I Just Bought the Canon EFS 55-250 f/4-5.6 IS Telephoto Zoom

     I've done it. I bit the bullet and went out and bought a telephoto zoom lens for my still new Canon 450D. My 450D is barely a week old. I haven't even scratched the surface of all the great stuff I can do with the camera, and I've already bought new glass for it. So here I am to share the experience of this new lens.

     Now before I go any further, I don't intend to sound like an expert and I don't intend this to be an in depth review.  It is just a sharing of my experience as a newcomer to DSLRs.

     So how did wind up with the lens? I figured I needed this new lens because I wanted to capture candid pictures of people. No. I'm not a voyeur. Check out this picture I captured to know what I mean. I actually took that shot with my kit lens which has a maximum focal length of 88 mm at 1.6x crop factor. But I was so far away and had to crop the photo significantly to frame that picture the way I wanted it. Now if I had a telephoto zoom lens, I would be able to zoom in and perhaps get more detail in the photo. Of course, there are other ways to use the lens and I'll probably talk about my adventures with this new lens as I experience them.

     So the new glass? Its the EFS 55-250 f/4-5.6 IS below. 

     I got it off of dSLR at Subang Parade for about RM 890 (or USD 251).  It was retailing for RM 1,098 (or USD 310). Here are pictures of the EFS 55-250 IS lens in comparison with the original 450D kit lens, which is the EFS 18-55 IS.

EFS 55-250 IS vs EFS 18-55 IS

Fully extended.

EOS 450D wearing the EFS 55-250 IS

Worthy Alternatives

     Granted, there is a worthy alternative in the EFS 18 - 200 IS lens that Canon just released, which would serve as a great walk about lens due to its end to end focal range.  It is also a faster lens with apertures between f/3.5-5.6. However, that lens is still relatively new.  There were not many reviews that I could find.  Furthermore, and what is really the case is that I really wanted as much telephoto zoom for my buck as possible.  And I don't really mind the hassle of having to change lenses to get the appropriate focal length.

Features I Wanted

     There are basically 3 features that were critical to me in deciding on this lens and they are, Telephoto Zoom, Image Stabilization, and mode 1 and 2 capability.  The telephoto zoom is an obvious capability so I won't mention anything about that. 

Image Stabilization

     Obviously, the EFS 55-250 IS comes with image stabilization.  Based on the specs, Canon claims that it affords up to 4 stop compensation.   However, I found that if I just zoomed in on the subject and press the shutter release, I still get some blurring at slower shutter speeds.  I found that the trick to getting non-blurred pictures is to hold the shutter release button down halfway for at least 2 to 3 seconds first before pressing it all the way down.  I came across this tip from a review I read, which, for the life of me, I can't recall from which site.  Apparently, based on the article, it takes a second or two for the IS mechanism to kick in.  When I reflect on it, it could also be that by holding the button down halfway for 2 seconds, my hands are also steadier, so therefore there is less camera shake as well.

IS When Panning

     One of the types of images I wanted to capture was when my subjects were in motion - say my daughter on her bicycle.  And I wanted to create a sense of speed.  You can do that with any lens that does not have IS, but your chances of getting successful shots off where, in the case of my daughter on her bicycle, the subject is in clear focus but her tires and the background is blurred, is higher if your Canon lens has a mode 1 and 2 switch.

     Unfortunately, the EFS 55-250 IS does not does not have a mode 1-2 switch.   This was a deal breaker for me.  However! I found that based on Canon specs, the EFS 55-250 IS actually has this capability built it and it automatically detects of you're panning vertically or horizontally and would automatically stabilize camera shake in the non moving axis.  Now, I'm not sure how effective this is as compared to a hard switch as I have yet to give it a try, but because the feature is built in, it helped make up my mind to buy the lens.

Image Quality

     Of course, image quality is a concern as well.  However, I'm a hobbyist, so my expectations are probably not as high as the pros carrying full frame bodies with a bag full of L lenses.  But I do want decent quality, at the very least, better than the point and shoot cameras.  As well, I'd like to be able to get this type of picture quality from a distance and with natural lighting, hence the 450D and 55-250IS combination.  So what's the quality like?  Here's a picture below.  You be the judge.  You can also view more photos taken with this lens here.

EOS 450D+ EFS 55-250IS.  Format = RAW. Focal Length = 250mm. Shutter Speed = 1/640.  Aperture = f/5.6

Zoom

     What does the telephoto zoom do for you?  Well, the two pictures below were taken at opposite ends of the focal length and gives you an idea.  I was standing approximately 34 feet away from the flower (measured with my trusty Bushnell laser range finder that I sometimes use for golf).

     A point to note here, and if you're a seasoned DSLR user with an APS-C based body like my EOS 450D, you'll already know this.  But if you're not, then I should explain that the camera has a crop factor of 1.6x.  I won't go into the technical details of why.  You can Google 1.6x crop factor or just check wikipedia to get the technical nitty gritty of it.  But what that does is it impacts the effective focal length of the lens.  Because of the 1.6x crop factor, the 55-250 mm lens has an effective focal length of 88 - 400mm.

Focal length = 55mm (equivalent to 88mm)

Focal length = 250 mm (equivalent to 400mm)

Negatives

     So far, I've only had one problem with this lens and body combination, and that is that I now cannot fit all my gear in my Canon camera bag (that came free with the camera) if the 55-250 IS lens is attached to the body. The lens is too long.  The camera and lens alone fit nicely in the bag.  But then, there will be no space for my two other lenses.  So to fit everything,  I need to attach the 17-55 to the body instead of the 55-250. Only then can the body and 3 lenses, my Sony DSC-T5, chargers, et all fit the bag.  So take a wild guess at what will be the next new purchase.

     Any other negatives? Well, one item I want to touch on is more of a wish list than a negative.  I would have liked a lower f number.  This lens is only f/4, but I suppose getting a faster lens means paying a higher price.  Also, I suppose were I a pro, I might have more to say, especially where image quality is concerned.  Perhaps, over time, as I use the lens more, I might discover certain dislikes.  But for now, and for my purposes, this lens is a winner.