Canon 55-250 IS Lens

[David Smith]

Has anyone tried the Canon 55-250 mm IS lens and what did you think of it.. I am looking at purchasing one and wanted to find out a little about it from some people who have one or has used one..

Thanks

Dave

[Michael_Loizou]

It is a sharp, light and with a quite fast AF lens but, IMHO, too short for birding.

[Flavio Rose]

I own one and dislike it, because at the telephoto end it is not particularly sharp nor does the IS work particularly well (1 stop only for my shaky hands). Telephoto is where you need sharpness because you will be cropping.

For birds obviously you need something longer and sharper, the cheapest Canon alternative being probably a used (discontinued) 300 f/4 non-IS followed by the 400 f/5.6, non-IS, and then the 300 f/4 IS.

As a short telephoto the 55-250 works sort of OK as long as your subject fills the frame. The price is certainly right and it's light and small. Look it up on dxomark, the-digital-picture, and slr-gear and see for yourself. If you like the 55-250 you may like the 18-200 (with which I have no experience) which is also unsharp but has a very convenient focal length range.

[Joe Murry]

My 55-250mm is very sharp, even at 250mm, great lens for the price.