Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS - Review / Test Report - Sample Images & Verdict
Lens Reviews - Canon EOS (APS-C)

Sample Images

Here're a couple of quick'n dirty sample images taken with the EOS 350D and RAW-converted via RSP 2006. Sorry for the dull weather conditions but that's Germany in December ...

Click on a thumbnail to view the original file (opens in a separate window). Please note that the originals are FULL SIZE samples (=several megabytes) thus requiring a significant amount of bandwidth so please take care of the limited resources here.

Make Canon
Model Canon EOS 350D DIGITAL
ISO Speed 200
Focal Length 55.0mm
Exposure Data: f/8.0 @ 1/100s
Size 2311x3471
Make Canon
Model Canon EOS 350D DIGITAL
ISO Speed 200
Focal Length 100.0mm
Exposure Data: f/5.0 @ 1/500s
Size 2311x3471
Make Canon
Model Canon EOS 350D DIGITAL
ISO Speed 200
Focal Length 55.0mm
Exposure Data: f/9.0 @ 1/320s
Size 2311x3471
Make Canon
Model Canon EOS 350D DIGITAL
ISO Speed 200
Focal Length 55.0mm
Exposure Data: f/9.0 @ 1/160s
Size 2311x3471
Make Canon
Model Canon EOS 350D DIGITAL
ISO Speed 200
Focal Length 220.0mm
Exposure Data: f/8.0 @ 1/320s
Size 3471x2311
Make Canon
Model Canon EOS 350D DIGITAL
ISO Speed 200
Focal Length 79.0mm
Exposure Data: f/8.0 @ 1/200s
Size 3471x2311

Verdict

Technically the Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS is a tiny lens with a great performance potential. The resolution is very good across the range. Chromatic aberrations are basically a non-issue. The level of distortions remains moderate. The most obvious flaw is, unsurprisingly, vignetting at large apertures. The build quality is fine for a lens in this class and it is one step up from the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS that we've seen here recently. Regarding the target market you may surely forgive the plastic mount. The AF (micro-) motor is pretty fast and silent. So's everything cool here ? Well, the AF accuracy didn't really convince in the field - specifically at the wide-end of the zoom range - but to be fair this is much better on an EOS 40D (e.g.) with its improved AF capabilities. I had some trouble with the image stabilizer in the field but according to early reader feedback this impression seems to be an exception to the rule. If so the EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS has certainly the potential to be another hot seller.

Optical Quality:    
Mechanical Quality:
Price/Performance:
      
   What does this mean ?


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