Kit lens

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A kit lens is a "starter" lens sold bundled with an interchangeable-lens camera such as an SLR. It is generally a cheap lens priced at the lowest end of the manufacturer's range, so as to not add much to a camera's price. Originally, kit lenses were generally of normal focal length; more recently, kit lenses tend to be cheap zoom lenses that range from medium wide angle to mild telephoto. While prime standard lenses bundled with SLR cameras were generally sharp and fast enough for most kinds of photography, most kit zooms are deliberately limited in abilities, to reduce cost, and the camera purchaser will have an incentive to purchase additional lenses in the future.

Higher end SLRs generally do not come with a kit lens, as the buyer is assumed to already own lenses or to plan to purchase them separately: kit lenses are used as a savings and convenience for lower-end, consumer grade cameras.

Examples follow.

1 DSLRs
2 SLRs
3 References

[edit] DSLRs

Because of the crop factor, kit lenses for APS-C format cameras (like Canon EF-S and Nikon DX) have shorter focal lengths, to get the same field of view.

[edit] Canon

Canon EF-S 18-55mm lens: common on Rebel series, such as Canon EOS 400D
Canon EF-S 18-55mm IS lens: Canon EOS 450D
Canon EF-S 17-85mm lens: Canon EOS 30D, Canon EOS 40D, option on Canon EOS 400D
Canon EF 24-105mm lens: Canon EOS 5D

[edit] Nikon

Nikkor 18-55mm DX f/3.5-5.6G, various versions:
- AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G (as of April 2005)^[1]
- AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G II (as of November 2006)^[2]
- AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR (as of November 2007)^[3]
Nikon 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G ED-IF AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor

[edit] Pentax

Pentax SMCP-DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6: bundled with Pentax K10D, K100D, K110D, and K100D Super.
Pentax SMCP-DA 18-55mm II f/3.5-5.6: updated version, bundled with K20D and K200D.