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
Best Value Lens
on September 23, 2009
Posted by: PetePataPalo
I bought this lens and used it for many months now. I used to have the old 70-300 IS and a couple weeks ago I moved up to a L series 70-200 so now I can compare. Obviously de 70-200 is a superior lens, but the 55-250 is a GREAT lens for its price. Autofocusing is not slow but nothing I can complain, better than the 70-300 I would say. The IS is a great feature that will compensate somehow the fact of the smaller aperture. Compared to a non IS lens, you can use longer exposure times that will compensate for at least 2 F stops.
Also the new IS technology compared to the old 2 mode seems better, more responsive, quieter and easier for me that love to shoot motorsports.
Image quality is very good, but not impressive, a little more sharpness would be great.
Colors are very good too.
Build quality might seem worst than it is. I dropped it from about 1.5 ft once and no damage to case or photo quality.
Also the new IS technology compared to the old 2 mode seems better, more responsive, quieter and easier for me that love to shoot motorsports.
Image quality is very good, but not impressive, a little more sharpness would be great.
Colors are very good too.
Build quality might seem worst than it is. I dropped it from about 1.5 ft once and no damage to case or photo quality.
A great overall lens. A "must have" if you can't afford L series and want a good all arounder.
a killer combination if you also have the popular 18-55
a killer combination if you also have the popular 18-55
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
4
You Get What You Pay For
on January 3, 2010
Posted by: Planespotter44
from Los Angeles
This was my first Canon Lens, and I bought it with my Digital Rebel XSi. I do mostly aviation and nature photography, so I needed a good telephoto lens, but given that I had just bought the camera, I was quickly approaching my budget. So, in the search for a relatively good telephoto zoom lens, I found the EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS. The reviews were surprisingly good, and the price was good too. I bought it and was not dissapointed. It was quick and sharp. The images came out very clear. The autofocus was great even in low light conditions. There were a few cons though, and these included the poor build quality. The lens is plastic. And though it operates great, it feels kind of like a toy. So I am always a little careful with this lens. Also, the image quality starts to suffer around the 200-250mm mark. But this is a budget lens, not a L series. So all in all its a great budget and starter lens for the price, but you get what you pay for, and it is just short of exceptional. But don't expect L series image quality at 250mm.
Pros: Fast auto-focus, great sharpness for the price
Cons: Poor build quality
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
5
Mighty mouse!
on September 7, 2015
Posted by: solobackcountry
from Gilbert, AZ
I'm so impressed with this lens. I have no desire to pack around the "White Beast" if I don’t need to. I purchases this lens for wildlife photography on my Rebel SL1. What a pair! The 88-400mm equivalent focal length range is so useful. This lens is truly an anomaly for the price. Technical reviews tell the story far better then I can. L grade edge to edge sharpness and color/contrast on sub-frame across the focal length range in a beautifully compact and discrete package. Even distortion is well controlled. The STM autofocus is blazingly fast and accurate. All of these attributes are what you want for wildlife work. The rather small maximum aperture on the long end of the zoom range is not a problem for me. Long telephoto depth of field gets too touchy at f/4 and smaller. I would rather use the ISO for getting the shutter speed up. Image quality up to ISO 800 is solid on APS-C sub-frame. Technical reviews note rather high vignetting (light fall off corner shading) at the max f/5.6 aperture on the long end of the zoom range. Dropping down to f/6.3 helps considerably with that if needed. The in-camera peripheral correction takes care of the rest. This is a great lens overall. It's a joy to use and it delivers the goods. What more do you want? Just buy it!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
3
Average
on November 22, 2017
Posted by: Tek
from Nepal
Average lens. Details are not covered properly. Not properly sharpen landscapes.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
5
Great lens
on March 23, 2018
Posted by: tomdock
from Tampa
Lightweight and pretty easy to use. simple to carry. Not one of those monster lens. The 55mm to 250mm is really nice. I do mainly landscape photos so it suits my needs as a one in all lens. AF works fine but may struggle, of course, if your shooting a thin bridge 7 miles away or thin tree branches. I don't have much to compare it with but I'm glad I got this instead of a bulky one.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
5
Light weight and high quality
on June 10, 2009
Posted by: Denny
I shoot alot of pictures for our High School church group. This lens has proven to be fast, light weight and the picture quality is excellent. I use an XT and find that trying to keep up with active teens has been easy with this lens.
I would recommend this for the average to skilled photographer.
I would recommend this for the average to skilled photographer.
Pros: weight, focus, stabilization
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
5
For the $, you can't beat the quality!
on October 2, 2009
Posted by: IntegRob
from Daytona, FL
Sure, this lens is not pro quality. But then again, you are not paying a pro quality price eather. Personally, I love this lens. I have a Canon Rebel t1i that I use this lens with and I will tell you, this lens gives me more than I expected. I get excelent pictures with this lens. Photography is my hobby that I am very passionate about. And I do put a lot of $ into it. (I have a Pixma Pro 9500 Mark II that I develop my pictures with. So I am not a cheep guy.) I have a lot better built and more expensive lenses. This one is my favorite. It is light and gives me the shots I am looking for. The construction is were they went light to get the price so low. However, if you take care of your equiptment like I do, it will last a long time.
Pros: Super-sharp images, Fast auto-focus
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
5
NO WAY...YES WAY!!!
on December 25, 2014
Posted by: ClassroomDoctor
from East Tennessee
T3i purchased after long consideration given to cost and options...Best choice in a camera for this 45 year plus career photographer among the last four digital purchased.
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com