Nice review. Not a lens that's going on my list. Still, kit lenses have their uses. When I bought my first dSLR, a Rebel XT with the Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II kit lens (not knowing any better), I spent a summer holiday in Canada shooting with that low-grade lens. Sure, I can now see many lens related imperfections in those results, but some of those pictures remain my favorites.