| Canon and the other camera manufacturers have | | | | However, why not consider getting a better lens |
| promoted their cameras with an all purpose lens | | | | to begin with. One that will cover many of your |
| called a "kit lens." The Canon kit lens is a zoom | | | | basic needs. |
| lens with 18-55mm capabilities. That means that | | | | Here are some things to look for in your new all |
| you can take wide angle photos at 18mm and | | | | purpose walk around lens: |
| telephoto shots up to 55mm. | | | | - Excellent image quality - this is always the first |
| If you are coming from a compact point and | | | | consideration when buying a camera or camera |
| shoot camera, it is roughly equivalent to a camera | | | | accessory. |
| with 3x zoom. | | | | - Excellent glass - the lenses are made of special |
| The Canon kit lens also has IS which stands for | | | | glass, and it is important to get the best glass you |
| image stabilization. This is a very nice feature to | | | | can |
| have because the Canon DSLR cameras do not | | | | - IS - image stabilization is quite important, |
| have any image stabilization built into their camera | | | | especially when hand holding your camera. |
| bodies. | | | | - Excellent Build Quality - along with good glass, |
| The kit lens will give you decent pictures. | | | | look for a lens made of metal to give long life. |
| The problems with buying the kit lens are these: | | | | - HSM - not always called HSM, but look for a lens |
| | | | with a fast focus motor. |
| 1. The lens is manufactured out of plastic (and | | | | - Focal Range to cover most of your needs - |
| glass, of course). Therefore the possibility of | | | | 18mm is good on the wide angle end, but consider |
| breaking is higher than a lens made of metal. | | | | going for 200-270mm at the long end so that you |
| 2. You will need to buy extra lenses to get the | | | | can zoom in when needed. |
| pictures that you envision yourself taking with | | | | It is never a mistake to buy a Canon lens for a |
| your new DSLR camera. | | | | Canon DSLR, however, consider getting a Sigma |
| After all, that is one of the reasons you are | | | | or Tamron lens. These companies make excellent |
| buying a DSLR, right? You want to be able to | | | | lenses that may save you some money when |
| change the lens to get just the right set up for | | | | compared to Canon lenses. |
| you photos. Understandable. | | | | |