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For Nikon it was ~550INR about a year back in Bangalore that I carried a friend's camera and they gave it back in 10 minutes.

Hope that helps.

What is wrong with that kit lens (18-55) when compared to the kit lens with higher models? As far as I know, all kit lenses are slow. Maybe the optical mediocrity of the 18-55mm shouldn't be considered part of the calculus unless your work involves such precision as to make those shortcomings stand out obviously. At best, the extra reach of the higher kit lenses could be useful, but it's subjective as to how much of a premium this extra reach is worth.

I'd consider the newly launched Nikon D5200 as well for that kind of price.

If you are fixated on getting canon only, then consider the 10% off offer on next.co.in if it is available there. Also check prices at zoomin. They promise to match prices at any other online retailer so if you can find it cheaper somewhere (for example the likes of infibeam) you can ask them to match that. zoomin has pretty good service.

Hmm, exactly what does this mean? I thought an expert is the one who can overcome such shortcomings. If a person could make the shortcomings stand out, what kind of photographer is he? I would think a bad one.

Well, a higher resolution sensor would more likely to resolve imperfections in either technique or lens more prominently. So lens limitations might be more easily spotted with a good body when compared to an entry level body.

However, the point I was making was in contradiction to what I state above because as the differences are minute, even that shouldn't be much of a bother. The original question was regarding whether or not the standard 18-55mm kit lens would be an appropriate tool on a body such as the 60D and I really meant to say that unless you're pixel peeping, the basic kit lens may be as good as the higher end ones if you disregard the greater zoom in the latter.

Must add that this is an opinion rather than authoritative advice. Would like to hear about it.

Thanks for the pointers buddy. Yes I am keen on Canon at this point. I checked Next.co.in and got a final price of 52,637 (MRP-10%) which I think is great pricing. I have contacted Zoomin for matching this price, lets see what they come-up with. Is NEXT a reliable site for ordering a high priced item like this? and is their delivery system reliable for dleivering the kit in one piece? I have no expierence with Next hence the questions.

Also, could someone please explain Canon warranty on camera body and lens. From what I've read online a little, Canon does not entertain international warranty on lenses anymore. Is that a fact or a rumour? Kindly confirm this for me.

You mentioned 13.4K for this lens on flipkart. Is this the 1.8G and brand new? Try from a Nikon dealer you might get a better rate.

And if it is a 1.8D then 13.4K is too much.

Canon 18 -55 IS lens is not that bad as it is made out to be.
Check MTF and vignette values on photozone.de .
This one is lot better then what used to come earlier as kit such as 17-85.
28-80 . 28-90 and 18-55 non Is The IS version is optically different from earlier non IS.
Difference in IS and IS II are largely cosmetic.
18-135 and 18-200 are also not of great optical quality but they give good zoom.

However if you want higher optical quality either go for
Canon 15-85 IS or Tamron 17-50 .

+1. 18-55 gets you very good landscapes and is a perfect learner's lens. Once the person understands what he wants more,
he can then invest in costlier ones according to his likes. One should try to learn; to the limit of what an 18-55 can offer.

Well said. Typically learners go for kit lens and basic body such as canon 1100 or 550d. And those who look for intermediate slr know more about what they want and buy appropriate lens or already own few lens.

18-55 is decent but its always a learners lens.

Btw i am still learning on my 18-55 with 550d and the process is slow because of my work schedule

Has anybody here tried any photography classes. I'd be interested in joining one as self-learning has its limits and I often find myself having doubts/questions without any clear cut answers. formalizing education should help I think.

If anybody has any experience with any classes here in Bangalore and can write a few words about them, it would be of great help. Thanks in advance.

Check you PM list. Hope it helps.

I learnt a lot from the kit lens. Even I have an 550D. I started with kit. Got a 50mm prime in an about 6 months.
The next year, I realized, I wanted a zoom lens. But I was not into birding. So instead of the 300mm range, I opted for the 70-200L
(I saved for it!). And again the next year (~10 months), I wanted an ultra wide angle. So opted for a 10-22. The kit now is idle.
I got many landscape shots from the kit lens. Now that I have a 10-22, kit is rarely used.

I mostly manage with 10-22, 70-200 and 50mm prime. Never felt the need for a 18-55 range now.
May be now with the release of 24-70 F4 IS L. that might be a good one. But still the need is not that pressing.

I haven't been to photography classes, so I can only really speculate. I am apprehensive about the 'technical' competence of most instructors since I guess the focus would normally be on teaching how to use the camera in different circumstances. Also, since photography as a subject is multi-disciplinary, it wouldn't be easy to find someone who knows a good deal about all aspects of it (sensor technology and the implications of various formats, optics/lens design, camera-mechanics and the actual art itself), so how useful a class will be for you perhaps completely depends on which specific area you are interested in.

Though I don't have any information about classes to offer, I'd suggest it might be useful (to all of us) to post a few questions directly on this thread.

It depends on who your instructor is. I knew all about aperture, ISO, shutter speed even before I got my first DSLR. Heck, I'd spent days learning just about anything I'd come across about DSLRs (minus the sensor technology part of it, I never really cared about that one). But, what changed my thinking or the perspective were the first five minutes of the workshop I attended. I got there around 2-3 minutes late and a video was going on, it was Henri Cartier Bresson's 5-6 minute video on "The Decisive Moment". It's a small video where HCB talks about various photographs he has made over the years. That changed everything. It was not about exposure, shutter speed or anything else. It was just one story after other in every photograph. Here's one photograph that actually had the greatest impact on me:



Source: http://www.laurencemillergallery.com...t_hcb_sbs1.htm

Technically, the photo has some issues. The kid's legs are cut, the photo is grainy, it's tilted and so on. But, let go of all of it and just see the expression on the kid's face. The happiness on that kid's face is contagious. You'd forget everything and look at it for a while, atleast I do. Then there's this girl in the bg who adds so much to the story. At the end of those two days of workshop, I learnt only one thing. You might know everything about a camera, but then if your photographs do not communicate, what's the point?

And well, that was the point my instructor stressed upon. The story. It's always about the story. Again, one learns what they want to, so may be I was looking for something more than the regular technical stuff. May be, I chose to ignore the parts where he talks about exposure and stuff. I don't remember, but what I remember was the story part. So, choose a good instructor and it will definitely help you improve your photographs.