Snobbery, a nasty thing. But it is a part of life and many have no idea how to deal with it. In the context of photography it often crops up in diverse forums and social media groups. Someone interested in beginning photography will innocently ask a question and include the information that they have little ready cash to invest and have a chance to acquire an “obsolete” camera and lens combo – typically an old Canon Rebel or other brand equivalent, along with the ubiquitous EF-S 18-55mm “kit lens”. And immediately folks will try to tell them that unless they’re using the latest whiz-bang mirrorless and a 6 thousand dollar professional lens they are wasting their money and time. Really? That’s “helpful advice”? REALLY? For many of us the journey into photography started off with “less than optimal” equipment. My sister’s first camera was a little pocket “instamatic”, if I recall correctly. I didn’t get a camera of my own until I left home and eventually got my hands on a Konica 35mm with, you guessed it, the kit lens – but I do not recall if it was the 40 or 50mm version.
Digital photography started for us with a Sony Mavica that saved JPG files on a 3.5″ floppy diskette! It was only very low resolution, but we got some nice pictures with it we could easily share over the newly fledged internet via email and a rudimentary website. Then at Circuit City we found a Fujifilm FinePix S3000 “bridge” camera with, if I recall correctly, a full 3 megapixel resolution! It saved images to an XD card and used rechargeable AA batteries that kept the cost of use down considerably! This was followed by a Canon Rebel (exact model forgotten at this time) that we picked up years later on a clearance rack at Walmart for a very nice discount. It came with, you guessed it – the 18-55 kit lens! A few years later, in a pawnshop on the left coast of the US I came across a Canon EOS Rebel T1i with – the kit lens, no charger but a discharged battery, and at a very reasonable price – with a three day money back guarantee. That gave us time to get a battery charger and try it out. It worked, we kept it and it’s STILL one of my favorite photo capturing devices! It’s got an issue with the sensor, damage that occasionally shows up, but isn’t easy to spot on most pics. Here are a few samples from a quick trip out the front door this morning.
The little old “obsolete”, “inadequate”, “kit lens” does a decent job. It may not be “the best lens ever”, but it’s available, affordable and a good choice to get going in photography as you learn the ropes of composition and the exposure triangle.