When I was at LAGC back in February, I was in low light for most of the event. This meant that my Kit Lens (EF-S 18-55mm) was to be kept in the camera bag because of its rather narrow aperture values, especially at 55mm. My only option was to use my Nifty Fifty (EF f/1.8 50mm II) which is an absolute gem of a lens for its price.

Whilst I am very happy with the images I managed to get, I did feel that combined with my crop sensor, it was a little “too long” for what I was trying to do with my Cosplay photos. That is to say, I wanted to try to get the costume, as much as the person – As that’s what all their work has gone into. In order to do this on my 50mm lens, I had to stand quite far back which isn’t always possible when in confined/crowded areas.

With that in mind, I decided I wanted a Fast Standard Zoom and so I opted for the Sigma 17-50mm which has a nice wide f/2.8 aperature. I haven’t had chance to field test this lens yet, but I plan on using it at MCM Manchester in July to see what I can get.

But does the lens really matter? Yes… and no.

Kit lenses are great, but aren’t too good in low light. Quality wise, they are perfectly fine.

Take the three photos below and decide for yourself – Each taken at 50mm on my three lenses a few moments apart, all manually focused and at f/8 – They are all a crop of the original images, aligned in Photoshop. If you aren’t looking for Bokeh or low-light performance, your kit lens should do perfectly fine.