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
5
Better than most!
on July 2, 2011
Posted by: GuitarPHILBERT
from SE Florida
I was searching for a telephoto mate to my EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM, which is one of the best lenses Canon makes for crop sensor cameras, and nothing fit the bill. I took a chance and tried this cheap lens. Wowza! Super sharp and great contrast. In test shootouts it stood up well to the best, and stays great throughout the whole range. Extra sharp all the way out to 250mm.
The only two things I would complain about is the vignetting (dark corners) when you get zoomed out, and I would have paid a little more for a metal mount. But at this price you can't beat it until you get up to L class glass, and that you pay plenty for. I still wish Canon made a 55-300mm like my fantastic 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM, but until they do I am sticking with this lens. Correcting stills in DPP is easy. My only concern is video on the long end with the vignetting issue. But image quality is super sharp and abberation is minimal, so just get this lens...you will like it!
Pros: Super-sharp images, image stabilization, price, light weight
Cons: vignetting, plastic mount
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
4
It's suprisingly good
on August 1, 2009
Posted by: Ron
from San Jose, CA
Sharpness:
This lens is very sharp, even on the edges, 18-28mm. Starting at 35mm, sharpness starts to fall becoming least sharp at 55mm.
I've compared this lens to 17-55mm and 24-105mm L. On my comparison, I saw slightly better performance of the 18-55 over the 17-55 @18 (@17) mm. I saw no major sharpness advantage for the 24-105mm. At 55mm the 17-55mm is much better.
This lens is very sharp, even on the edges, 18-28mm. Starting at 35mm, sharpness starts to fall becoming least sharp at 55mm.
I've compared this lens to 17-55mm and 24-105mm L. On my comparison, I saw slightly better performance of the 18-55 over the 17-55 @18 (@17) mm. I saw no major sharpness advantage for the 24-105mm. At 55mm the 17-55mm is much better.
Focus:
It is fast with low noise. Manual focus is not feasible for the most part. No full time focus. The focus is *sometimes* inaccurate (could be a camera issue too).
It is fast with low noise. Manual focus is not feasible for the most part. No full time focus. The focus is *sometimes* inaccurate (could be a camera issue too).
Macro:
18-55mm can be used at 25cm distance from subject, for a 1:3 magnification. Which is significantly better than the 1:6 of the 17-55mm.
18-55mm can be used at 25cm distance from subject, for a 1:3 magnification. Which is significantly better than the 1:6 of the 17-55mm.
Distortions:
CA is not a major problem, but worse than 17-55mm, especially on the edges.
Barrel/pincushion distortion @18mm worse than 17-55mm but better for rest of the zoom range.
Vignetting is not a problem >= f/5.6.
CA is not a major problem, but worse than 17-55mm, especially on the edges.
Barrel/pincushion distortion @18mm worse than 17-55mm but better for rest of the zoom range.
Vignetting is not a problem >= f/5.6.
Other features:
Very useful and silent IS
Lens is light and very compact
All plastic
Delicate focus mechanism
Very useful and silent IS
Lens is light and very compact
All plastic
Delicate focus mechanism
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
5
Excellent lens !!!
on April 13, 2011
Posted by: drguffey
from Murphy, NC
I bought this lens to use for outdoor sports. Wider & longer that my 70-200 F4-L, & a featherweight by comparison. Some complain about plastic build but it seems very well constructed to me. Optically, it is superb ! I did some comparison shots & I CANNOT tell the difference !! The auto focus is quite fast, just a tad slower than USM. I'm getting terrific results & can't be happier !! It's earned 5 stars from me !!
Pros: Superior build quality, Super-sharp images
Cons: Slow auto-focus, slow only compared to usm !
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
2
Ok for Beginners
on June 4, 2011
Posted by: Jweavercma
from Boise, Idaho
I received this lens with my Canon T2i as a birthday present. In the beginning, I couldn't really tell the difference between this and any other lens. As I gained experience, I found out exactly how limited this lens can be. I found out that it absolutely hates anything but the most perfect lighting conditions. If your subject is slightly too bright or slightly too dark it refuses to focus, leaving you to focus manually which can be a bother under certain circumstances. Even when the auto-focus works it is inaccurate, leaving you with blurry images.
Overall- It is a decent enough lens for rank beginners who treat their DSLR camera more like an expensive point and shoot. If you are one of these brand new DSLR users, I would recommend an upgrade as soon as you gain some experience and develop your shooting style.
Pros: light, good "kick around" lens
Cons: Slow auto-focus, Poor build quality
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
4
Great lens
on April 10, 2015
Posted by: eelboy
from Sterling Heights, MI
Great lens, the image stabilizing feature is great, can focus on distant shots and responds quickly when focusing, great use on outdoors.
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
5
Love it !
on March 22, 2012
Posted by: Forch
from NC Beach
Used on a T2i and it works like a point and shoot at Lacrosse games. Purchased as package with 18-55 IS II so price was all together with bag. Only addition I need to add is a hood because of late afternoon glare. So far this is a fantastic lens.
Pros: performance, ease of use
Cons: none yet
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
4
Not Bad
on July 1, 2010
Posted by: Rider
from California
I have used this lens for the past year. It is exactly what it is designed to be. A simple light weight lens. I have "L" lenses and other EF lenses but still like to use this one from time to time. Not necessarily the sharpest but does pretty good. Best around f/8 and up.
Pros: very light weight
Cons: mostly plastic
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
3
A decent telephoto lens for the price
on November 27, 2013
Posted by: JSB
from Denver, CO
I have used this lens for distant (tens of kilometers) mountain shots, as well as to get closer to wildlife that is relatively nearby (50 meters, or so). The quality of the build of the lens is good, and I have been satisfied with the autofocus and IS. However, I have been unhappy with the crispness of the focus of this lens - particularly for distant shots. For closer scenes, the focus is better, but still cannot be described as "crisp". I will "get by" with this lens until I can afford a better one.
Pros: price
Cons: Semi-sharp images
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com