Originally posted by TaoMaas Yes, yes...I know cheap lenses can do good work. That's not the point. For what it is, the 18-55 is a very good lens. But you're going to have a very hard time convincing anyone that it's an equal to the 16-45 or 16-50...which are lenses more along the lines of what the OP was saying should be bundled with inexpensive, replaceable bodies.
because most beginners don't need a lens that good.
We're talking about beginners.
The lowest common denominator is the body. The body is the focus of the kit. The Lens is tacked on to be "good enough" to let a beginner start to use it out of the box.
Anyone serious about photography will buy various lenses that suit their needs, none of which are the same.
The body is the focus, not the lens.
Very few, if any, beginners would be using multiple bodies.
They might replace their bodies later on, but they're not likely to be "beginners" by the time they do that.
This is another one of those "really doesn't make much sense at all" from any perspective. You can't really mention beginner and frequently changing the body in the same sentence. Those aren't the same people.
The bodies are general purpose, the lens have a more specific purpose.