Two Birds and the 55-250 f/4-5.6 IS Telephoto Zoom Lens

Ok, that was a mouthful.

During the summer I picked up a replacement zoom lens. I’d initially started out with a Tamron 55-200 which came as part of my camera kit and it was fine. Maybe a little soft, here and there and maybe not quite as fast as I might have liked.

But, having played with the Canon f/4-5.6 55-250 lens at a friends house I was really impressed and had to have one.

I’m only getting round to talking about it now because it’s one of those things that just becomes an essential part of your kit without ever going through that awkward fumbling new stage where everything has to be done with it. If you use Canon lenses, then there is a lovely sense of familiarity with it – it works exactly how you’d want without any awkward moments. Kind of like when you fall in love as opposed to just go out for a date…

The lens itself is solidly constructed compared to rivals in the price range, though be warned you are buying plastic for the most part (not metal as some of the L series lenses might be). It’s a decent weight, comfortable to hold, and feels well balanced both at 55 and 250 ends of the zoom.

As well as the standard auto and manual focus, it comes with 4 stop image stabilisation (IS) which Canon rate as 4 stop, though to me it seems closer to 2. (That said, I do have a shaky hand at times so your mileage may vary). If you’ve not used IS before, it’s worth noting that you can hear it when using the camera but it is very quiet (just don’t be surprised when you first pick it up!).

Out of the box, you get lens, manual, front and end caps. No hood is supplied and it is on my list of useful things to buy (or if Mr Canon would like to comp me one I won’t complain). It’s also worth noting that this is an EF-S mount so is designed for APS-C sensors rather than the full frame sensors in more expensive Canon cameras.

If you’re in the market for a zoom lens on a limited budget or if you’re just starting out with camera and kit lens, you’re not going to be disappointed with the Canon EF-S 55-250mm Zoom Lens

Oh, and those two birds…