unless you want to sell them to him, or come to some kind of deal (the photos in exchange for him taking you to some weddings, showing you how to be a wedding tog if that's something you'd be interested in). If he just expects you to hand them all over, then I think you should tell him where to stick it!

Chris
 
WOAH, hold it there. So the official photographer, who either didn't want to, or hadn't been paid to stay around went back home for din dins, and would like YOU to send HIM some of YOUR photos so he can sell them to the bride and groom?! Unbelievable! :cuckoo:

Unless you want to sell them to him, or come to some kind of deal (the photos in exchange for him taking you to some weddings, showing you how to be a wedding tog if that's something you'd be interested in). If he just expects you to hand them all over, then I think you should tell him where to stick it!

Chris

Pretty much what I was thinking as I was reading down the thread.
 
WOAH, hold it there. So the official photographer, who either didn't want to, or hadn't been paid to stay around went back home for din dins, and would like YOU to send HIM some of YOUR photos so he can sell them to the bride and groom?!
I can kinda see the point - as I understand it the bride & groom only paid him for the part of the wedding he covered. If he is getting a bound book made up, then it is nicer for the bride & groom to have any extra shots included in it, rather than having to print it out themselves on photopaper & shove it inside loose.

Stroller.
 
Lenses schmenses---weve all been there ! Horses for courses and all that.
In half decent light stopping down will produce a good pic on pretty much any lens.Nothing wrong with kit lenses and a nice moment caught by the OP.
However if life were that simple none of us would ever suffer from lensitis.
A good photographer makes do with what hes got but good kit doesnt half help.
Pete.
 
Back
Top