topic Re: Do I need a new lens or is the 18-45 kit lens good enough? in Gear Guide

Do I need a new lens or is the 18-45 kit lens good enough?

harvey936 — Fri, 07 Mar 2025 21:59:08 GMT

I keep hearing people say that kit lenses aren't good due to the small variable aperture (I think that's the term). I only have the kit lens and the Eos R50. I enjoy it so far. The problem is I don't really have the budget for another lens just yet. The cheapest lens is $200. It is the 50mm f1.8 stm lens, which was suggested by a YouTuber I watched. I am a beginner and only had the camera for a week. Is the kit lens good enough for a month or so for a beginner?

Re: Do I need a new lens or is the 18-45 kit lens good enough?

LeeP — Fri, 07 Mar 2025 22:49:23 GMT

The "nifty 50" is a photographic cliche with a cult of nonsense that comes with it, while a kit zoom lens is much more versatile. The reason that used 50mm lenses are a dime a dozen is because they used to be the kit lens and people tired of them not being "long" enough when they needed a telephoto perspective and not being "wide" enough when they needed a more expansive field of view. The lens doesn't make a good photograph; the photographer does. Buying a "good" lens in and of itself will not make a good photograph or make someone a photographer. I'd say stop believing what every talking head on YouTube says. Take a lot of pictures with you current lens with deliberate intention to your craft and developing your photographic eye. THEN when you have developed capacity, you can consider a better camera and better lens. Another photographic cliche is that we should only buy "prime" lenses i.e. fixed focal length. The quality of zooms is so good that the supposed advantage of a prime is negligible.

Re: Do I need a new lens or is the 18-45 kit lens good enough?

deebatman316 — Sat, 08 Mar 2025 00:51:30 GMT

Since you're a beginner I wouldn't buy any lenses yet. Use your gear as it is currently and find out what the limitations are before investing in any other gear. Also a 50mm on a crop sensor camera such as the R50 would be difficult to use. A 50mm lens would be a standard lens on a Full Frame camera but on a crop body it's now a telephoto lens due to the 1.6x crop factor. Also a prime lens is more limiting than a zoom lens. You simply can't zoom in instead you must zoom with your feet. Also I wouldn't rely on YouTube, Chat GPT or any other AI Programs.

Re: Do I need a new lens or is the 18-45 kit lens good enough?

normadel — Sat, 08 Mar 2025 02:39:04 GMT

I second what the other guys said.

50mm is barely different than 45mm, so you would be duplicating what you already have.

True, a zoom would have a smaller maximum aperture, but the camera has so many ways of giving good exposure that a smaller maximum lens opening is almost inconsequential.

Re: Do I need a new lens or is the 18-45 kit lens good enough?

March411 — Sat, 08 Mar 2025 03:32:20 GMT

harvey the RF-S18-45mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM is a good lens, it will only be a challenge in low light. Before you purchase your next lens work with what you have, shoot until you are getting consistently good frames and decide where your photography is going to take you.

If you decide you want to focus on wildlife or sports you are going to want a lens that is a bit faster and has more reach. If you decide that urban or street is you thing the lens you have will work well. Better to find your sweet spot first then to drop some cash on a lens that doesn't fit your desired style.