According provided by Canon Zoom Lens EF-S 55-250mm 1: 4-5.6 IS STM Many thanks to German Vladimir.
Canon Zoom Lens EF-S 55-250mm 1: 4-5.6 IS STM Optical Stabilizer Review
The Canon Zoom Lens EF-S 55-250mm 1: 4-5.6 IS STM is a great, affordable telephoto lens for Canon EF-S mount cameras. because of crop factor cameras for which this lens is designed, its EGF will be 88-400 mm. To get approximately the same angle of view that the Canon EF-S 55-250 / 4-5.6 IS STM gives, on full-frame cameras you will have to use the Canon Zoom Lens EF 100-400mm 1: 4.5-5.6 L IS USM :).
Canon has three 'EF-S 55-250 / 4-5.6 IS' class lenses:
- Canon Zoom Lens EF-S 55-250mm 1: 4-5.6 ISwas released since November 2007.
- Canon Zoom Lens EF-S 55-250mm 1: 4-5.6 IS II, was released since July 2011.
- Canon Zoom Lens EF-S 55-250mm 1: 4-5.6 IS STM, available from September 2013.
While the first and second versions were practically the same, the third, 'STM' version, has a different optical scheme and a different focusing motor. The upgrade to the 'STM' version is most likely due to the need for high-quality autofocus when shooting video.
Canon Zoom Lens EF-S 55-250mm 1: 4-5.6 IS STM. Mount side lettering 'Canon INC. Made in malaysia '
Canon EF-S 55-250 / 4-5.6 IS STM weighs only 375 grams, which is a mere trifle for a telephoto. The light weight is due to the all-plastic lens barrel. It's a pity, but the bayonet mount is also plastic. In general, the lens is well assembled, without backlash and other shortcomings. The zoom ring is wide and rubberized. As I did not twist it in my hands, I did not find anything to complain about. Although the inscription 'Made In Malaysia', which is hidden near the microprocessor pins, is a little confusing.
When folded, the lens is not very large, I would say 'thin', it uses standard 58 mm light filters. Filters of the same diameter are used by a regular kit lens Canon Zoom Lens EF-S 18-55mm 1: 3.5-5.6 IS STM.
When changing the focal length, the rear lens moves inside the body and creates a very noticeable pump effect, driving air through the inside of the lens and camera.
Canon Zoom Lens EF-S 55-250mm 1: 4-5.6 IS STM with covers.
Canon EF-S 55-250 / 4-5.6 IS STM has internal focusing (the front lens is fixed when focusing), which is very good when using special light filters (gradient, polarizing etc.).
Canon EF-S 55-250 / 4-5.6 IS STM belongs to the new line of Canon STM lenses. STM — STepper Motor is a stepper focusing motor that enables smooth, quiet and fast focusing. And, indeed, the lens focuses very fast and very quiet.
In addition, the lens supports focus mode FTM — Full Time Manual Focusing - a focusing mode with constant manual control. You can grab the focus ring at any time, press the focus button (usually the same button that is responsible for releasing the shutter) and adjust the focus manually. Switching to focus mode 'MF' is not necessary.
The focusing ring of the lens is electronic, focusing is possible only when the camera is turned on. The focus ring is plastic, not rubberized. During auto focus, the focus ring remains stationary. In manual focus mode, the ring very smoothly changes the focus distance, in order to move the lens from infinity to MDF, you need to rotate it a full 360 degrees. The focus ring rotates in any direction without restrictions.
The minimum focusing distance is only 85 cm, while you can get the maximum magnification factor for macro photography 1: 3.4.
There is a focus mode switch 'AF / MF' (Auto / Manual) and a stabilizer mode 'Stabilizer ON / OFF' on the lens body. Of the useful marks on the body, you can find only the values of the focal length and a white square - a pointer for attaching to the camera (even there is no mark for attaching the hood).
Lens trunk length Canon Zoom Lens EF-S 55-250mm 1: 4-5.6 IS STM
I did not like the electronic focus ring, and here's why:
- You must turn on the camera to focus.
- Manual focus speed directly depends on the STM system, and not on the speed of the photographer’s hand movements :).
- Even when the camera is on and the lens is in 'AF' mode, the focus ring is only heard when 'One shot' or 'Ai Focus' is on, and only when the focus button is pressed (usually by half-pressing the shutter button, but the can be reprogrammed). Sometimes it is very inconvenient to simultaneously press the focus activation button and twist the focus ring. Therefore, it can be argued that a full-fledged regime FTM the lens does not. And in the 'AI Servo' mode, the ring does not listen at all. In the end, in order not to bother, it is easier to switch the lens to the 'MF' mode, in which you do not need to press anything. Although, even in the 'MF' mode there is a pitfall - the focusing ring obeys only when the exposure metering works :(.
- I almost went crazy trying to manually focus on the camera with which I took out the memory card to copy photos. You cannot focus manually if there is no memory card in the camera and the No Memory Card Shutter function is activated. The same will happen if the memory card is full - the camera will deny you the desire to focus manually. Not that it was important for me to focus often on a camera with an overflowing or missing memory card, but these sudden restrictions are extremely annoying!
- The lens does not have a scale with a focusing distance, on which you can quickly navigate in which direction to turn the focus ring to focus (for example, towards infinity or MDF).
- When the camera is turned on, or when it enters sleep mode, the lens undergoes initialization, while it focuses itself from the set focusing distance to the MDF and vice versa. Sometimes it is very annoying.
- With an electronic focus ring, manual focus also consumes power from the camera's battery. Also, energy is consumed when zooming (suddenly!), As described below. Of course, this is a trifle, but the 'devil' is hidden in such small features :).
Of course, perhaps part of the inconvenience is due to the fact that I used a lens with an ancient Canon EOS camera 350D Digital, but according to the logic of work, the same thing will happen on new cameras.
The full potential of this lens can only be revealed on cameras with a hybrid focusing system, such as Canon 70D, 650D, 700D, 100D and the like, for which accurate and fast focusing in Live View is important, including when shooting video.
Canon Zoom Lens EF-S 55-250mm 1: 4-5.6 IS STM Front Lens
The Canon EF-S 55-250 / 4-5.6 IS STM has a very interesting feature that I have not noticed with other STM lenses. I have not seen such a function anywhere before and I will call it 'Parfocal Lens Effect'. The essence of the effect is that the lens automatically imitates the operation of a parfocal lens - when the focal length is changed, the lens always remains pointed at the subject (maintains the focusing distance). During zooming, you can clearly hear how the correction mechanism works, while the sound does not at all resemble the noise from an STM motor. Of course, this also consumes some energy from the camera's battery.
If you move the lens to the 'MF' position, focus on an object and zoom in, then that object will always remain in focus. If you turn off the camera and zoom, it will be clearly seen that focusing is lost, since when the focal length is changed, the focusing distance also changes.
It would seem that the 'Parfocal Lens Effect' is some trifle, but in fact it is a brilliant solution! The lens microprocessor automatically recalculates and corrects focusing and does it very accurately. This is an invaluable find for the cinematographer, as well as a huge plus in the credit book for Canon for the introduction of new interesting technologies :).
The lens manual mentions this property: 'The motor also controls the focus lens during zooming'.
Canon Zoom Lens EF-S 55-250mm 1: 4-5.6 IS STM with hood installed in transport mode
The stabilizer built into the lens works very quietly and performs its function just fine. It is stated that the stabilizer can compensate up to 4 stops by shutter speed... The stabilizer is switched on and off with the 'Stabilizer ON / OFF' switch. Considering the quiet operation of autofocus and the quiet operation of the stabilizer, the Canon EF-S 55-250 / 4-5.6 IS STM should not create unnecessary sounds in movies.
Canon EF-S 55-250 / 4-5.6 IS STM has mediocre aperture with a maximum value of F / 4 @ 55mm and F/5.6@250mm. Diaphragm closes to F / 32 @ 250mm and F / 22 @ 55mm. Diaphragm consists of 7 rounded petals. Even with closed diaphragms, circles in the out-of-focus area do not look like 'nuts' (see an example).
Canon Zoom Lens EF-S 55-250mm 1: 4-5.6 IS STM with a hood, on a Canon EOS camera 350D Digital
By the way, the instructions for the lens indicate that it can go into sleep mode to save energy. In this mode, even if the camera is turned on and metering is working exposure, the lens may refuse to perform manual focus, or to perform the function of a 'parfocal lens'. To wake up the lens from sleep mode, just press the focus activation button on the camera.
Canon Zoom Lens EF-S 55-250mm 1: 4-5.6 IS STM Switches
The lens tolerates back and side light. It is also very pleasant that already on the fully open aperture the Canon EF-S 55-250 / 4-5.6 IS STM creates a sharp image. The lens is well adjusted chromatic aberration and distortion (these flaws are practically invisible in the photographs). Perhaps only vignetting at open apertures can spoil the impression of the lens. I believe that the Canon EF-S 55-250 / 4-5.6 IS STM is absolutely a 'working' lens, for which it is not a pity to pay money.
Here link to the archive with the originals - 252 MB, 26 photos in .CR2 format (RAW) from a Canon EOS camera 350D Digital During shooting was used safety filter Kenko UV 58mm Japan.
Marks on the Canon Zoom Lens EF-S 55-250mm 1: 4-5.6 IS STM
The lens uses a Canon ET-63 bayonet lens hood, which is not supplied and can be purchased separately. My review shows a non-native hood JJC LH-63 Lens Hood.
Lens prices in popular stores can look at this link, or in the price block below:
An accurate and complete list of all Canon EF-S lenses is available. see here.
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Canon Zoom Lens EF-S 55-250mm 1: 4-5.6 IS STM lens on the CZK
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Canon Zoom Lens EF-S 55-250mm 1: 4-5.6 IS STM is a good telephoto lens with fast internal type autofocus, image stabilization, light weight and price :). It was with this lens that I first noticed the artificial effect of a parfocal lens.
The Canon EF-S 55-250 / 4-5.6 IS STM has good image quality, and in general, I recommend it as a telephoto lens for Canon crop cameras :)
Material prepared Arkady Shapoval. Training/Consultations | Youtube | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Telegram
A great lens came out for the video. I have an old 55-250is, there were no questions to it in terms of sharpness, focus speed or image quality in general. Apparently, the modified STM lens not only did not lose the past advantages of the cheapest stable Canon TV set, but also acquired new ones, which is nice. Old Ken, by the way, 55-250 also estimates extremely highly :)
old Ken tends to appreciate everything cheap and easy, regardless of the quality of the picture. In principle, a good approach distracts from phallometry and tells the photographer to take photographs, and not search for the cherished lens. Although, upon a thoughtful study of his blog, sometimes he takes a shock - on one page some lens will be “a wonderful light lens with a sharp picture” and on the other “a lousy plastic toy collected by the communists in China”
The Communists in China do not collect anything (except taxes), they collect simple hard workers. Cool review Arkady thanks a lot
It is precisely the Communists who collect and work for the good of their country. The result is for everyone in the apartments. Everything around is Chinese.
Glory to the CCP! And all since February 23rd!
I discovered a lot of new things about my lens. A very good review and photo. There is much to strive for !!! This was my first lens after the whale. After buying the following, the idea came up to replace it with the L-series. Because I really liked it, I could not decide. Now I’ve definitely changed my mind.
I agree with you, it is too cheap and you want to change it to something more abruptly over time. But, as practice has shown, the cheapest Elka 70-200 4L is slightly better than this 55-250 in sharpness and more beautiful in colors. But there is no stub in it, which immediately closes many plots. And the luminosity is not to say much higher. And even then only at the far end. So a real replacement for 55-250IS on all fronts is 70-200 4lis, which even used it costs up to 30 thousand rubles :)
Well, this 55-250 cannot be put on the FF, which automatically makes it uninteresting for owners of a full frame.
Why not deliver?
Compare plastic trinket with L-lens! 70-200 4 very good lens, reliable, nice to hold in your hands, the colors are juicy, the blur is smooth. If you have 5 rubles in your pocket, then naturally 55-250 is an excellent choice.
The point is that the absence of a stub makes the 70-200 4L not so convenient in comparison with the 55-250is. As for reliability, colors and blur - here I completely agree with you - elka gives the best quality. But having both of these lenses at one time, I preferred 55-250is for reporting in conditions of a lack of light and slow movement of objects precisely because of the stub. The 70-200 4L was eventually used during the day, in good light, for portraits and reports. But at 200mm without a stub, even in good weather, it is not very convenient to catch the moment. Therefore, changing from 55-250is to 70-200 4L, something is gained, but something is lost. In order not to lose anything, you have to take 70-200 4lis, which is several times more expensive than 55-250is. Well, the 55-250is is not so noticeable in the crowd, which is a plus, has a wider range of focal lengths and is generally very good for its price.
But do not tell me how things are with the distribution of aperture? That is, to what value of the focal length does it have F / 4? As an example, I can say that my Tamron 55-200 F / 4-5.6 has F / 4 from 55 to 135 mm.
F4 to about 70 mm, then the number F increases in proportion to the focal length.
Bokeh in the photo of a girl in a blue jacket, and why do we need Helios 40?
Yeah, really! Bokeh turned out very interesting! Swirling with "lemon", just great! I never thought it was EF-S 55-250! I “drilled” the model with my eyes and did not pay attention to the bokeh :)
On the IS-2 version, everything is much more modest at 85mm-F4,5. At 100mm - F5. But still, the lens is not bad
I liked the first photo, an interesting plot)))
And I'm between 4 from the end.
Arkady, how do you feel that the lens “creates a very noticeable pump effect”? I have a couple of these "pumps", but I can not feel anything.
Well, if you press your eye tightly to the viewfinder while taking a picture, and twist it sharply to the maximum zoom, you will feel that the eye is slightly sucking on the viewfinder - the pressure drop in the body of the device affects.
Axaxaxa! Class! Thank you, you made me an evening!
I tried it, but it’s true! When the IE lens moves backward, the wind blows :-)!
* fix: not the lens, but the viewfinder, of course.
But in comparison with Nikon 55-300, how is it? Arkady, the question is first of all to you))
Hi, I want to buy a Canon Zoom Lens EF-S 55-250mm 1: 4-5.6 IS II ………. Is it much different from this review, besides ('STM' version, has a different optical scheme and a different focusing motor) ... .. in general, is it worth taking Canon 55-250mm 1: 4-5.6 IS II?
Look at the test on the website of Artyom Kashkanov. On the Canon EF-S55-250mm 1: 4-5.6 is the front lens rotates, which makes it difficult to use filters. Apart from the STM motor are almost the same.
Today, this lens was brought in from Poland by order, the price is $ 200 or 2.800.000 Belarusian rubles. The price is just super compared to Belarusian online stores with a price of $ 340, in all. Further, I am very pleased with the quality of the photos, although the lens is not fast .Bokeh also draws very well. And you don’t have to run like a fifty-fifty fix. It also works very well and the focus is great. I’m not a pro, I’m just an amateur. state employees are excellent. Something like this. Thank you for your attention.
I just can’t understand why STM is so much more expensive than IS and IS ll. I was lucky with the price on STM. Maybe the model is newer.
Thank you)) A wonderful article, a lot of useful)
Victor, I bought it in Minsk at the net-shop for 210 cu
Is this lens suitable for Nikon d3000?
Better on Sony 3 Nex.
Please tell me, Arkady.
In Ukrainian online stores, the Canon Zoom Lens EF-S 55-250mm 1: 4-5.6 IS II lens is sold with a WILD price difference, from 3000 to 8000 UAH, or from $ 130 to 340.
http://hotline.ua/foto-obektivy/canon-ef-s-55-250mm-f4-56-is-ii/
In your
It is difficult to explain such a difference in price with a gray / white difference or an IS-masked model sold under the guise of IS II.
It’s also hard to believe that all sellers together forgot to indicate IS STM
I'm sorry, accidentally sent a message ahead of time,
I will continue:
In your plate above, too, the range of prices is 3600-10100 UAH ...
Can you tell me what could be the case with cheap IS?
Or is it a refabshed rod?
Most likely they don’t bother using is2 or stm all the prices on the heap. 2 years ago is2 bought for $ 150 was satisfied, a good lens
Good day. I am pleased to read your reviews, thanks for the excellent work. The discussion has already raised the question, but still I want to ask again. Do the STM and IS II models differ greatly in quality? The difference in price in my city is almost ten thousand, but the parameters seem to be not so very different (number of elements and focus distance).
The main difference, if the question is still relevant, is that the STM will smoothly focus on 650d, 700d, 750d, 760d, 70d and 7dm2. On other cameras, in fact, everything will be almost the same. a lens with a stm motor is slightly sharper, but on the whole the difference is not huge for an amateur.
A little more than a year later, I can responsibly confirm my words about the unstable brother of the lens from the review. It is lightweight, fast and convenient, with a decent picture and good stub. I have already compared it with many lenses and it turned out that the 55-250is is quite good even in comparison with more expensive ones. For reporting in good light, when super fast focusing is not needed, but just fast is enough, when I do not plan to wash the background and take portraits and I am too lazy to carry a lot of iron - I take this 55-250is. In other cases - 70-200 2.8 fox2. But elka is heavier, more noticeable and at the same time has a smaller spread of focal lengths. That also negatively affects the capture of plots. Therefore, having got rid of 70-200 4L and Nikon's 70-300vr, I still think that selling 55-250is2 is too early - it can be very convenient when traveling, on light walks and when trying to shoot quietly, without attracting attention. I tried the stm version and it is a little sharper than just is2, but that's all. It focuses on the 650d better, but again it's not critical, and if I shoot a video, then without autofocus. Of course, there is no sharpness and aperture ratio of 70-200 in this glass, but for me this cheap plastic lens fully fulfills 60% of my subjects no worse than 70-200.
A great lens, I use it often in nature when I photograph different animals. Even at full aperture, very sharp
What do you think, in the first version of the lens, sharpness at the fully open aperture will be greatly lost in comparison with the latest version of the lens?
If you believe the photo zone, then the picture quality is almost the same, and even at a short focal length (55mm) the old version is even better than the new one, and at 250mm they are almost the same. I had the first version, but when a new one came out, I gave my friend the old one and bought a new one - STM, I didn't notice the difference)))
And here is a photo taken at a short focal length with a full aperture
Thank you, kind man for directing the bright path))
you have the Clarity slider turned off just prohibitively +20 and Saturation +20
Well, right. Otherwise, the soap will be full.
Especially for you zeroed, is it better? )))
For Sergo: glad if he helped with something))))
For Mikhail: usually I interfere little in the photo, mostly lighten the shadows. Everything is neutral on the camera, and if there are not enough colors in the picture, then I add
Here is another photo taken with this lens at a focal length of 55mm and a fully open aperture, as you can see, aperture 4 is very working))
And one more hand-made, this time a focal 250mm, a distance of about 250m. and despite the fact that the shutter speed is only 1 / 160th of a second (in fact, with such a focal speed, the shutter speed should be about 1 / 300-1 / 500) the lens stabilizer did an excellent job - the car numbers are distinguishable. An aperture of 5,6 could be used
yes, with the sliders at zero I like it more
By the way, Clarity doesn’t make the duck’s head out of focus anyway. in focus duck carcass. but with a neutral picture in the eyes do not ripple :)
By focusing, I use only the center point and bring it to my eyes. Do you think this eye is not sharp?
Well, yes, everything is fine. probably seemed to me because of permission
Yeah. The unfortunate owners of the canon campaign have no clue about sharpness. Sadness.
Thanks for your reviews. Very handy!
Please tell me how this lens differs from the Canon EF-S 55-250mm 1: 4-5.6 IS II
Do STM and II play a role?
I now have an ef75-300 4-5.6 iii, does it make sense to change it to 55-250
They are incomparable. The first is a filmy dull shit. That version 2 that 3 yes no difference. The second one is very good.
I agree, absolutely. I had an ef75-300. There is a sense to change to 55-250stm, you will not regret it. Zabugor correctly wrote - "very good".
https://ibb.co/hvrhYn - from hands
https://ibb.co/nR8bR7
https://ibb.co/k001tn
https://ibb.co/g0CaKS
https://ibb.co/mzyzeS
https://ibb.co/eqa1tn - midges in the backlight.
For 175 ye just a find.
Tell me, is it possible to release the shutter in manual mode with this STM lens without focus confirmation? I heard that someone complained about the 10-18 STM lens that the camera in the manual does not want to shoot if there is no confirmation of focus.
It's funny, but my copy does not have the effect of a parfocal lens. After changing the focal length, the focus goes astray and you need to focus again on your own.