Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM review (very good image quality)

Photographer Dustin Abbott reviewed one of Canon’s affordable telephoto lenses, the recently updated Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM lens. While the EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM is a budget lens, the optical performance of this lens is very good.

From the conclusion (emphasis mine):

If you have a limited budget but need a telephoto lens there is really no need to look any further.  The Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM gives a lot of performance for its relatively low purchase price of right around $300.  The redesign of its optics makes it a legitimate competitor of much more expensive options, and, while it may lack the higher grade build of those lenses, it is actually surprising how close this lens comes in optical performance. It really doesn’t have a lot of optical weaknesses other than being a little prone to veiling when the sun is in the frame (at telephoto lengths) […]  The maximum apertures at most focal lengths suffer relative to competitors, but the great wide open image quality as means you don’t have to stop the lens down as much. The build quality isn’t impressive, but it’s not terrible, either, and the lens handles fine overall.  I found the image stabilizer to be effective, and, while STM focus is not my favorite AF system, the lens performed quite ably in most situations.

You may watch the 12 minutes video above or head over to Dustin Abbott’s site for the review and a huge set of sample pictures shot in real world settings.

Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA

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

Canon Patent For 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM Lens For EOS M System

EOS M

Egami (translated) spotted a patent for a 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM lens with EF-M mount. Curious because there is already an EF-M 55-200mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM lens for the EOS M system.

  • Patent Publication No. 2014-199421
    • Published 2014.10.23
    • Filing date 2013.3.13
  • Example
    • Zoom ratio 4.36
    • Focal length 56.14-134.30-245.00mm
    • Fno. 4.50-5.09-6.45
    • Half angle ω = 13.67-5.81-3.19 °
    • Image height Y = 13.66mm
    • Overall length of the lens 119.39-157.52-184.41mm
    • BF 22.04-27.75-50.36mm
    • Positive and negative positive and negative negative 5-group zoom
    • Inner focus (group 4)

Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM Review (Photozone)

Photozone.de reviewed the Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM, a budget-friendly tele lens. I like the first sentence in the review:

If you are looking for the best tele lenses around, you don’t really need to look further than Canon

Build quality is “fine for a lens in this class thanks to decent quality plastics“. In the conclusion they write:

The Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM gives you lots of bangs for your bucks. The biggest strength remains to surprisingly high level of resolution across the range. The low level of chromatic aberrations (CAs) are also contributing to the subjective quality perception. Image distortions remain moderate at all settings whereas vignetting is a bit on the high side at max. aperture. A more significant weakness is the rather mediocre bokeh (quality of the out-of-focus blur).

I also like the last sentence of the review:

Well done Canon … again!

The Canon  EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM sells for $349, an excellent choice for the budget-oriented photographer.

Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM price check: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA

Specs (taken from B&H’s product page):

Long-reaching zoom lens provides a 35mm-equivalent focal length of 88-400mm, covering portrait-length to telephoto perspectives.
Optical image stabilization helps to minimize the appearance of camera shake by up to 3.5 shutter speed steps to benefit shooting handheld in dim lighting and with greater zoom magnifications.
The STM stepping focus motor produces near-silent, smooth, and quick autofocus performance that is well-suited to video applications.
One ultra-low dispersion element helps to reduce chromatic aberrations and distortion while also contributing to greater image sharpness, contrast, and clarity.
Enhanced lens coatings minimize flare and ghosting in order to produce true colors with maintained contrast.
A minimum focusing distance of 2.8′ throughout the zoom range and a maximum magnification of 0.29x at the telephoto end enables working with close-up subject matter.
A seven blade circular aperture helps to produce an aesthetic out-of-focus quality to benefit selective focus and shallow depth of field imagery.
[via photozone]

Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM Review (ephotozine)

Focal Length & Maximum Aperture 55-250mm 1:4-5.6
Lens Construction 15 elements in 12 groups
Diagonal Angle of View 27°50′ – 6°15′
Focus Adjustment Rear focus system
Closest Focusing Distance 2.79 ft. / 0.85m
Filter Size 58mm diameter
Dimensions (WxHxD) 2.8 x 4.4 x 2.8″ (71 x 112 x 71mm)
Weight 13.23 oz (375g)

ephotozine reviewed the Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM. The lens is made of high quality plastics (the lens mount is also made of plastic, but do not let this fool you). Some excerpts from the review:

  • Autofocus is silent, swift and precise (but no manual override)
  • […] sharp hand-held images are possible around half the time at an impressive 1/25sec (four stops slower than the usual rule of thumb)
  • At maximum aperture and 55mm sharpness is already outstanding in the centre of the frame
  • […] zoomed to 135mm, sharpness at maximum aperture remains very high in the centre of the frame and good sharpness towards the edges
  • Peak sharpness across the frame at f/8
  • Distortion is well controlled

From the conclusion:

As this lens is intended as a budget option, it is quite surprising to see just how well it performs. Sharpness is outstanding in the centre of the frame for much of the zoom range, which is how you might expect much more expensive lenses to perform.

However, as this predecessor of this lens is still available, and as the STM focusing motor isn’t quite a revelation in terms of performance or usability, one may do well to look at snapping up the older version for now, while the price gap is so large.

The lens got a rating of 5 stars with the motivation: “The Canon EF-S 55-250mm IS STM lens delivers outstanding sharpness in the centre delivering better than expected performance at this price“. If you do not need the stepping motor (STM, good for videography) you may prefer the predecessor, the Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS II which comes at a lower price: $267 vs the $335 of the newer version.

The review comes with charts and sample pics (original size), have a look if you are interested in this lens.

[via ephotozine]

All The New Canon PowerShots Are Here (Printers, G16, SX510, SX170, S120, EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM)

Plenty of new gear announced by Canon this night. There is the new PowerShot G16, PowerShot SX510, PowerShot SX170, PowerShot S120, and the new EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM lens. See below for the pre-order links, or go to the following landing pages: Adorama (click here).

    • 12.1MP High-Sensitivity CMOS Sensor
    • DIGIC 6 Image Processor
    • 28-140mm f/1.8-2.8 Lens (35mm Equiv.)
    • 3.0″ 922k-Dot LCD and Optical Viewfinder
    • Full HD 1080p Video Recording at 60 fps
    • Built-In Wireless Connectivity
    • High-Speed AF and 9.3 fps Burst Shooting
    • Multi-Aspect Ratio RAW File Sizes
    • Intelligent IS Image Stabilization
    • Canon HS SYSTEM and ISO 12800
    • 12.1MP High-Sensitivity CMOS Sensor
    • DIGIC 4 Image Processor
    • Canon 30x Optical Zoom Lens
    • 24-720mm (35mm Equivalent)
    • 3.0″ 460k-Dot LCD Monitor
    • Full HD 1080p Video and HDMI Port
    • Built-In Wireless Connectivity
    • Intelligent IS Image Stabilization
    • Canon HS SYSTEM and Smart AUTO Modes
    • Zoom Framing Assist and High Speed AF
    • 16MP 1/2.3″ CCD Sensor
    • DIGIC 4 Image Processor
    • Canon 16x Optical Zoom Lens
    • 28-448mm (35mm Equiv.)
    • 3.0″ 230k-Dot LCD Monitor
    • HD 720p Video with Stereo Sound
    • Intelligent IS Image Stabilization
    • High Speed AF System
    • Smart AUTO Modes
    • 12.1MP High-Sensitivity CMOS Sensor
    • DIGIC 6 Image Processor
    • 24-120mm f/1.8-2.8 Lens (35mm Equiv.)
    • 3.0″ 922k-Dot Touch Screen LCD Monitor
    • Full HD 1080p Video Recording at 60 fps
    • Built-In Wireless Connectivity
    • High-Speed AF and 9.4 fps Burst Shooting
    • Intelligent IS Image Stabilization
    • Canon HS SYSTEM and ISO 12800
    • Background Defocus and HDR Scene Mode