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Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS

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How it works?
  1. User ratingsUser ratingsratings of product added by Productz users
  2. Expert ratingsExpert ratingsexperts ratings from editorial reviews
  3. Consumer ratingsConsumer ratingsratings from the biggest online stores worldwide
Legend
  1. Excellent
  2. Good
  3. Poor
  4. Average
4.3
based on all reviews
User ratings:
36
4.3 out of 5
36 user ratings
5 stars
41 %
4 stars
47 %
3 stars
8 %
2 stars
2 %
1 stars
0 %
Consumer ratings:
4.7 / 5
Editorial reviews:
8
  1. See more
8 editorial reviews
OpticalLimits - Lens reviews and beyond!Read more
OpticalLimits - Lens reviews and beyond!Read more
Photographer and Review Dustin Abbott takes a real world look at Canon's EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM bargain telephoto lens. A lot of bang for the buck!Read more
Read editorial reviews

Pros

  • Very sharp
  • excellent color and contrast
  • It makes it very easy to carry it around

Cons

  • the AF accuracy may be worse on entry level bodies
  • Vignetting (edge darkening) was noticeable at the widest apertures
  • Canon 55-250 mm IS mk2 will not be visible

Key specs

  • Zoom
  • 12
  • Extending front
  • yes
  • APS-C (crop)
  • 55, 250 mm
  • yes
  • Telephoto, Normal

Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS - Pros & Cons

Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS

Pros

  • Very sharp
  • excellent color and contrast
  • It makes it very easy to carry it around
  • the quality is surprisingly good from wide to about 200mm
  • impressively fast and quiet autofocus
  • Contrast and saturation are good though
  • polycarbonate structure makes the lens nice and light
  • Build Quality and Handling For fit
  • Build quality is good for a plastic lens and moving parts are acceptably tight
  • autofocus system is quite reliable
  • The lens focuses very fluidly for video as well

Cons

  • the AF accuracy may be worse on entry level bodies
  • Vignetting (edge darkening) was noticeable at the widest apertures
  • Canon 55-250 mm IS mk2 will not be visible
  • it only fits cameras with an APS-C sensor
  • higher vignetting and chromatic aberration
  • Neither a distance scale nor indicators for depth of field or infrared adjustment
  • lens shows little chromatic aberration
  • chromatic aberration is visible
  • Lateral chromatic aberration was generally low
  • the lens is not built like Canon's L lenses
  • distortion is a bit more difficult to correct in post-processing

Canon - Video Reviews (9)

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Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS - Full Specifications

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General
Lens type
  • Telephoto
  • Normal
Lens mountCanon EF-S
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Aperture
Aperture max4-5.6
Aperture min22-32
Aperture ringno
Number of diaphragm blades7
Aperture featuresRounded diaphragm
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Optics
ConstructionZoom
Elements12
Groups10
Special elements / coatings
  • Super Spectra coating
  • UD element
Power zoomno
Zoom methodExpanding
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Dimensions
Weight13.76 oz
Diameter2.76 in
Length4.25 in
Filter size2.28 in
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Image properties
Max Format size
APS-C
Focal length55 - 250
Focal Length 35mm Equivalent88 - 400
Maximum magnification0.31 x
4 stopsyes
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Focus
Focus methodExtending front
Autofocusyes
Autofocus motor typeMicromotor
Full-time Manual focusingno
Closest focusing distance1.1
Distance scaleno
Depth of field (DoF) scaleno
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Design
Colour of productBlack
Body materialsPlastic
Optional accessoriesSoft Case LP1019
Zoom lockno
Tripod collarno
Hood suppliedno
Filter threadyes
Sealingno

Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS - Q&A

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Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS Canon - Editorial Reviews (8)

4.0
Based on 8 reviews
  • 5
  • 4
  • 3
  • 2
  • 1
Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS - Retest @ 15mp / Review
www.photozone.de logo
www.photozone.de
Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS - Retest @ 15mp / Review

OpticalLimits - Lens reviews and beyond!

Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS - Review / Test Report
www.photozone.de logo
www.photozone.de
Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS - Review / Test Report

OpticalLimits - Lens reviews and beyond!

Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM Review - DustinAbbott.net
DustinAbbott.net logo
DustinAbbott.net
Published: 20.11.2015
Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM Review - DustinAbbott.net

Photographer and Review Dustin Abbott takes a real world look at Canon's EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM bargain telephoto lens. A lot of bang for the buck!

Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS Review
Imaging Resource logo
Imaging Resource
Published: 20.08.2007
Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS Review

Looking for a Canon 55-250mm lens review? Read on to find out what we uncovered in our objective optical lab tests.

Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM Review
PCMAG logo
PCMAG
Published: 24.10.2013
Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM Review
4.0

The Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM is a sharp telephoto zoom, but its aperture is anything but ambitious.

Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM lens review: Updated EF-S telephoto zoom no improvement on predecessor
DXOMARK logo
DXOMARK
Published: 12.11.2014
Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM lens review: Updated EF-S telephoto zoom no improvement on predecessor

The Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM is a telephoto zoom designed for use on Canon DSLRs featuring an APS-C sensor. A versatile 2nd lens to complement the standard 18-55mm kit lens, it offers an equivalent 80-400mm focal length to get closer to the action and 3.5 stops of image stabilisation. With its DxOMark scores in, lets look at its strengths and weakness and consider some of the other options available.

Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4.0-5.6 IS Lens
Photo Review logo
Photo Review
Published: 16.02.2012
Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4.0-5.6 IS Lens
4.0

A budget-priced tele-zoom lens with built-in image stabilisation.Canon's new EF-S 55-250mm f/4.0-5.6 IS is designed specifically for cameras with 'APS-C' sized sensors and combines light weight with a very low price tag for an optically-stabilised lens. On the EOS 400D and 40D cameras we used for our tests, its focal length range is equivalent to 88-400mm on a 35mm camera. It's a fairly slow lens - and this is apparent in the viewfinder when you're shooting.

Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM Review
Imaging Resource logo
Imaging Resource
Published: 22.08.2013
Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM Review

Looking for a Canon 55-250mm lens review? Read on to find out what we uncovered in our objective optical lab tests.

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