What are the chances my kit lens is bad?

I know, your first thought is "100%!" [:)]


But on a serious note, I saw some pictures over the weekend taken without a tripod (albeit outside with a fast shutter speed) by a friend with the same setup (Rebel XS with 18-55 kit lens), and they were fantastic! I've never been able to duplicate that kind of success, even outdoors. I asked her what her secret was, and she said "Hold my breath and snap!"


1. Is there any truth to holding your breath reducing camera shake? My main complaint about the kit lens is that it's very soft, almost to the point of blurry.


2. Is there a chance my lens could be defective, and if so, how would I find out?

1. Like shooting at long(er) ranges with a rifle: take a deep breath and let it out slowly as you click. Holding your breath for more than a couple seconds will maximize the shake caused by your heartbeat (not much on a short kit lens, but any little bit helps).






2. Possible... set up with a tripod and remote (or use the timer) and shoot at a focus target. If you're not reasonably within the range of what other people are seeing at identical focal lengths and apertures (I think Bryan has some samples with the kit lens and I know others out there do) there's a chance your lens is bad.





3. If any of the lens elements are smudged you'll have an issue (sometimes it's best to hit the "D'oh" solutions first).

I'm not a big fan of the kit lens, but it shouldn't be blurry without something else going wrong. Take out all the possible camera shake / subject movement variables and shoot some test pictures. You might post a blurry image with the EXIF data; that might give away some obvious issue.


There is a previous thread with a bunch of kits lens pictures that you can find with a search. Most are very sharp and well shot. You shouldn't start to see a lot of IQ difference with the expensive glass until you get into challenging conditions or enlargements.


If you are shooting weddings in dark churches or blowing up everything to 16x20, we need to talk about upgraded glass.

share some photos... and let the EXIF information be retained so that we can see them and throw in our 2 cents.