Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS Image Stabilizer Telephoto Zoom Lens – Grey Market non US Product
- Focal Length & Maximum Aperture: 55-250mm F/4-5.6
- 12 Elements In 10 Groups, Including One UD-glass Element
- Focus Adjustment: DC Motor, Gear-driven(front Focusing Design)
- Closest Focusing Distance: 3.6 Ft./1.1m
- Closest focusing distance: 3.6 feet; Filter size: 58mm
Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS Telephoto Zoom Lens
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Great piece of kit for the price,
When looking at lenses, generally you know what type of photography you are hoping to do. This one is great for wild life photography.
There are some caveats. The biggest issue I have is with the speed of the auto focus. Yes, auto focus is built in and it works well, however it can seem to be glacial when trying to snap photographs of animals (or anything) in motion. Slow auto focus generally won’t be an issue with macro photography (assuming you aren’t photographing insects and such). I have missed shots and when I think I may want faster focus I put it on manual and adjust out to a specific distance and try to ensure what I am photographing is always that distance. Of course, this isn’t perfect either as I’ve gotten blurred subjects due to an incorrect focus plane.
Image stabilization is tremendous. It works rather well and as others have stated, it enables you to take a photograph a few f-stops lower than usual as it will accurately compensate for vibration.
One issue professionals may not approve of is the use of plastic housings. For normal, non-professional (and even some professionals), the plastic housing will be fine and you won’t notice a difference. For the photo-pro though, metal is obviously more sturdy and hardy, allowing for some bumps and bruises along the way while it travels in your kit bag. Plastic also makes the lens lighter.
The only other problem I have, and it’s only a problem when I forget proper flashes, is that the aperture is designed more for outdoor photography in decent to great lighting conditions. I’ve missed shots indoors (yeah, I’ve used it indoors) because of this.
Of course, if you’re looking for a lens that doesn’t have any of these issues, double or triple the amount of money you are willing to spend on a lens, as fast focusing lenses with better apertures will cost you.
Over all though, this is a great piece of kit, especially at this price. I bought mine elsewhere and bought it as a Canon refurb, but it was well worth what I paid and would be well worth Amazon’s asking price. No question about it.
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|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 in-depth evaluation of this lens.
– Sharpness
The sharpness is on par with that of the 18-55mm kit lens. Although the lens is not quite pro-grade, it can, in the right conditions, impress even an avid pixel-peeper. For a budget lens, it’s really about as sharp as they come. This lens will probably satisfy all but the most fastidious of prosumers.
Hey, don’t take my word for it; 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 in excess of 70 mph). Most of my shots came out blurry (and that’s not due to motion blur, mind you) 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 shots, 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.
– Build
In terms 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.
– Alternative
Just 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.
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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, very good choice.
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|OMG,
OMG I purchased this lens on e-Bay new for $199.00 (“Buy it Now”). It arrived today. This is one light weight and incredibly sharp lens. Also, the image colors are vivid and true. With the IMAGE STABILIZER engaged I can get super sharp images at 250mm, with lens wide open, and the shutter speed at 1/30th of a second. And I’m a 71 year old man.
I’m crazy about Amazon.com. They are really reliable, their merchandise is usually competitively priced, and I like their return policy. But I do shop.
SPECIAL NOTE; Another reviewer writes that using the Canon 58mm tread diameter 250D Closeup Filter (under $100.00), this same zoom lens becomes a fantastically sharp macro lens. I’m going to go for it next month – after my Social Security Check comes in. And yes, I will check the price on Amazon.com first.
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