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Gail's Canon EF-S 55-250mm IS Blog
Canon 55-250mm IS lens
In some photography circles, Canon EF-S 55-250mm IS* lens is just a toy. According to them, build quality is so-so and it doesn't have the features of lenses costing hundreds and thousands of dollar more, etc.
The build quality is the same as the 18-55mm IS kit lens, often packaged with the XSi. Like the kit, the 55-250mm IS is a treasure for many Canon digital single lens reflex camera owners.
At the time of this writing, the lens sells for about $300.00 U.S., certainly not expensive as far as the cost of most interchangeable lenses.
On my Canon XSi/450D with a focal length multiplier of 1.6, the 55-205mm lens has an effective focal range of 88-400mm. This is a very useful zoom range for many types of scenes.
While it's not made as well as lenses costing hundreds or thousands dollars more, it is not junk either. The lens is lightweight and compact compared to more expensive lenses with similar focal lengths. More importantly, it offers surprisingly good image quality, particularly for those who don't fret over every pixel when viewing a digital image at 100 percent.
Most images are reduced in size when processed. With minor edits such as adjusting brightness and contrast and sharpening, a well-exposed image taken with the 55-250mm IS lens can hold up well against photos taken with more expensive lenses.
I have no hesitation recommending the Canon 55-250mm Image Stabilized lens to anyone who wants a very good lens for a very good price.
Visit my online photo gallery for sample images taken with both the Canon 55-250mm IS and kit lens.
* Important Note: this lens is much improved over the Canon lens with the same focal length that does not have image stabilization.
Using the 55-250mm IS
Tips on using the Canon 55-250mm IS lens.
Useful links
Links to related information about the Canon 55-250mm IS lens.
