Q:

Why are lenses included in kits so bad?

Possible Duplicate:
Are all kit lenses poor? (And if so, why?) 

I am interested about getting a t4i. I hear everybody saying that kit lenses are very bad. However, the 18-135mm EF IS lens included in the kit seems to have got pretty good reviews.
Could someone recommend whether I should get it or not? I can afford to spend more money, if needed.

A:

Why are lenses included in kits so bad?

Kit lenses aren't bad -- they're just optimized for different parameters. A kit lens is meant to be a decent general purpose lens that'll get you started with your camera and at the same time keep the price of the total package down to a point where you'll still buy it. If you compare the EF-S 18-135 IS to lenses that cost as much as the whole t4i kit, then yes, it should be no surprise that the more expensive lens will win on points like sharpness, speed, etc.

I can afford to spend more money, if needed.

The EF-S 18-135 IS costs around $350-450 when you buy it by itself, but in a kit it only adds about $200 to the price of the camera. That's a pretty good deal. If you don't already have a specific idea about what you want, I'd say it's a good idea to get the kit -- it'll be a good lens to start out with, and by the time you're ready to add more lenses to your collection you'll already have gotten your money's worth out of the 18-135.

