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

I mainly use prime lenses but my longest lens maxes out at 85mm. So when I saw this lens 250mm (similar to 400mm on full-frame) with a reasonable price, I grabbed it.

The colors are rendered well, the IS works like a charm.

Note - this is an EF-S lens so you won't be able to use it on a full-sensor camera body later - only on the cropped-sensor cameras like the Rebel XTi.

My reason for not giving it 5 stars is that it occasionally gets confused while focusing. (I use spot-focus mostly - perhaps that has something to do with it.) If it happens, I zoom back to 55mm, focus, and then re-zoom, focus and it's all set.

While I haven't had it for long yet, I was able to get some very nice photos with this lens - one close-up shot all the way down a church aisle of someone performing at the other end in front of the church at night, close-up shots of bees in flight, dragonflies, etc.

The front element rotates but I would never think of using a polarizer on a zoom lens like this since you've already lost a lot of light.

Am I happy I bought it? Absolutely.

Outstanding Lens. This is my third lens for my Canon Digital Rebel XTi. Would highly recommend over the 70-300 non image stabilized canon lens. The Image stabilizer makes all the difference in photo quality when zoomed in on far away objects. I cannot say enough about this lens. I used it at the zoo, and never switched it out with any other lens. You can use it for pretty close up, but also very far away objects. Never felt like I couldn't get close enough to the what I was taking a picture of. Very reliable and fast focusing as well. Great at sporting events.

For the money the lens is a great value. It has a stabilizer and my phtos look great.

I bought this lens mainly for the focal length and the IS feature. I figured that I would replace the lens within a year, once I had enough money because I was expecting this lens to be a typical mediocre lens. When I took picture of this lens to test it out, I was amazed. This lens is sharp at wide open apertures. I have taken pictures with many lenses (L class included) and this lens is a rarity in that it was sharpest wide open at each focal length.

The IS on this lens is unbelievable. I was able to take pictures at such low shutter speeds that I could have never been able to do without IS. The IS makes a little bit of noise (VERY minimal) which makes me happy because it shows you that it is working. I know you may not believe me, but I was able to take a picture at 1/15 at a focal length of 250mm and the image was sharp at 100% ... no blur.

The focus is pretty good, but not as fast or sure as USM focus. The construction of this lens is not that of an L class, but for the price you paying, that is expected.

In my opinion, you get a lens to take good pictures and this lens does that, and some. I don't buy lenses for their construction because I am not a photographer that would ever need a metal lens construction. Actually I would prefer this construction because it is so much lighter and easier to carry around. The only legitimate complaint about this lens is the focus, but it is still not an issue at all if you are in a place that is not dark. But then again, why would you be using this lens in the dark with f/4..0-5.6 as its largest aperture.

In summary: if you want a lens that takes sharp pictures with a nice telephoto range of focal lengths and some great IS, then this is the lens for you.

I'll keep it simple. If you shoot weddings or events, buy this lens. I've made shots with this lens that I was taught were impossible without a tripod. 400mm (equiv) at 1/25th of a second? Sure, why not!

If you can afford a 70-300 IS or a 70-200 IS, great. But I'd recommend you try this lens first. Most folks will find they won't need one of those more expensive lenses.

Updated 10/3

The lens is still exceeding my expectations for a lens at this price. I will admit that it's not razor sharp, but my clients have raved about the photos it can take in low light and at long range.