Customer reviews from usa.canon.com
Canon - EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS II Telephoto Zoom Lens - Black
Average customer rating
4.3
(157 Reviews)
Rating breakdown 157 reviews
5 Stars
94
4 Stars
37
3 Stars
17
2 Stars
4
1 Star
5
90%of customers recommend this product.
(
126 out of
140)
Customer Reviews for Canon - EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS II Telephoto Zoom Lens - Black
Customer Rating
4
Great standard zoom for Entry Level DSLR
on October 30, 2008
Posted by: rkf
from Stade near Hamburg, Germany
I purchased this lens in October, 2007 as an replacement for the non-IS version of the kit lens of my EOS Digital Rebel XTi. Now, after one year of experience, I must admit that I'm very satisfied. The IS works as advertised, 0.5 seconds w/18mm and 1/6 seconds w/55mm are no problem. When I was in London last year, I was able to shot a bunch of free-hand panorama photos at the River Thames bank, which I merged into one panorama which decorates my office now.
Pros: very efficient is, very good price value
Cons: no metallic bayonet, rotating front element
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
4
Love this Lens!
on February 24, 2013
Posted by: Geek46
from South Florida
In love with this lens. First day of use this morning at Green Cay Wildlife center in Boynton Beach FL. Amazing ease of use. While Auto-Focus using the dc motors is way too slow, does excellant putting the unit into MANUAL FOCUS and doing it the old fashioned way..... very fast, quick pic taking with birds moving everywhere!!!!
Pros: Super-sharp images, manual focus ability
Cons: Slow auto-focus
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
4
cheap, plasticky, but SHARP and IS!
on November 27, 2008
Posted by: zoozoozoozoozooman
from California
Yes, it's plasticky and cheap in terms of ergonomics and construction quality. No USM motor, and autofocus is slower than I'd like (this only really matters on the longer end of the 250mm zoom.)
But optically, this lens is excellent -- it's sharp at both ends of the zoom. I used to have the 70-200mm F4 L (non-IS), and I can safely say this cheap zoom (55-250) matches or exceeds the F4's sharpness. (Note, I'm talking about the older non-IS 70-200mm F4, not the newer IS version.)
The 55-250 has superior zoom-range, but inferior autofocus. On my Rebel XSi, it's not very good at focus-tracking moving subjects, and it does tend to hunt/wander in low-light (especially at the 250mm end.) Perhaps on a more expensive body (like the 40D/50D), it would autofocus better.
In summary, the optical performance is solid, daresay excellent for the price. (It goes well with the 18-55mm F4-5.6 IS) If it breaks because of the cheap build quality, just buy another...
Pros: Super-sharp images
Cons: Poor build quality, Slow auto-focus, no usm
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
4
Great Kit Lens + for Learning DSLR
on March 9, 2013
Posted by: merlexie
This is the kit lens that came with my Rebel T3i. Overall, I think it serves its purpose well. The T3i is an entry-level DSLR, and this lens pairs well with it as a learning lens while newbies to DSLR figure out what exactly they're doing. The lens + camera combo is a huge step up from my Canon Powershot ELPH 300; the image quality is excellent, and it's much more versatile.
So, the pros about this lens: it gives you enough zoom to experiment with both wide-angle/landscape shots as well as portraits and other close-ups. People get into DSLR for different reasons, so it's reasonable that Canon would pick a kit lens with versatility rather than confining people to a one-trick wonder. The IS does wonders, especially in low light.
Now, the cons--and not all of them are really cons. The build quality does, admittedly, seem to be on the cheap side. But come on, it's a kit lens, and its retail price-point is at the very low end of the range for all Canon lens. So this shouldn't come as any surprise, and isn't worth causing a fuss over. More critical, however, is the autofocus: it's very finicky, and frequently has to hunt (which is slow and time consuming), especially in low light or low contrast situations. Honestly, I've found it easier just to focus manually; but I think that's more a reflection of me being too impatient to learn how to tell my T3i where I want it to focus (it's rather tedious to change zones) than anything else. I'm also not generally looking to capture the big action shot, so a fast autofocus is less critical to me.
All in all, I've taken some amazing photos with this lens and am very pleased with it. Is it the greatest lens? No. Will I be upgrading it soon? Absolutely. But that's probably part of the idea behind most kit lens: give you something that's good--even very good--at many things but not the greatest at anything so that consumers are tempted into purchasing upgrades.
Recommended as a kit lens (on the assumption you don't own any other lenses of higher quality), but not as a separate purchase (since Canon makes better quality lenses that are more tailored to your individual needs at prices comparable to this or that aren't all that much more).
Pros: Super-sharp images
Cons: Slow auto-focus
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
5
Highly Recommendable Lens
on July 20, 2010
Posted by: Tats Me Not
from San Francisco, CA
I have a 28-135 mm IS USM lens that came with my 50D as a kit lens. The widest angle of this lens proved to be not wide enough to capture most of the images I want included in my landscaping shots or capture all subjects in a small room when there is no backing up space. Although my kit lens serve me well for telephoto purposes and in auditorium settings when flash photography is not allowed or in low light conditions.
I decided to get a wide angle lens that will not break the bank, I got this 18-55 mm IS. To my surprise, it turned out to be the mainstay lens attached to my camera as its range met most of my day to day photo needs. It also has IS for good handheld shots and as extras, it produced surprisingly good quality pictures. The pictures I took where razor sharp, with good color resolution, and no aberrations. I now have it attached as my primary walk-around lens. My original kit lens has been relegated to sit in my camera bag. I also like the fact that this lens is light in weight, with a short focal length that makes it convenient to lug around when travelling. I highly recommend this lens. I was not dissappointed with it and I believe, so will it be with most of its users.
Pros: light weight, razor sharp, good color resolution, angle wide enough
Cons: plastic-ky look, may need flash in low light
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
5
Great lens for the money
on May 1, 2011
Posted by: Robert
from Texas
As someone new to DSLR photography I read many reviews on this lens and was a little concerned with the plastic mount. After using and abusing it for a year I must say it's quite durable and stands up very well. My images are sharp and clear. It stays on my camera as the primary lens. I shoot sports, nature and stills and have had no bad experiences.
Pros: Fast auto-focus, Super-sharp images
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
5
Awesome detail at long distances
on August 19, 2014
Posted by: dran_reb
from Wisconsin
This lens can capture amazing detail at a distance. I love it. I really like how I can get a beautiful, soft blurred background and yet have every last fine detail of my subject stand out. For example, at the zoo, I was able to get beautiful images of animals where you can see all the fine details of their feathers or fur, making you want to reach out and touch the photo. The image stabilization feature really helps a lot. I can capture very sharp photos of fast-moving objects, even while zoomed all the way in and handholding the camera. It has been fun to take pictures of faraway objects and look at them later, to discover details that I couldn't see with the naked eye at the time. If you like to take photos of animals or fill the frame with distant details, this is a good lens.
Pros: Fast auto-focus, Super-sharp images
Cons: size / weight
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
4
Glad I Bought It
on February 13, 2010
Posted by: BrotherLeroy
from Pittsburgh, PA
This lens rocks! I had it since April 2009 and it helps me a lot, especially in sports and nature shootings. My only issue is in the autofocus which sometimes creates problems in depth-of-field. Otherwise, I love every moment if it when it is being used. Highly recommended!
Pros: Superior build quality, Super-sharp images
Cons: some focusing confusion
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com