New Canon 600D - 18-55 or 18-135 kit lens?

[Mandat]

I'm considering buying a new Canon 600D but I'm not sure which of the above kit lenses to go for.

I currently have a Fuji S100FS bridge camers which has a 28-400 (35mm equivalent) lens and I really like the flexibility of the long zoom without having to carry or change separate lenses. I mostly take general lanscape photos but also quite often find use for the long zoom.

The 600D with the 18-135 lens costs approx £250 more than the 18-55 package. Is the longer lens worth the additional outlay and will it be good for general everyday shots, or is it better to go for the shorter kit lens and put the £250 towards a separate telephoto, (say a 75-300).

[dibbly dobbler]

Mandat said:

I'm considering buying a new Canon 600D but I'm not sure which of the above kit lenses to go for.

I currently have a Fuji S100FS bridge camers which has a 28-400 (35mm equivalent) lens and I really like the flexibility of the long zoom without having to carry or change separate lenses. I mostly take general lanscape photos but also quite often find use for the long zoom.

The 600D with the 18-135 lens costs approx £250 more than the 18-55 package. Is the longer lens worth the additional outlay and will it be good for general everyday shots, or is it better to go for the shorter kit lens and put the £250 towards a separate telephoto, (say a 75-300).

Short answer - it depends

The 18-135 actually reviews ok but if you are 'keen' (eg don't mind changing lenses) the £250 would probably be better spend elsewhere (you could do better than a 75-300 by the way). However you imply above that you prefer not to be changing lenses ergo a 'superzoom' may be the thing for you and in that case go for the 18-135

[RobDickinson]

IMo for an extra £250 its not worth it?

Can buy the 18-55 kit and add in the 55-250IS for that.

18-135 is ordinary at best.

[S47]

18-55 'IS' is an excellent lens, the best standard lens canon make IMO Very Cheap it is too
Buy this & save your money. If you decide you need a longer lens then ask another Q on this forum regarding that.
Hope this helps
Mal

[thewildblue]

I have a 500d with the 18-55 kit lens and then this year I bought a 7D with the 18-135 kit lens, so I still have both, the 18-55 never gets used, where-as the 18-135mm is a pretty useful size to take out and about for general shots. Though my 17-40L and nifty fifty are the ones that go everywhere with me.

I would be tempted to just get the body and then a couple of primes, just the basic nifty and then a low end 28mm, should come in quite close to budget. Then if you really wanted the 18-55, there are loads of 2nd hand jobbies out there for relativly cheap as well....

[S47]

Some good advice here also nice to see posters recomending cheapo prime lenses [nifty50 can be awesome] which will always crush the cheap zooms, though 18-55 'IS' is easily the best of the cheap Canon 'kitzooms'

[Mandat]

Thanks for all the advice. It seems better to go for the standard kit lens and put the extra over money towards a better telephoto.

Whilst on the subject, who has the best deals on the Canon 600D at the moment? I have looked at the usual suppliers (Park, Jessops, Warehouse Express, ect) and they all seem to have them at the same price.

Does anyone know if any retailers are planning a promotion any time soon?

[RobDickinson]

Have a look at the 550D too, only changes for a 600D were the addition of a tilt LCD screen and wireless flash commander mode.

[thepeoplespal]

I've a 18-55IS kit and the 55-250IS, always seem to get the best photos from the 55-250IS, but find I don't use it much - personally if the 18-135 is anyway usable I think I'd prefer that, can't see that happening any time soon. I have the 50mm 1.8 too, but think a 28mm would be more suitable for my shots. I'm not terribly good on the photography front - 1 photo in 500 is okayish I'd say, so don't mind me on the opinion front.

[excel monkey]

Mandat said:

Thanks for all the advice. It seems better to go for the standard kit lens and put the extra over money towards a better telephoto.

Whilst on the subject, who has the best deals on the Canon 600D at the moment? I have looked at the usual suppliers (Park, Jessops, Warehouse Express, ect) and they all seem to have them at the same price.

Does anyone know if any retailers are planning a promotion any time soon?

I'm thinking of getting a 600D as well. This place looks good. Based in Hong Kong, but definitely a UK-spec camera. £590 with the 18-55 kit lens, £529 body only.

http://www.digitalrev.com/en/canon-eos-600d-digita...

[dubzter]

I've got a 450d with the 18-55 kit lens and have had some reasonable results with it. I then bought the nifty50 (50 f1.8) £80 and the 55-250 £150odd both from amazon. Nifty 50 is a great indoor/low light lens and the 55-250 I haven't had much chance to use properly yet.