Kit zooms: Canon vs. Nikon

Pablito

coco frío
Local time
5:34 AM
Joined
Jun 18, 2006
Messages
3,490
Location
Salsipuedes
I teach photography at the university level and see dozens of entry-level Canon and Nikon DSLRs every year, each equipped with the cheapest kit zoom lens; the lens the camera is sold with.

Both the Nikon and Canon versions of the slow 18-55 lens "feature" lousy build, plastic lens mounts etc. I have seen way too many of them break. They just come apart in pieces, they develop loose rattling parts inside, or the lens mount breaks. However, these lenses also seem quite capable of producing relatively sharp images. In the last years, I have found that the Nikon kit lens in all its various versions is noticeably sharper than comparable Canon offerings, sometimes dramatically so. I have eliminated other variables such as smudged UV filters dirty front or rear elements, etc, and still the Nikon cheapo zoom seems to outperform the Canon by quite a lot.

Of course I know that the more pro-oriented Canon lenses are excellent- this observation relates to the 18-55 kit lenses only. And I was wondering if by chance anyone else, preferably someone who also teaches and sees a lot of student cameras / lenses had observed anything similar. Or if anyone knows about this phenomenon being written about or documented. Just out of curiosity.
 
Where are four variations of Canon entry level DSLR kit lens.
EF-S 18-55, EF-S 18-55 IS, EF-S 18-55 IS II and current one is EF-S 18-55 STM IS.
This is how sharp current one is:
http://www.photozone.de/canon-eos/831-canon_1855_3556stmis?start=1
I'm sure same site have current Nikon kit lens numbers as well.

Canon has strange marketing, they were pushing Canon Rebels in downgraded version with non IS EF-S 18-55 for very long time. The lens is something you have described.
I had second version EF-S 18-55 IS and it was very sharp lens, but not so great with colors.

N8hE35X154_PrQ45U8emQz5hG--EHnCGYU7IbEMtCZetU_R0SkJ53Jb1ZrE-r8rNtoYUIOcof-hF8g=w1920-h1080-rw-no


Zoomed in blade:
TdAvGtfnQMe6AKj9OsvO7C0BdTeOz5VJdplFh5Oyr6cYGbaXNGiaL6Ih6V-HCBXFotBYc6hpDGJe=w1920-h1080-rw-no
 
Where are four variations of Canon entry level DSLR kit lens.
EF-S 18-55, EF-S 18-55 IS, EF-S 18-55 IS II and current one is EF-S 18-55 STM IS.
This is how sharp current one is:
http://www.photozone.de/canon-eos/831-canon_1855_3556stmis?start=1
I'm sure same site have current Nikon kit lens numbers as well.

Canon has strange marketing, they were pushing Canon Rebels in downgraded version with non IS EF-S 18-55 for very long time. The lens is something you have described.
I had second version EF-S 18-55 IS and it was very sharp lens, but not so great with colors.

N8hE35X154_PrQ45U8emQz5hG--EHnCGYU7IbEMtCZetU_R0SkJ53Jb1ZrE-r8rNtoYUIOcof-hF8g=w1920-h1080-rw-no


Zoomed in blade:
TdAvGtfnQMe6AKj9OsvO7C0BdTeOz5VJdplFh5Oyr6cYGbaXNGiaL6Ih6V-HCBXFotBYc6hpDGJe=w1920-h1080-rw-no

Agreed, very good sharpness.
 
Back
Top Bottom