Kit lenses used to be boring and basic. That’s no longer the case as brands bundle everything from pancake primes to bright aperture glass

The Fujifilm XF 23mm f/2.8 R WR on a gray wood-like surface.

When I first started out in photography, kit lenses were the lenses that you bought because they came with the camera, were cheap, and got you started without too much fuss. Kit lenses were, frankly, a bit boring, typically a wide to standard focal length zoom with a narrower aperture and mediocre image quality.

But lately, kit lenses are feeling, well, a little less boring. Sure, you can still readily find bundles with the classic 16-50mm basic beginner kit, but there are plenty of “kit lenses” that buck the classic focal length and even offer brighter apertures.