This is a very good lens given its price. Like with any lens selection there
are compromises, and a more expensive lens is not necessarily better in all
respects. These are the main considerations for me:
* The lens comes with an excellent IS. One could probably save a hundred bucks
buying a non-IS lens in this focal range which may even be a bit better optically.
However, long range shots without IS are difficult, especially in low light. The
IS on this lens works very well, better compared to my Canon 28-135 IS and even
compared to the 100-400L. The IS really makes a lot of hand held shots possible
that one could not do with a non-IS lens.
* The lens is fairly cheaply built and has a plastic mount. However, the
trade-off is that it is also fairly small and light (the small size is also due
to the fact that it is a EF-S lens). My other tele-zoom is a 100-400L lens
which is built like tank, but it is also huge and weighs 3 pounds. In many cases
one does not want to carry that much weight around, and that is where this lens
comes in really handy.
* Image quality: No, it cannot quite match the 100-400L, but it comes surprisingly
close. Of course, the 100-400L costs 5 times as much. Lack of good color
saturation is the most notable deficiency. On the other hand images are very sharp.
For outdoors one should get a hood, there is quite a bit of glare in shots with
frontal sunlight.
* Zoom range: the 55-250mm range makes the lens quite versatile. 250mm is long
enough for most outdoor sports, many nature shots, people from afar, etc. At the
other end 55mm is still good for close action, for example at a soccer field.
That is almost a factor 2 shorter compared to 100-(300/400) lenses.
It also provides a nice overlap with walk-around lenses, like the Canon 28-135 IS.
* Aperture: F4-5.6 is nothing to brag about, however, a faster lens would also
have to be much bigger, heavier, and costlier. And as long as you objects don't
move too much the IS makes the lens effectively faster. If Canon's 4 stop
improvement holds it would be equivalent to a non-ISF1-1.4, although F1.4-2 is
probably more realistic. A F1.4-2 with that focal range would have to be big,
heavy, and expensive, if it even existed.
In summary, this is an excellent second lens to complement a short zoom or a
walk-around lens. Very versatile and a lot of bang for the buck. In my case,
even though I own a 100-400L I still keep this lens because it is often more
practical because of the shorter focal length and the smaller size.
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This Item  Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4.0-5.6 is II Telephoto Zoom Lens | |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | $169.99 | $191.99 | $175.00 | $699.00 | -10% $178.00 Typical: $197.99 | $199.00 |
| Delivery | Get it as soon as Saturday, May 11 | Get it May 13 - 14 | Get it as soon as Saturday, May 11 | — | — | Get it as soon as Saturday, May 11 |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
| Image stabilization | ||||||
| Auto focus | ||||||
| Picture quality | ||||||
| Quality of material | ||||||
| Sold By | 1st Web Deals | Global Camera USA | Sunshine Photo & Electronics | iPro Photo | Al's Variety | Amazon.com |
| lens type | Telephoto | Telephoto | Telephoto | Standard | Telephoto | Telephoto |
| compatible mountings | Canon EF-S | Canon EF-S | Canon EF | Canon EF-S | Canon EF | Canon EF |
| lens design | Zoom | Zoom | Zoom | Zoom | Zoom | Zoom |
| focus type | Micromotor | Micromotor | Auto Focus | Micromotor | Auto Focus | Auto Focus |
| minimum focal length | 55 millimeters | 55 millimeters | 75 millimeters | 18 millimeters | 75 millimeters | 75 millimeters |
| max focal length | 250 millimeters | 250 millimeters | 300 millimeters | 200 millimeters | 300 millimeters | 300 millimeters |
| fixed focal length | 0 millimeters | 250 millimeters | 300 millimeters | 200 millimeters | 300 millimeters | 1 millimeters |
Videos
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WATCH THIS Before Buying The 55-250mm Canon Lens
✅ Caleb Reviews
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Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4.0-5.6 is II Telephoto Zoom Lens
Mathew Ignash
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2:48
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Customer Review: Not good for video, OK for stills.
Jeff
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It's this a good camera lense? My thoughts...
Nevsky Designs
Reviews with images
Lens For The Budget Conscious
The Canon EF-S 55-250mm is a perfect choice if you shoot mostly wide angle shots and don't want to blow a ton of money on a telephoto zoom lens that you only use occasionally. This lens offers you reasonably sharp photos at a very, very good price. Here's a more indepth evaluation of this lens.- SharpnessThe sharpness is on par with that of the 18-55mm kit lens. In the right conditions, it's almost (but not quite) pro-grade. For a budget lens, it's really about as sharp as they come. I think it's safe to say in terms of sharpness this lens will satisfy all but the most fastidious of prosumers.You best bet for seeing how sharp this lens is is to seek out professional review sites that show you a 100% crop of pictures taken with this lens and then decide for yourself.- Chromatic Aberration (CA)In bright sunlight, where chromatic aberration is most pronounced, the chromatic aberration on this lens is barely noticeable and probably imperceptible to the untrained eye. In more even lighting, this lens shows no signs of CA.- Auto-Focus (AF)The auto-focus is fast enough for still subjects, but for very fast-moving subjects, it's a hit-or-miss. I gave this lens a good workout shooting cheetahs running close to their top speeds at the Animal Ark, Reno, NV (OT: cheetahs can run at speeds of 70 mph or greater). Most of my shots came out blurry (and that's not due to motion blur) because the auto-focus wasn't fast enough.Like the kit lens, the auto-focus has trouble in lowlight conditions. It also has trouble with surfaces that lack texture. The motor whirs back and forth trying to lock on to a focus. It can be a little annoying at times.- Image Stabilization (IS)The image stabilization is amazing, even at 250mm. Interestingly, you can hear a click when the image stabilization mechanism kicks in. For handheld shot, especially at the 250mm end, the IS is immensely helpful for steadying your shots. I'm very impressed. (Bear in mind, too, the rule of thumb: the shutter speed should be at least as fast as the reciprocal of the focal length.)- Internal Focus (IF)The lack of IF would not ordinarily be a problem unless you're using circular polarized filters. The turning of the barrel throws the filter out of adjustment, so you would have to readjust the filter after the subject is brought into focus.- BuildIn terns of build quality, the lens is built a lot like the kit lens. There are complaints that it looks plasticky - maybe so - but it doesn't look cheap to be sure. It's lightweight but it feels well-built and sturdy. The zoom ring feels tight, but not overly so, so there is no zoom creep.- AlternativeJust FYI, the Canon EF 70-300mm is reputed to be sharper than this lens. You might want to give this lens some consideration if the focal range is right and if you can afford to splurge a little.---I suspect the Canon EF-S 55-250mm is the best mid-telephoto zoom lens you can get at this price. For the budget conscious, and for people who need telephoto zoom only once in a while, this lens is a very good choice.
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Reviewed in the United States on June 14, 2008
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Priscilasav
Mi experiencie con este producto
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very good result. amazone selling this product with half of ...
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Best TeleLens in my opinion
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Carl
An Excellent Value
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