Canon EF-S 55-250/4-5.6 IS Lens Review

The EF-S 55-250IS is a relatively new lens designed to supplement the EF-S 18-55IS "Kit Lens" for the Digital Rebel line of DSLRs. Like the EF-S 18-55/3.5-5.6 IS, the 55-250/4-5.6 IS uses Canon's new low cost IS system. Nevertheless, Canon claims up to 4 stops of additional stability, which is as good as (or even better than) lenses with Canon's traditional IS control. Canon suggests that sharp images can be obtained at shutter speeds as low as 1/15s.

Like the image stabilized EF-S 18-55IS, the EF-S 55-250IS seems to be Canon's answer to low-cost DSLR bodies with stabilization built in, which are currently being offered by Sony, Pentax and Olympus. With those DSLR bodies a stabilized lens is not needed to make a stabilized system, thus potentially lowering lens cost.

The EF-S 55-250IS has been designed to meet a low price by the extensive use of plastics - even the lens mount is plastic. However, the optics of the lens haven't been compromised too much, and in fact the 55-250IS uses a special element of ultra-low dispersion (UD) glass in order to minimize aberrations. The front of the lens rotates during focusing, which can be inconvenient when using a polarizer.

The EF-S 55-250IS is designed for use only with small (APS-C) sensor Canon cameras introduced after the Digital Rebel. It will not physically mount on cameras with larger sensors (EOS 5D, EOS 1D(s) series) and it will not mount on early APS-C DSLRs such as the EOS D30, D60 and 10D. It cannot be used with any Canon or 3rd party TC, nor can it be used with the original Canon extension tubes.

Lens Performance

Despite the relatively low cost and plastic construction, the EF-S 55-250/4-5.6IS is optically pretty good. Sharpness holds up all the way to 250mm. At maximum aperture there is quite noticeable vignetting and this shows up quite clearly if, for example, you're photographing flying birds against a blue sky. Stopping the lens down a stop or two minimizes the vignetting, but that's probably not something you really want to do if you're capturing action and want to keep the shutter speed up. Vignetting can be corrected using Canon's DPP RAW conversion software, in fact DPP can do it automatically during the conversion process. It can also be corrected in JPEGs by many image editors including Photoshop.

The 55-250mm range covers a variety of applications from portraiture at the short end of the range to sports and wildlife work at the long end. In terms of angle of view, the 55-250IS is the equivalent of an 88-400mm lens on a full frame 35mm camera. When paired with the Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS, $170 (review), you get two lenses, which cover the whole range from 18mm to 250mm (29mm to 400mm in full frame equivalent terms). In addition, both these lenses are small and light and when paired with a camera, such as the Canon Digital Rebel XSi (review), they make a very portable outfit.

Overall, I can certainly recommend this lens if you're looking for a small, light, inexpensive telephoto lens for an APS-C DSLR. It doesn't have quite the reach of the 70/75-300 zooms, but it matches better with the EF-S 18-55IS kit lens, it's optically as good as or better then the non IS 75-300 zooms - plus it has IS!

Alternatives

There are several alternative lenses which cover a similar focal length range, but all are either significantly more expensive or lack IS. The Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM, $549 (review), is a better-built lens, has more telephoto reach, and can also be used on full frame cameras. It doesn't show the vignetting that the 55-250IS does, but it's about double the price. The Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III USM, $200, is cheaper and has a longer reach, but it lacks IS and I don't think it's as sharp since it lacks a UD element. The Sigma 70-300/4-5.6 APO Macro is interesting, it has 1:2 macro capability and has two SLD (super low dispersion) elements. However, it lacks stabilization, which can be very useful indeed for a handheld telephoto lens.

Where to Buy

The Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4.0-5.6 IS, $255, is available from amazon.com. It's normally in stock and overnight shipping is available.

More

Newcomers to the Canon line of DSLRs and lenses might like to take a look at an overview of the Canon EOS DSLR system.

Technical Specifications

Canon 55-250IS Example Images

Bob Atkins

Taken with the Canon Digital Rebel XSi (review).

Bob Atkins

This image shows the degree of vignetting to expect when photographing with the EF-S 55-250IS wide open at 250mm.

Bob Atkins

Note the reduction in vignetting when the EF-S 55-250IS is stopped down to f/8.