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Reviewbucket.co.uk scanned the internet for Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4.0-5.6 IS STM reviews.
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For Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4.0-5.6 IS STM, 763 customer reviews collected from 2 e-commerce sites, and the average score is 4.7.

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24.9.2013

I just got this lens a day or two ago, so I cannot say much in detail. I use it with a Canon EOS 700D Digital SLR Camera - (EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM Lens, 18MP, CMOS Sensor) 3 inch LCD kit (also bought recently) where it perfectly supplements the kit lens. I need the whole bundle for primarily making small videos to be used on the internet (YouTube) plus a limited amount of traditional photo tasks, for instance portraits and photos for blogs and websites.The 55-250 lens comes with a nice little instruction guide, which is quite good and useful. For instance it tells that you may put only one filter on the lens at a time (but not why this is so). The lens is only slightly heavier (less light)than the kit lens but it feels solid. The all-plastic design seems to be possible today and therefore it is used. If the use of plastic materials had been as developed and advanced 30 years ago, they would have made plastic lenses also then.The recommended lens hood is ET-63, but this is not yet for sale. I tried to buy an ET-60 (good for the previous version of the lens, the Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS II Lens) but it has a different fitting and cannot be used. Instead I am using the Canon EW-63C lens hood for EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM objective - and just share it between this and the kit lens until the ET-63 shows up.For the 55-250 I bought also the lens pouch that Canon recommends, the Canon LP1019 Lens Pouch for E7530056/2/2 & /3, EF7530040U/2 & /3, EF10030045U. It fits lenses with a much larger diameter as well, so this lens doesn't fill it out completely. But it works and the pouch has a good quality - worth the money, I would say.The autofocus seems to be very slow. Especially during video recordings - it often moves back and forth for a while without finding anything to fix on, at times giving up completely. Maybe this is a consequence of the missing settings for this lens in the camera? Its distortion corrections are disabled for this lense due to missing data, it says on the screen. I suppose that a firmware upgrade for the camera is needed, but none seems to be available. For me the focus time is not a major issue as I am not making videos of anything or anyone which is moving around. The AF works, btw., absolutely without making any sounds, which goes for the kit lens too.From the few test shots and videos I have made, I didn't notice any kind of distortion. In my eyes the pictures are very good. Of course, the lens is not the fastest - it requires more light or needs a higher ISO etc., which affects the quality, but under the right conditions it seems to deliver excellent photos.All in all, I am happy with the lens - looking forward to the lens hood and the firmware upgrade for the camera, whenever these appear, but until then the lens will still help me make more exciting videos where I am not always shown in half figure. The STM lenses make shure that no camera noises will ruin the videos and the large zoom area covers everything I need.Let's see how things develop. So far I am very satisfied with the the lens and the set. The release date of all things connected (hood, camera firmware and lens) should have been better coordinated, but I was just early out - I could have waited, bought the previous version of the lens, or perhaps settled for the Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM Lens - which probably would have matched my needs perfectly. But I am happy with being up and running now and having the extended range of the two lenses: then I can use it if I see the need.Edit: Now, a few days later, I have had a chance to go for a walk with the lens (and the camera) and I am much more positive now to the AF speed. It works fine and quite fast in normal light conditions at all distances. Only video continuous AF is not as I would have preferred it: it actually doesn't change focus while the camera is moving - only when the camera is still, the AF slowly fixates on the motive. This is still useful when, say, you are filming one person and then pan to another - the short focus delay will seem on the video almost as if you had done the focusing manually.I managed to shoot pictures in all angles to the sun - and in the shade as well, and to make macro and short and long tele photos. When studied cloesely at a good computer screen the pictures made are all of a very high quality, technically speaking - I cannot find any CA or other problems with any of them.
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14.1.2014

I'm no camera expert. I'm your standard camera enthusiast who loves taking photos as a hobby. I say this to make you aware that this will not be a very highly technical review but one with good photography knowledge so please stop reading now if you're in search of the real techy stuff!So, first things first, this lens is an absolute delight. I own only two other lenses - the kit 18-55mm and also the 50mm F1.8. For me, my range of photographic shots are covered (except macro I guess!). This lens is sharp (don't forget you can always edit your shots and sharpen them a tad to further enhance them), produces a good zoom range,and is priced very reasonably!Important things which you might want to consider when choosing to buy a lens is what you're going to use it for. Of course this lens is not a Canon L series and so doesn't have that extreme build quality and super-fast focusing speed, but for a keen photographer who is just starting out, it does what you want it to do. If this is your first zoom lens, I can guarantee you that you'll be taking those wildlife shots which you dreamed of. Put simply, the Canon 55-250mm IS really makes you shine as an amateur photographer. What's more, you can also use it to take outdoor portraits - it gives you a really blurred, "bokehed" background (but remember, you need to stand at least a good 3 meters back from your subject to get a nice shot). Having said that, I would say that this lens is in no way intended for indoor use, with or without flash. It only really works best outdoors where there is sufficient light so don't bother going for this if you intend to use it indoors mainly. You could manage a few shots indoors perhaps on the odd occasion by raising your ISO a bit, but again the quality won't be all that. If you want an indoor zoom lens fit for your purpose, you're looking at getting a (much) more premium Canon lens such as the 70-200 F2.8 but think carefully as this lens costs over £1500 more than the 55-250mm. Lenses are designed for a purpose - remember that there isn't one lens which does the job of all lenses!Image stabilisation (IS) is veerrryy important when buying a zoom lens in my opinion. If you're thinking of buying a lens without IS (such as the Canon 75-300mm), please bear in mind that you will need to shoot with a higher (1/320+) shutter speed to avoid blur and this effectively means you need to compensate with ISO and/or Aperture. The IS on this lens is phenomenal; I have a Canon 550D and it does take a while for the IS to kick in (it works once you've focused and have held the shutter button down for about 3 seconds)... Now I don't know if that's the lens or the 550D's fault which causes the delay BUT... once the IS has kicked in, you can refocus quickly and take that all important photograph flawlessly. You can actually FEEL the IS working (ever so slight vibration and crackling sound coming from inside the lens but you only hear this in a quiet room) and you can visibly SEE the shaking of the picture disappear in your viewfinder - especially at 250mm! It's just amazing to see it work; it's also a killer when filming video! If you're trying to decide between this lens and the 75-300mm (non-IS), I highly recommend going for this 55-250mm purely for the IS - you'll really notice the difference (don't worry too much about that additional 50mm range you're losing). I also have a lens hood which helps reduce flare and I recommend that you also get one for this lens since wildlife (birds in particular) are shot at various angles; it's very hard to predict where the sun will be when you're looking around.The verdict: If you're a keen, amateur photographer who's looking for a good, cheap lens to add to your armoury - look no further! I can assure you that you won't be disappointed. Editing photos can also be a key part of the process and remember that you can always sharpen, enhance colour and zoom into photos even more by editing and cropping. Of course you won't get the beauty of a more expensive lens such as the 70-200mm range, but this Canon 55-250mm IS will exceed your expectations as it exceeded mine!Please don't hesitate to leave a comment if you want to ask me any questions :)Happy buying :)
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2.11.2015

For the money this lens is a great buy. It isn't - and isn't meant to be - a professional quality item but for the beginner or someone on a budget it's hard to beat and it's entirely possible - easy, even - to get good photos with it. Its lightness and small size make it almost uniquely useful as a non-intrusive telephoto walkaround lens, and it would probably be the first option to look at for anyone looking to acquire a lens suitable for taking pictures of birds and other wildlife in the garden without breaking the bank.This is the second time Canon have updated their EF-S 55-250mm offering. This third iteration, while barely distinguishable from its predecessors in image quality terms,has two major advantages over them. The first of these is the stepping motor. This is so quiet that it can be slightly disconcerting to point the lens at a subject, half press the shutter button to autofocus and hear - and feel - nothing! Did it focus...?! I'm getting used to it now. The image stabiliser is also almost silent, which it wasn't in earlier versions. This is great for shooting video, which seems to have been Canon's main motive for developing such a quiet motor, but also to some degree for wildlife shooting, not that it'll quieten the shutter ...The second major improvement is that the front element no longer rotates when focussing, so you can now use polarising or graduated filters on it.Other good things about it include:Extremely light so you can carry it around all day.Surprisingly small for such a long lens so it won't take up a lot of your bag (although it does nearly double in length when zoomed out to 250mm).Pretty sharp through most of its focal length range.Good image stabilisation means you can get good results handheld right up to 250mm in good light.Of course a lens doesn't get to be this cheap without some corners being cut. These are the main shortcomings, in no particular order:Non-constant maximum aperture (this varies from f4 at 55mm to f5.6 above 200mm).Slow maximum aperture (see above) means it's not great in low light.A bit soft above 200mm - although in my experience this isn't nearly as bad as some reviews have claimed and I've certainly got good shots right up to 250mm.Quite severe vignetting on wider apertures, especially at longer focal lengths (worst wide open at 250mm). This, for me, is its worst shortcoming.The bokeh isn't great and colours can be a bit flat - Canon have clearly gone for maximum sharpness with the glass (within their chosen budget) at the expense of colours, contrast and bokeh - if you want those too you will need to pay a lot more. But colours and contrast are a lot more improvable after the fact than sharpness.There's noticeable red/green chromatic aberration in areas of high contrast, especially in the corners, but I've seen far worse.Autofocus hunts sometimes when trying to lock on to a smallish moving subject such as a bird in flight.It's entirely made out of plastic, including the mount, and doesn't feel terribly robust. So treat it gently!But all of these shortcomings are a result of corners being cut to fit the price - there isn't anything about this lens that makes it less than excellent value at the price I paid for it (£135 and it sometimes goes lower than that here). Better alternatives to this lens cost a lot more money. If it cost 3 or 4 times as much, it would be a 3 star item. But it doesn't, and it isn't!
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9.3.2014

Due to the fact that I already own the Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS II Lens, which is a great performer, I was initially hesitant to buy this new lens, yet eventually succumbed to the temptation.Having used both lenses, I hope that this review can help you decide whether this lens fits your needs.With the non STM version at around half the price, is it a worthwhile upgrade?If you do video then I would definitely say yes. This is thanks to the super silent motor, better jitter free focusing and non rotating lens barrel. A perfect companion for the 70D.This also proves beneficial for taking pictures.It was so annoying having to adjust the polariser filter every time the lens focuses.So I will sum up the pros of the STM version vs previous version :• Swift and more precise focusing• Manual focus override available even when auto-focus engaged with the shutter half way pressed. On the older model MF needs to be selected• Silent Stepper motor does a great job in providing smooth and silent operation. No lens noise is picked up during video• Incredibly sharp throughout the zoom range (marginally better)• Very good image stabilisation• Lens barrel does not rotate when acquiring focus. Crucial when using polariser or graduated filters• Construction feels a tad better. However, as on the previous version, the plastic mount is an eyesore!I have not really noticed any difference in barrel distortion and pincushion effect, which, as on the previous model, is barely noticeable.A minor point which is worth noting is that finally Canon has changed the lens cap design. It is now a pinch (snap on) lens cap, which is so useful when you have a lens hood attached.Again Canon does not include a lens hood with this lens. Not a deal breaker. After all Canon only includes hoods on their L lenses as far as I'm aware.Considering that this lens houses 15 elements in 12 groups when compared to the 12 elements in 10 groups, it is incredible how Canon managed to reduce the weight, albeit by 15 grams. The STM version weighs only 375 grams. Probably the increase in elements plays a role in the marginally superior image quality over the non STM version.Considerations:○ An EF-S lens mount is limited to crop sensor cameras, so they will not work on full frame ones should you decide to upgrade. Only EF mounts are compatible with full frame cameras.○ The lens is actually an 88-400mm zoom. Being only compatible with crop sensor cameras, I wonder why they call this lens 55-600mm.○ Lens body is all plastic, which makes it light, yet even the lens mount and filter tread are plastic. So if you change filters often this should be taken into consideration. I would have loved to see a metal camera mount on this superb lens.○ I feel that the price difference between the STM version and the older non STM does not really justify the improved performance unless your primary use is for video.Taking all into account, I do think that this lens is still expensive given the all plastic body. I have tested other offerings by other manufactures and whilst they held the edge in build quality, the Canon delivered better results. Hopefully the price will drop once sales pick up.As far as image quality is concerned I really cannot fault this lens. It just takes amazing photos which are on par with far more expensive lenses that I have used, meriting a 5 star "Highly recommended" rating.
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1.9.2011

I have had my eye on the old model of this lens for a while. When I decided to take the plunge, I was dismayed to find this new one had just come out, at a much higher price. After reading what little I could find about it, I came to the conclusion there isn't much difference (I couldn't find any technical difference), and ordered the old one. But I then was informed that no stock could be obtained, and my order was cancelled. I couldn't be bothered to try and find another seller who still had some, so I ended up buying this new model instead.The first review here said the results were disappointing. Well, I can't explain that - maybe a lens/camera combination oddity, or maybe the lens was faulty.We've only played with it for a day so far, but on our Canon 60D the results are very good. No problems with soft focus. At full zoom, you can see the IS working through the view finder when you press and hold to focus, and you can just about hear the lens as it works to steady the image - it is very impressive. Focus seems fast and accurate.One very important point which may be of interest to astronomers and the like - holding the camera pointing vertically up or down, there is NO ZOOM CREEP at any setting, the lens stays zoomed exactly where you put it. Maybe this is a feature of the new model, or maybe I got lucky and mine is just tighter than usual, or maybe it is just because the lens is new and will ease up with use. It is not stiff to turn, it seems to operate very smoothly and is very easy to adjust. But there is definitely no creep at all on our lens at the moment.We bought the camera with the 18-55 kit lens, and are now adding to the collection. We also just bought the 50mm f1.8 which is very cheap, but the results are stunning. We are equally pleased with this new zoom. Ours is certainly not going back!UPDATE: People with Canon cameras that support Peripheral Illumination Correction (in other words, compensating for vignetting, or darkening of the images toward the corners), such as the 60D which we have, should make sure that they download the latest update to the EOS Utility software, and then use it to upload the correction parameters for this new lens to the camera. The cameras ship with data for many of the popular lenses pre-loaded, but for the more uncommon ones, or just new ones such as this, you will need to use the utility to update the camera. The difference it makes when you have done it is really very impressive. Consult the manual if you are not sure how to do this, it is very easy - but you do need the latest update to the software, as this includes the data for this new lens. When you have it loaded, test it by taking a picture of an evenly lit blank wall without flash, first with then without this option turned on. The difference is clearly visible. If you shoot in RAW, you can apply the correction easily afterwards in the DPP software, and apparently with even more control and therefore success. But if you shoot in JPG, then this option will make a very good job of correcting it in-camera.If you select the option in the camera menus, it tells you what the lens that is currently attached is, and whether it has the data for it or not. If it doesn't have the data, it won't do anything, even if enabled.
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20.4.2012

Ok I'm no professional, if I was I would be reviewing one of Canon's L Series lenses, I am a teenage photography enthusiast with little experience but a keen eye and a passion for photography. I have little experience with lenses, in fact this is my first lens that I have bought that didn't come with the body (an EOS 350D), however I can safely say I am extremely happy with it. I went for this one, as opposed to the 70-300mm III lens primarily because the 70-300mm didn't have Canons image stabilisation, which I wanted given how long the lens extends to, making it difficult to keep a steady hand which would have a particularly great effect in low light conditions.Of course I could have bought the USM IS version of the lens but that was simply too expensive for my budget. Speaking of the image stabilisation, it is fantastic. I have taken pictures with the exposure set to 1/20 and the lens at 250mm and it completely rids the image of any camera shake, it is incredible. Another high point is the fantastically smooth blur on out of focus objects and backgrounds. The lens coatings produce crystal clear, sharp images and although there hasn't been any bright sun or blue sky yet for me to test the colours, the contrast is very good at helping you create moody looking pictures in grey sky. Another positive is that there is absolutely no lens creep. I held the camera vertically down for 5 minutes and then vertically up for 5 minutes and the lens didn't move at all! And the zoom is very smooth compared to my kit lens (an older version of the standard 18-55). One negative is that the AF occasionally struggles to find a focus point, especially low light but it is not unbearable and in normal daylight hours it is perfectly alright. If I had the money I probably would have gone for the USM version but to be honest it's over double the price and as I'm no professional it really isn't worth the money.So...The positives:Soft, beautiful blurVery good ISGood contrast and colours and sharp clear imagesNO lens creepVery good price!Negatives:Sometimes struggles to focus in low light, especially when there is lack of detail, like a bush with concentrated small leavesI would recommend this lens to young budding photographers or amateur photographers, however if your more into it and have more expertise then i would go for the USM version, purely to save you time and give you a better experience. I give it 5* because of all these amazing features, and because it's £129.78! To be honest for a lens that price, I would buy it even if it didn't have the IS.
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13.7.2012

Please don't take the Amazon star rating too serious - every lens has its pros and cons that I wouldn't want to squeeze into a single one-dimensional figure...A quick note about me: I have been into SLR cameras and lenses for more than 20 years - as a hobby in the beginning and professionally later. Maybe because of my technical background I started testing my own lenses quite a while ago. I have a (no longer so) little test lab of my own where I do 6 different image quality tests (after taking a lens out for a while).The EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS II offers a huge zoom range in a compact and lightweight form factor at an affordable price. It is a very popular choice for wildlife and sports photography,portraits and other purposes. It comes with an excellent image stabilizer that offers 4 f-stops gain but lacks a decent USM type autofocus motor which is probably the lens's weakest spot. The micro motor autofocus used is accurate but slow which makes it difficult to use on fast moving targets. Focus motors of this type also don't allow you to override the autofocus manually unless you set the lens to MF mode first. The aperture range of the EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS II is mediocre and can make early morning or late evening wildlife shots rather difficult but that is to be expected of a lens in this price range.The resolution of the lens is impressive but color fringes occur both in focused parts ("transverse CA") of the image and in out-of-focus parts ("axial CA") and they are easily noticeable. Less noticable but present is the slight curvature of the focal plane ("field curvature"), some barrel and pincushion distortion (depending on focal length) and a bit of corner shadow ("vignetting"). Still the overall image quality of the EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS II is certainly above what I would expect for the price tag and probably good enough for most purposes. In comparison with its predecessor (the EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS) the newer lens is not necessarily an upgrade but neither is it a big step backwards. The image quality is slightly better with the old version but its zoom ring is a little flimsy whereas the newer version's zoom ring is nice and tight. Both lenses make an excellent add-on to your kit if you already own the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II.A much more detailed review of this lens together with all test shots, sample images and technical data is available on my website LensTests_com.
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2.5.2018

This review is made as an Amateur photographer with no professional experience. It's aimed at the audience that will likely be purchasing this kind of lens, rather than an experienced photographer. As such, I will not be covering very small and in-depth details which a professional may care about..This is the zooming version of the very similar 18-55mm STM kit lens you get with mid range Canon cameras.As an amateur photographer I'm massively impressed with the zoom capabilities, clarity and price to performance of this lens.To break up my review I'll go into each of these separately and have included sample images of min (55mm) and max (250mm)focal lengths and also a cropped image of one of the 250mm photo to demonstrate an even closer look and potential capture when using editing software.Camera: Canon 200D (mid range Amateur DSLR camera)Zoom - Please note that I'm using a Canon 200D which as far as I'm aware will boost the "zoom" effect by 1.6 (i.e its more like 88-400mm lens with this camera, I don't know the technicalities of this though as I'm quite new to photography)I went to the zoo a few days ago with the standard 18-55mm kit lens and while I managed to get some great up close and personal shots, unfortunately when the subject is a little further away, 55mm is just not quite enough. This is where I decided that my next lens has to have a bigger focal length. The 250mm gives FAR more zoom and lets you get in close and personal with what you're taking a photo of.Clarity - Absolutely fantastic. The images below are taken on a bright but semi cloudy day and I noticed no issues with the clarity or blurriness. The image stabilisation and auto zoom were doing really well even at 250mm and this would be even better once you get your hands on a tripod.Price to performance: I purchased it at £135. This is one of the cheapest branded lenses I have seen online and probably only beaten in price by the 50mm "nifty fifty" from both canon and Yongnuo. While it may not be the most important lens for some photographers, it'll give you unbelievable value (especially when you can get your hands on it at around £125. It seems to jump between £125-£155Get this lens for photography at distance of 1metre+ and for capturing photos of shy subjects (human or otherwise) from further away.Hope this review has been helpful for you.
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19.10.2013

Over a year ago I bought a Canon EOS650D which came with an 18-55ES lens. So I needed some sort of longer range lens and after a lot of searching and reading of reviews I settled on this Canon lens. It is a natural fit and an extension to the lens I already have. I bought it a couple of months ago and have been experimenting with it in preparation for my holiday in a few days.There are lots of things I like about it, first of all the physical factors. It does not weigh a ton, it's pretty light. This is important to me on walking holiday where I will be carrying day after day round my neck or on my back. It makes it easier to balance and hold still when taking pictures with the lens fully extended.It's full extention length is about 17cm but it reduces to less than 11cm when fully retracted so it's small enough to leave it on the camera when packing it into my carrying case. With my previous SLR the weight of camera and lenses became too much to haul around for days at altitude and I ended up leaving the heavy lens at home and missing out on photo opportunities.I have had mixed results with the quality of photographs taken with it so far. I have experimented with garden shots of flowers and birds, zooming in on them. In good light the results have been excellent, sharp and clear with good colour. When enlarged the shots retain their quality and I have been really pleased with them. However even with some cloud cover, not dusk or darkness, just a cloudy day, rather than a blue sky, then the lens (or I) struggle to capture a decent shot from a distance. I have experimented with all sorts of permutations and combinations of settings on the camera, using programs and over-riding those with manual settings but have not overcome the problem.I like to take long range shots of some feature or features in a landscape and that was one of the reasons to buy this lens, for isolated villages or fields in mountain landscape. The issue I have experienced so far with this is blurring around the edges of the picture. So I am not sure how things will go when it faces the real challenge of clear blue skies above 5,000 metres in the mountains.
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23.2.2012

With a list price of £329.99, a £200 saving on Amazon has to be a good deal - providing the product is value for money. I purchased this for my Canon 550D to compliment the kit 18-55 lens. Being an EF-S fit it is only compatible with cameras fitted with the smaller APS-C size image sensor. It won't work with a standard/traditional 35mm camera. In reality it is like having an 88mm-400mm lens. The advantage of this is at the longer end of the focal range. So together with the 18-55 lens I have an effective focal range of 28.8 to 400. It is important to bear this in mind when considering shutter speeds with hand held shots. Using the built in Image Stabilisation (IS)it gives the equivalent of a shutter speed four stops faster. So at the full 250mm setting (equivalent of 400mm) you can theoretical hand hold it at 1/100 sec. Turn off the IS and this immediately means a minimum shutter speed of 1/400 sec. (As a rule of thumb when using an 'APS-C' lens, such as the Canon EF-S, when IS is 'on' halve the focal length being indicated on the lens, and invert the number. e.g. if the lens is set at 100mm then a hand held shutter speed of 1/50 sec can be achieved. If IS is 'off' then double the focal length and invert the number. 100mm would now be 1/200 sec. This simple rule will keep you on the right side of a minimum hand held shutter speed.) The IS is a little noisy and ideally should only be used when necessary - particularly if you want to prolong the battery life of your camera. Avoid IS altogether when using a tripod, because as the IS operates it does create its own mini vibration. Compared to a couple of older Canon lenses I have the build does, as other reviewers have mentioned, feel a bit cheap, primarily due to the amount of plastic used. That said the image quality is excellent, for what is essentially a budget priced lens (even at the normal RRP). For a complimentary lens to the original 18-55 lens I would certainly recommend this one.
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11.4.2012

The beauty of the plastic mount may be a bit debatable but it's not a heavy lens anyway. The focus and zoom control rings operate reasonably smooth. So yes, unlike the 18-55mm IS it has a dedicated focus ring and it's perfectly usable - if you can handle the dim viewfinder produced by such a slow-speed lens. Typical for such lenses it extends when zooming towards the long end of the zoom range (see the product images below). Both the front element as well as the focus ring rotate during focus operations. Size- and weight-wise the (APS-C) lens is about 30% smaller/lighter compared to the EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS (full format) which may be an argument for some.The AF speed is pretty good and the noise level during operations remains on a very low level. According to Canon the newly developed Image Stabilization system is good enough for a "gain" equivalent to up to 4 f-stops. Technically the Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS is a tiny lens with a great performance potential. The resolution is very good across the range. Chromatic aberrations are basically a non-issue. The level of distortions remains moderate. The most obvious flaw is, unsurprisingly, vignetting at large apertures. The build quality is fine for a lens in this class and it is one step up from the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS that we've seen here recently. Regarding the target market you may surely forgive the plastic mount. The AF (micro-) motor is pretty fast and silent. So's everything cool here ? Well, the AF accuracy didn't really convince in the field - specifically at the wide-end of the zoom range - but to be fair this is much better on an EOS 40D (e.g.) with its improved AF capabilities. I had some trouble with the image stabilizer in the field but according to early reader feedback this impression seems to be an exception to the rule. If so the EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS has certainly the potential to be another hot seller.
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18.8.2013

I bought this lens after a great deal of prevarication. I hired a Canon 70-200 IS USM 2.8 lens and used it thoroughly over a 2 week holiday. I was impressed with its clarity and bokeh despite its weight and the inconvenience of lugging it around. At the end of the holiday, I had come to believe that no less expensive lens could possibly match its performance, and I promptly rushed to the conclusion that the Canon EFS 55-250 f4-5.6 IS Lens would fall well out of the pale. How could something so clearly plasticky looking and cheap as chips come anywhere close to the other titan?! Several weeks passed, and I knew I needed a zoom lens for my kit, and I also knew I just could not justify spending a grand and a half on the expensive lens.Finally, I reluctantly bought this lens expecting to be disappointed, and prepared to console myself that all I lost would be the very small price of this lens. As it happened, the more I used it, the more incredible the experience was turning out to be. Of course, it lacks the robustness of the professional lens, but for myself, with reasonable care, I discovered that this light weight wonder was a true gem. The pictures I got in reasonable to bright light were easily comparable with the its far more expensive cousin, and delightfully light to carry around too. If you are not a professional photographer having to work in challenging physical conditions, I have no doubt that this little gem would blow your preconceptions away the moment you start taking pictures. For the price, this lens is a no brainer! I have read this in the comments from others, but cynical me had to use it for myself to find total concordance. No hesitation in recommending this lens.
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30.9.2015

About 5 years ago I bought the mk1 version of this lens and had dropped out of use dslr scene for a while and i got lazy and was using my smart phone. However on a recent holiday I took my kit with me and rediscovered my frustrations with the old lens which was that it looked soft and lacked contrast at the 250mm end. I started to research the problem and almost bought a mk1 100-400mm L lens but wasn't sure if I fancied carrying the weight of it around, although the kudos of a 'white' lens had its charms. I then discovered that my existing lens had been upgraded and opted for that instead and I have been very impressed as it's much better in every respect and images no longer look like they've been through the washing machine at the 250mm end.Also, the STM focus is almost instant and silent which doesn't actually matter to me but it adds a quality feel to the lens and it will help with my longer term plan of upgrading from my 40D body to 7D to enable me to silently shoot video. I am considering upgrading my 18-55mm to and STM version since the silent focusing is much faster and feels much nicer to use. The lure of the 100-400mm mk1 is still there as it would offer more reach but looking at the MTF figures for both lenses the probably isn't much if any advantage from a quality point of view. I don't know if the image stabilazation has been improved but it seems to be better than my older version and I have shot some fairly impressive shots in low light. Overall I think it's a bargain and much improved over thebmk1 version which is to be expect ended as it seems to have had a fairly extensive optical redesign. From what i read the 18-55mm hasn't received the same optical treatment.
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7.1.2012

Reviewed this lense's other reviews around various sites. I was fortunate to try a friends Canon EF70mm-300mm which is excellent, but could not afford the cost, so eventually went for the Canon EF55mm-250mm f4-f5.6 IS II. I have a canon Eos 1100D, with standard 18mm-55mm zoom lense and after much consideration decided the Canon EF 55mm-250mm zoom as the perfect partner my other lense. I wanted a bigger focal range for 5k Parkrun event, sports photograpy I do. After trying my friends lense I knew I was selecting the right focal length, but what was the optical quality going to be like as a result? The lense quality is incredible for the money. I'm on a tight budget for such accessories,and the comments I have received about my images with this lense are impressive. It's pin sharp, easily as good as the standard 18mm-55mm, and its every bit as fast also. The lense has an f4 aperure at the 55mm end (compared to f5.6 aperture on the standard lense at 55mm focal length setting) and f5.6 at 250mm, a perfect balanced match with no loss of speed or light. Its a lightweight lense compared to the 70mm-300mm I tried, so thats an advantage for hand held shots. Teamed up with the Canon 1100D body it has a lovely balance and its comfortable to use, giving excellent results when matched up with the Canon ET60 lense hood and a good monopod for sports my shots. So what if its a plastic mount, it's the optical/picture quality that you want a lense to provide. I would not hesitate to recommend this lense as an addition to the standard box kit 18mm-55mm. It's a no brainer, and a bargin for around £150!
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16.11.2014

This was one of the lenses that I bought with my EOS 650D from the outset as I needed a telephoto lens.It was a toss-up over this lens and the 70-300mm EF IS lens, but in the end i went for this because it covered the focal length from my 18-55mm kit lens and was much cheaper. It is also lighter and more compact but i wasn't thinking about that at the time and only later realised these plus points.250mm is a good reach for a telephoto, i wouldn't want anything less even on a cropped sensor camera so this has a good focal range from 55mm. The focusing motor is accurate and quiet even if a little slow. Dispite it's relatively quiet focus motor it is still noticeable during video shooting,you could get the newer 'STM' version of this lens but unless you plan on doing loads of video shooting then i don't feel there's any need. The lens mount is only plastic, saves money & weight but i doubt it's durability. I've never had an issue with it's image quality. With the filter ring size being 58mm i could share filters with the kit lens and the 50mm f/1.8 prime lens. The end element rotates though when focussing so not good for circular polarisers. You must first switch the selector to 'MF' before manually focusing. The zoom action is quite smooth and inside at the rear element there is a rubber tube that helps keep dust out [I wish my Sigma zoom lens had this...].A nice lens that has been very useful to me particuarly during indoor conventions as well for use outside, but now i no longer really use it as my needs have changed.
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