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Thread ID: 137258 2014-06-12 08:02:00 Why are Digital SLR lenses sold as kits ? Digby (677) PC World Chat
Post ID Timestamp Content User
1377029 2014-06-12 08:02:00 I have a Nikon Digital SLR.

When I see adverts for them or Canon ones, they always come with a lens kit.

Do it need assembling ?

Why don't they just sell a lens

What comes in the kit ?
Digby (677)
1377030 2014-06-12 08:58:00 The kit is usually the body plus one or two starter lenses. The lenses themselves are just sold individually. inphinity (7274)
1377031 2014-06-12 12:05:00 A kit usually includes a 18-55mm lens + 55-210mm lens. Just another word for a lens 'set' I guess.. sahilcc7 (15483)
1377032 2014-06-12 19:46:00 My Canon 700D came as a kit with only one lens... an 18-135. Anything with a lens is described as a kit. The other way is body only.

Ken
kenj (9738)
1377033 2014-06-12 22:22:00 You can always buy the body only if you don't want or need the kit lens. The kit ones are usually something to get you started and are ok to use.

If they sold them with pro glass, then most people wouldn't buy them due to the hideous up-front cost :D
autechre (266)
1377034 2014-06-12 23:28:00 You can always buy the body only if you don't want or need the kit lens. The kit ones are usually something to get you started and are ok to use.

If they sold them with pro glass, then most people wouldn't buy them due to the hideous up-front cost :D

When I was doing photography for a much needed 2nd income back in the 80's - 90's this was the case. I have just got back into DSLR use in the last year and am pleasantly surprised in the quality of the modern lenses. Back then, zooms were OK as long as you didn't stretch them to far, and had plenty of light. Primes were great and were mainly my choice of weapon. Zoom performance tended to fade off at wide apertures and suffer from chromatic and spherical aberration. This is when costs started to come in, buying an APO lens (corrected for the aforementioned problems) Long toms have lots of glass and fast apertures but are mainly for sport use.

I don't print anything these days, except for family stuff for SWMBO's albums. I put all my stuff on my PS3 and watch on a 46" LED Samsung. Brilliant to see and pin sharp. Tried them on a mates 65"? TV and still great.

There is a perception problem out there. Using film, I used to copy peoples photos, say of a recently deceased pet dog in my darkroom (colour and B&W processing) and print an enlargement for them. At best I got a fuzzy photo from a fuzzy photo but the people were right chuffed in what I thought was a crap print.

Things are so easy these days!!!

Ken :)
kenj (9738)
1377035 2014-06-13 00:19:00 Because normal people buy them. A cheapish kit to get them going. A kit is generally cheaper than buying the 2 items separately. The more expensive bodies tend to not have lenses together but you can get them at times and in countries such as a 24-120mm F4 which might retail for $1800 by itself usually.

But IMO for casual shots normal people might be better to get a high end (large sensor) point and shoot like a Sony RX100. Why carry a dSLR to the beach or picnic or to the cafe / restaurant and just own one lens and deal with the weight and size. The Coolpix A or Ricoh GR is also a camera with builtin lens that has the same APC sensor as the crop sensor dSLRs.
Nomad (952)
1377036 2014-06-13 01:55:00 Quite so Nomad...I have had a Canon G1-X for a couple of years now. A brilliant but flawed camera!! Slow focussing, very poor macro ability, slow lens, but wonderful image quality. Just been away for a month and took it in preference to my SLR for lightness and being relatively compact.

Ken
kenj (9738)
1377037 2014-06-13 02:16:00 But for some reasons, average punters are still drawn to that entry dSLR kit. SLR might be a pro camera because that is what professionals use :lol:

Yep that G1 not that compact though.
Nomad (952)
1377038 2014-06-13 05:43:00 :) Note the word "relatively" kenj (9738)
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