On the Electric Picture Maker, my most used, and probably 'favorite' lens, as in the one I have more affection for, is the standard 'kit' 18-55, f3.5/56VR.
It's not the sharpest lens in the box, and the higher sensor resolution of the now 'old' D3200 it cam with was enough to start showing up it's limits.
For me, shutter speed limbo has shown that the VR system is pretty much redundant, well practiced had-holding techniques seem to do more.
It's focus is, I suspect not where near the fastest or most accurate, and I oft resort to manual focus that's 'fiddly', compared to other AF lenses let alone 'proper' manual lenses.
It's apertures ar nothing special, nor is t's effectve zoom range...
BUT
it is USEFUL.
Apertures are reasonabl. Zoom rang, RIGHT in the most used range, may not go as wide as it cold or as tight as you'd like BUT, it's a far ad very very useful range, on both. Likewise the sharpness is 'good enough', and focus acceptable.
BUT, it was cheaper to buy the camera as a 'kit' that it came with, than body only, so Nikon actually 'paid' me £25 or something daft to have it, than not! You don't often get better VFM than that, do you?
All round, its a heck of a lot of lens, that's very versatile, very VERY useful, good enough for an awful lot of stuff, and more than good enough for more, if used with a little care and attention, that has a lot of 'convenience' in t's favor, which i, mostly what the EPM is really about.... if wanted to get pretentious abut the job, I probably wouldn't be using it, I'd be picking a proper manual lens, probably on a film camera, and possibly on a medium format one....
So, far from 'the best', certainty one of the cheapest, and definitely one of the most useful....
And n analysis, building up the EPM 'kit' around the camera it came with over the last five years, filling holes in the gadget bag, to get the 'sort' if lens coverage, I have/had with film cameras, and getting to the point I have looked at how many £'s worth of glass is sat there doing nothing most of the time, and pondering 'what next', that kit has offered itself as prime candidate for the 'next upgrade' two years running.. BUT it's still there!
I have been using old legacy lenses on an adaptor on the EPM from time to time, and buying first a 35 f1.8 then a 50 f1.8 primes, for the daughter's O/A level photo, DID make me wonder whether one, probably the 35, with its fast aperture, might earn its keep in the bag as well as rather than instead of the kit... and thoughts weather the f1.4 might offer that bit 'more', in that range... offered dilemma over whether the 1.4 was worth the extra for the 'more' it offered, and then whether the 'cheap' a 1.8 has, made it any more palatable to have sat next to the 18-55 for 'occasional' use, and follow up notion of looking at 17-70's or greater range walk-about's.. AND the old addage... if it aint broke, DON'T fix it, resonating in my head.. and a smile when I see that 'cheap' kit stuck on the front.
It isn't a lens you 'cant fault', t has many. BUT they are easily forgiven. And slghtly syncal side of me, looks at it and thinks "Yup.. I can see why Nikon gave you away"..... it is a bit of a loss leader.. a 'good' lens, likely to impress a newb, who will then, find the failings, and look at the pictures and think "Well, IF this is what can do with that 'cheap' thing... think what I might do with something more expensive?!" ad they reach for the credit card...... Its almost deliberately the under-dog, and hey, we brits all ways like the under-dog! It just gets more ad more endearing, and engenders more and more affection, and so remains 'favourte' both for affection and use, t's nothing special... but curiously IS because of it!
f3.5/5.6, 18-55 'kit'.. despite the hype they are so under valued, they really ARE.
