Canon EF-S 55-250mm Lens

Thanks for reading ladies and gentlemen. Sit back, grab a Coke and some popcorn, and get ready to hear about one of the best amateur lenses on the market. Ok, here it goes...

I got the lens about 2 weeks ago, and I made myself wait a while so I could have time to try it out. However, I could tell I was gonna love it from the moment I put it on my camera, and it's proved to be a super lens! Now, don't get me wrong, this lens is not for you professionals out there. In fact, if you're a professional photographer, I should be asking you why you're even reading a review for a $300 lens. Go get the $1000 lens that you need...bye...Now the rest of you fellow amateurs pay attention...

...if you're just a budding photographer like myself who enjoys good equipment, good quality pictures, and stress free shooting...then, my friend, this lens is for you! You'll love it! I know I do!

The image stabilizer is just about the coolest photo-invention since going digital. I was never a huge fan of IS-technology until I actually tried it out. It's totally cool! I don't want to shoot without it anymore! Just push the shutter button half-way, and the little beauty starts working. As you hear a very quiet little buzzing sound (not annoying at all, but just lets you know that it's working properly), instantly the picture become clear, and the annoying camera "jiggle" that's usually there is gone. Since you're actually viewing right through the lens on an SLR, the viewfinder shows you how steady the image is and makes you more confident about your picture taking.

The only quibble I've got is that at times the auto-focus seems like it gets confused and has trouble finding what to focus on, and usually this only happens in low light. So, I just let off the button and retry, and it works the second time. Other than that, it works fast, smoothly, and quite accurately the other ninety-something percent of the time.

The images from this lens are great! Very clear and crisp! The difference between shooting in IS mode and non-IS is drastic! I love the way I can shoot at slower shutter speeds and still take very clear pictures. That alone is worth the money! However, the camera also has a great zoom, smooth manual focus, decent auto-focus, and the color reproduction is not bad at all. Now there are those who will tell you that the colors look drab compared to some other lens that cost a lot more...so what? A Ford Mustang is a great car, but it won't keep up with a Chevy Corvette Z06 either...so there you have it. If you want the very, absolute best...go pay more. In fact, if you leave now, you can still catch up with the professionals who left at the end of the first paragraph. But on the other hand, if you're content to save some money and go for a great deal on a super lens with a smaller price tag, you're still going to be quite happy with this one.

Hope that helps you out. Thanks for reading, and have a great day!

P.S. Pick up your popcorn crumbs on the way out. Thanks.

I just purchased this lense. I have a Canon XSI with the kit 18-55IS. After reading reviews and I read ALOT I decided to purchase it. I am new to the DSLR photography but I have a keen eye. I do not have a lot of money to spend so this was my choice. So far I am very pleased. It takes clean pictures. I would reccommend it as a good second lense if you cant spend alot of cash.

I bought this lens after reading MANY reviews. My main reasons for buying this lens were the price, the zoom range and the IS (Image Stabilization). It is probably not a lens for "professionals" but very good for most of us amateurs (especially the price). I have had this lens since May of 2009 and it has been on my Canon 20D most of the time since then. It has become my favorite lens. I have gotten many great shots of my daughter's softball games and some nice sunsets as well.

The Image Stabilization works great allowing me to take photos hand held when I couldn't before. The result has also led to more "keepers".
The wide zoom range covers most user's needs but for shooting a baseball/softball game more range is needed. Even 300mm is not enough for getting good shots of plays in the outfield.

Size and weight were not an issue for me, I have this on a 20D which is fairly heavy by itself.

Pros:
Price - (this is a great lens for the price)
IS - every bit as good as advertised
Sharp, clear pictures at all distances

Cons:
My only complaint is the lack of a hood which I remedied by purchasing the ET-60 online for less than $20.

I purchased this lens as a replacement for my aging Sigma 70-300 lens. The new canon 55-250 IS lens is lighter, sharper, has faster focus and better bokeh than my previous telephoto.

I can't compare this to an L-series lens, but optically there are very few flaws. Contrast isn't quite perfect at the telephoto end but it is easily corrected with photoshop and is still miles better than other telephotos in this price range. Highly recommended.

Brand new, OEM Canon lens, perfect condition (new) and excellent shipping. Best price. Did a great job of packaging and was able to track throughout through UPS. I would highly recommend this seller to anyone.

I haven't been using my new lens as much as I'd like to be (busy with work), but so far it seems to be a pretty nice lens, especially for the price. It has a fair length of zoom, but not as much as I need (will need to look at getting the 70-300mm IS USM lens).

Pros:
- fairly sharp, even at 200mm zoom
- image stabilizer
- good for amateurs

Cons:
- not USM, so it's a little slow when focusing
- somewhat heavy, so when not on a tripod can get heavier by the minute

There's not much to say, it's a good 1st choice for my novice level and much more afforable than my next step up (70-300mm).

I have been using the lens for only a few days now. I will say that for the money it is an great lens. Once you have the Image Stabalizer on a lens especially a telephoto lens I would not have another without it. It works that well. I have shoot many photos at 250mm by hand and the clairty is excellent.

Considering the price (under 250) this lens is a real overachiever. It is lightweight, has good tele-range out to 250mm, and the IS makes shooting so easy, especially in lower light conditions. Image Quality for the price is outstanding too. It's a wonderful lens for walking around all day, like at an amusement park, where other, heavier lenses drag you down, and a prime lens just is not versatile enough. It is my go-to lens for the family vacation. As an added bonus, at this price I don't hesitate to travel with it, like I do with some other more expensive lenses. A real bargain lens from Canon!

this EF-s 55-250mm lens is good for zooming when I am with my kid.
specially image stablization function is good for taking a picture when moving.

Quick transaction very easy and perfect i ordered the lens because i needed one and i was reall appreciative of the great service

I've decided to buy Canon lens because the lens had image stabilizer (IS). Besides, I trust Canon, and have been using Canon cameras, printers and scanners for a very long time. They are superb!

The Canon EF-S 55-250mm telphoto lens w/image stabilization is a very good lens for amateur photography, with long enough throw to be useful in many situations, and with the ability to focus close enough to fit with the kit lens, giveing the photographer a total coverage of 18 to 250mm, or a factor of fifteen times. For an inexpensive, lightweight, relatively small telephoto zoom, it functions quite well. Learning to arrange focus with my T1i will take me time, so all I can say right now, is I beleive it will be worth the effort,

The lens grinds audibly a tiny bit with autofocus. The IS functionality works well. Definitely a keeper.

Disaster
This purchase was a total and complete disaster.
I made the buy, paid, and the seller sent the lens and that is the last I heard. The lens has disappeared, lost or stolen in the mail somewhere. The seller has not gotten back to me with any information. The UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE is useless. Its been 2 months.
So I get the shaft and have to pay for a 300 dollar lens I never received.
Wont do this again.

Gets the job done. IMO - the image quality is outstanding (being that I am an amateur). If you are a professional, I am sure you will find that paying the extra $500-$800 for the next model up is worth it. To me, it would be a waste of money and this lens suits me just fine! I typically shoot squirrels and an occasional deer. Lasty, the focus is a little stiff. Once you get used to it, not an issue.

I would recommend this seller.Excellent product...just as the seller mentioned..
The lens is perfect and its in great condition as mentioned...Hopefu
Thanks,
Dani

I bought this lense for my kids' sporting events and family trips. It has been great. The action pics have been clear as a bell and everyone has been impressed. A great pruchase!

This is a nice lens, feels sturdy, does not zoom in or out on its own, I was expecting a little more zoom but it gets the job done, its certainly a nice improvement to the lens that comes with the camera, no barrel effect and at a fair price, what more can you ask for?

This Item I bougth its great, I saved like 130 USD and its working perfeclty, It was shipped fast and im really happy

I absolutely love my new lens. Great buy and great person to work with!!!!! I just did my sisters bridal pictures and they turned out amazing. The only con I see is that I'm not use to being so far away from my subject. I kept having to back up b/c the angle is not that wide. Other than that it is perfect for me just starting out! Love, love, love it!!!!!

Any telephoto lens needs IS like this one has. Performed great outdoors. Canon
means quality in their better lens and this one is real nice.

The Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS Lens is a small, light and economical telephoto zoom with a long focal length range - one that matches up very well to many general purpose zoom lenses. As it is an "EF-S" lens, the Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS Lens can only be mounted on Canon APS-C/1.6x FOVCF bodies. This is the first EF-S lens longer than 85mm and the first released since the Canon EF-S 18-55mm IS Kit Lens - a lens that the EF-S 55-250mm complements especially well.

I have had the lens for a few weeks now, and thoroughly enjoy it. Definitely worth the money. Image stabilizer works like a champ. I did find it better in some situations to go with Manual focus rather than Auto. Taking photos of cliff diving in multiple shot sport mode. The camera continuously tries to focus on sequential shots, and would actually shoot out of focus due to its searching.
Under normal conditions including most sports (soccer for example), the focus is very fast and quiet.
Definitely a must have as a second lens to the original stock lens.

I have been very satisfied with the performance of this lens. It has been able to do everything I expected.