Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4.0-5.6 IS Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras

I am a real SLR novice. I used my Rebel XSI to capture the airplane taking off and entering the clouds from my driveway. I couldn't believe the detail and resolution with the fact that I was hand holding the camera. The IS feature is incredible. I downloaded it so you can see it.

Anyone who says the Canon EF-S-55-250mm lens is not a great lens, especially for the money must be pretty picky.

This is great to buy with the kit lens because it is a reasonably priced IS telephoto lens. So far I have taken great photos of the moon with this camera. Even when I cropped the image a lot the images still looked great. This is the perfect lens for anyone who wants a really good telephoto lens at a reasonable price.

I bought this with a new XSi camera and it is a real asset to have the added capabilities of this lens and the one that came with the camera.
The image stabilization is amazing.

The Canon Digital Rebel Canon EOS Silver Digital Rebel XTi 10.1 MP SLR Digital Camera with Canon 18-55mm EF-S Lens + 1GB Pro Accessory Kit I bought a couple of years ago came with a basic 18-55 mm lens that works OK but doesn't begin to do justice to the capabilities of this great camera. So if you get the camera, don't walk, run to your computer and order the EFS 55-250 mm lens. The lens has come down in price a lot since I bought the camera. The image stabilization technology is phenomenal. I've taken some spectacular twilight and indoor shots with the camera in no-flash mode without a tripod. The lens adds a lot of weight to the camera--about 7 oz. as compared to the standard lens (with telephoto camera weighs 2 lbs. 3 oz.) but it's well worth it. Highly recommended.

This lens has not let me down one bit. There are better lenses in terms of zoom obviously, but the fact that it is image stabilized makes it great. I have taken some great pics at sporting events without knowing much more than the basics.