Kit lens

A kit lens is a "starter" lens sold bundled with an interchangeable-lens camera such as a single-lens reflex camera. It is generally a cheap lens priced at the lowest end of the manufacturer's range, so as to not add much to a camera's price. Originally, kit lenses were generally of normal focal length; more recently, kit lenses tend to be cheap zoom lenses that range from medium wide angle to mild telephoto. While prime standard lenses bundled with SLR cameras were generally sharp and fast enough for most kinds of photography, most kit zooms are deliberately limited in abilities, to reduce cost, and the camera purchaser will have an incentive to purchase additional lenses in the future.

Higher end SLRs generally do not come with a kit lens, as the buyer is assumed to already own lenses or to plan to purchase them separately: kit lenses are used as a savings and convenience for lower-end, consumer grade cameras.

Digital single-lens reflex cameras

Because of the crop factor, kit lenses for APS-C format cameras (like Canon EF-S and Nikon DX) have shorter focal lengths, to get the same field of view.

Canon

* Canon EF-S 18-55mm lens: common on consumer-level cameras series (known as Rebel in the United States), such as 400D
* Canon EF-S 18-55mm IS lens: Replaced the original 18-55mm on all consumer-level cameras starting from the 450D and later
* Canon EF-S 17-85mm lens: Canon EOS 30D, 40D, option on 400D
* Canon EF 24-105mm lens: 5D
* Canon EF 28-105mm lens: Alternative lens

Nikon

* Nikkor 18-55mm DX f/3.5-5.6G, various versions:
** AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G (as of April 2005) [ [http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/1855.htm Nikon 18-55mm ] ]
** AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G II (as of November 2006) [ [http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/18-55-ii.htm Nikon 18-55mm II ] ]
** AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR (as of November 2007) [ [http://www.dpreview.com/news/0711/07112001nikkor1855.asp Nikkor updates 18-55 kit lens with VR: Digital Photography Review ] ]
* Nikon 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G ED-IF AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor

Pentax

* Pentax SMCP-DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6: bundled with Pentax K10D, K100D, K110D, and K100D Super.
* Pentax SMCP-DA 18-55mm II f/3.5-5.6: updated version, bundled with K20D and K200D.

ony

* Sony 18-70mm f/3.5-5.6 DT: bundled with Sony α 100, Sony α 200.

References