28-80/3.5-5.6 Mk. V USM

You know, I was going to write that this lens wasn't as bad as people make it out to be, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that this lens really did blow. I mean, it was generally ok--I got some good pictures in Italy with it, especially with the roll of Kodak B&W+ 400 that I used--but it was lacking in many respects. It has some pretty serious barrel distortion at the 28mm end, and its color rendition is pretty much crap (though that might've had something to do with the crappy film I used at the time, too).

It does have one thing going for it, though, and that's weight. So, if weight is a paramount concern (as it was when I went to Italy), then at least it has one positive aspect.

Honestly, though, I can't speak too harshly about it, because it really introduced me to the possibilities of wide-angle and telephoto photography--two areas that I literally knew nothing about before getting my Rebel and this lens. For that reason, I'm glad I didn't follow the crusty old advice about "don't get the kit lens and get the 50/1.8 instead." Not that the 50/1.8 is bad (I own it), but the perspective of the 50 is boring and I couldn't have pulled off a lot of my Italy shots without a zoom lens, even a shitty one. (An aside about my Italy photos: it's not like they're great works of photographic mastery, but the trip was fun as hell and I really value the pictures I took there, so that's why I get all worked up about them. =p)

I got rid of this lens shortly after I got my Elan 7 and got the excellent 24-85/3.5-4.5 USM instead.