Lens explained

[DisneyDetective]

Sorry this has prob been asked a thousand times. My lens has broke on my Canon 400D and prob better investing in a new lens that a whole new Canon ???D/Rebel kit.

Could you please explain lenses to me as i'm a bit of a novice.

Thank You!

 

[ukcatfan]

There is no reason to need to replace the camera because the kit lens broke. If you were happy with it, the cheapest thing to do is to just replace it. They can be bought alone for $100-150 USD or even less used through something like Ebay (don't know if you have that over there?)

If you want to upgrade the lens, then first set a budget and then decide what kind of lens you want. Are you happy with the focal length range of the kit? If so, look for something similar. If you want more range but don't want to change lenses often then there are lenses that cover all the way from 18mm to over 200mm. There are positives and negatives to all options, so deciding what you are looking for is the first step.

 

[Gianna'sPapa]

Just curious as to what lens broke. Was it a kit 18-55?

 

[Groucho]

It's usually cheaper to get a new "kit lens" bundled with a new camera than it is to buy it separately, but if you're content with the camera itself, there's no reason to not just buy another kit lens, and if you do buy a newer camera, you can buy it without a lens and use the one you buy now.

You could also buy the image-stabilized version of the kit lens, which would be an improvement over your old one.

Either way, you probably would do well buying it used as there's usually a glut of kit lenses in the used marketplace... you could from from a local Craigslist ad, or eBay, or KEH, or B&H, or Adorama, or...... well, you get the picture.