Reviewed by Ben Lee, http://dslrlensesonline.com editor.
Canon EF S 55 250mm F 4 5.6 IS Lens
Buy the Canon EF-S 55-250mm IS Lens from Amazon today!
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The Canon EF S 55 250mm F 4 5.6 IS Lens is a fantastic light weight, economical lens in the Canon EF-S range which compares very well to many other general purpose zoom lenses.
As it is an EF-S lens, it can only be used on corresponding Canon APS-C bodies with the 1.6x focal length.
I won’t beat around the bush here – this is a no frills lens and of course its price reflects that. It is mostly plastic and the focus ring can be a pain to move sometimes, however these sort of things do not worry me personally.
Besides, I like to be able to feel like I’m using the lens in this automatic-everything world and the cumbersome moving parts help achieve this!
So what is good about the Canon EF-S 55-250mm IS lens?
The auto focus while relatively slow is at least accurate and the relatively narrow aperture range helps in this regard. This lens also retracts/extends when altering the focal range which is good for storage as it takes up less space when not in use. The fact that this lense features image stabilization (IS) makes up for the slower auto focus somewhat.
However, when the 55-2500mm IS moves in or out the front element has a simultaneous rotating motion which can be slightly problematic for the attachment of polarizing filters because the filter itself needs to be rotated independently for the desired polarizing effect.
At a glance…
- Focal length: 55-250mm
- Maximum aperture: f/4 to f/5.6
- Lens construction: 12 elements in 10 groups, including one UD-glass element
- Diagonal angle of view: 27 degrees (at 50 feet) to 6 degrees (at 15 feet), with APS-C image sensors
- Focus adjustment: DC motor, gear-driven (front focusing design)
- Closest focusing distance: 3.6 feet (0.31x maximum close-up magnification)
- Filter size: 58mm
- Dimensions: 2.8 inches in diameter and 4.3 inches long
- Weight: 13.8 ounces
- Warranty: 1 year
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Quite frankly, the Canon EF-S 55-250mm IS Lens will never win any prestigious photography awards or earn any great accolades. To me, this lens just goes about its business in the background is a quiet performer.
Obviously it’s not the highest quality lens out there, but its redeeming features are its image stabilization, light weight and sharp middle of frame image sharpness. All this for sub $300 and you have a winner that most definitely satisfies the casual or beginner photographer niche perfectly.
Overall Rating:
Those wanting better image quality and performance should consider two other lenses in this category;
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Filed under: Canon DSLR Lenses
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