Canon EF-S 55-250mm F4-5.6 is STM Lens for Canon SLR Cameras (Renewed)

Comment

Purchased a refurbished Canon T5 last June with two (2) kit lenses. The standard EF-S 18-55mm IS lens and a telephoto EF 75-300mm III USM non-IS lens. The later was one I never really warmed up to. Lets call it like we see it -- I.Q. was and is not up to Canon expectations. Read any serious review and see for yourself. I also missed image stabilization, especially at longer telephoto zoom lengths, like I had on my old FujiFilm S100FS. Full zoom, no problem! Came across this lens on Amazon couple days ago. Im getting ready for a quick cross country drive and I wanted this lens to replace my EF 75-300mm lens on this trip. Best part, the price was right. What I like: * Right off the bat -- a true Canon USA Certified Refurbished lens was in the box * USA warranty by Canon -- one (1) year from date of purchase * Registered this lens on Canon USA website -- serial number took and registered it to my Canon USA account * The overlay sticker on the box - certified refurbished - New (whatever that means?) * Sticker underneath was a factory Canon refurb sticker with both Canon barcodes * Enclosed was Canon refurb warranty paperwork disclosing the limited one (1) year Canon USA refurb warranty * When I opened the package, the contents had that new product smell * The lens was in absolutely perfect condition * Shipped in a Canon refurb brown (not white) box like other Canon lenses I purchased -- no damage to the outside of the box * Focus on my T5 was quick and silent * Front lens element does NOT rotate like other older Canon EF or EF-S lenses * Lightweight, 58 MM lens/filter opening * Made for a crop frame (APS-C sensor) Canon camera body (will not work on a full frame Canon camera) I have some doubts: * Plastic mounting flange between body and lens -- be carefull mounting it * Plastic body -- not weather sealed * It is not "L" lens quality, but for the price Too short of time to see how this lens will truly perform, but my quick test shots show that this lens at full zoom (250MM on the lens scale), inside the house with a 6/10th second @ f5.6 exposure came across great. There is some softness around my wall clock lettering, but nothing like my old EF 75-300mm lens that blurred the picture like a leaf blowing in the wind. Both were handheld shots. My test will come in a week or so. I will supplement my review after I have more field time with this lens. So far, so good. Stay tuned. ******* 5/04/2017 - Update I have had some time to use this lens, not as much as I thought I would, but still. Posting several pics for your consideration. One of the sun at full zoom (f5.6 @ 800 ISO for 1/80th sec.). Snipped a 100% crop to bring in what detail I could. The other was of the moon setting just after sunrise on Donners Pass in Truckee, CA. All were RAW pics post processed in DxO Optics Pro 9.5.2. Not the greatest, but something additional to see. This lens works great, but the auto focus didnt work well on the Sun picture. That was manually focused and manual focus works far better on this lens than my old Fujifilm S100FS ever did. ******* 04/29/2018 - Update It took long enough for me to post some additional pictures. I have not used this lens as much as I thought I would have. That being said, I dusted this lens off yesterday morning to shoot the April 2018 Mt. Charleston Marathon in N/W Las Vegas, NV. This refurb lens performed flawlessly throughout the entire shoot! The pictures I shot came out as expected. I performed no cropping, sharpening or noise reduction functions to any of these sample photos. All pictures were shot in RAW (CR2) format and post processed in DxO Optics Pro 9.5.2 only to taste. Further, the photo compression used by Amazon does NOT do these photographs any justice. I picked some finer detail objects to share with you regarding sharpness of this lens. IE: The box picture -- the labeling on my full size picture is clear and crisp, unlike the photo displayed on this site. Not the lens or my fault, just Amazon picture compression at work here. For a refurbished lens, Canon did an outstanding job turning out a very high quality product that you will be pleased to use. If you are skeptical about buying refurbished products -- dont be from Canon. Actual Canon refurbished products perform exactly like new products and Canon stands behind that product with a full one (1) year manufacturers warranty. ******* 10/27/2018 - Update I had another opportunity to use this lens this past week. Visited the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area on the west side of Las Vegas. While in the parking lot, a number of gray ground squirrels were running under an SUV. Took a couple shots. I attach them for your review. At just about 100 feet away, under the SUV in deep shadows, you can see them . Notice the lettering on the rear tire. Crisp results from this refurb lens.

Show more

Comment

Wow! I am so happy with this lens. I bought a refurb and it was a great price. The focusing is very fast, it matches up nicely with my 80d. I also have a Tamron 70-300 USD, and while I love the image quality from it, the focusing is noticeably slower. I think it is the best bang for the buck right now. The photo of the hummingbird is one I took the day I got the lens. I was amazed at how easily I got this photo!

Show more

Comment

Excellent Lens for Rebel cameras. I have been using this for wildlife photos. For the price it is a very good lens to begin practicing taking your long distance shots. Has built-in image stabilization. I would highly recommend this for any APS-C Canon shooters arsenal

Show more

Comment

Great lens. My 70-300 was not very sharp but this lens is tack sharp, the macros I shot bellow were at 250mm. The STM is fast and silent. This feels solid and it has a very good image stabilizer. I bought the Refurbished lens but it looks brand new. Manual focus only works when camera is on, I thought mine was broken at first. It works perfectly with my 7D and is the sharpest telephoto I have used.

Show more

Comment

I have a couple long zooms, (Canon 70-200mm 2.8 IS II, Tamron 70-300mm and 150-600mm), but their weight sometimes makes me keep them home on certain photo outings; had hopes for the Tamron 18-270mm, but although versatile, it is soft at the long zoom range; this 55-250 is sharp wide and long, (actually the same long range as the 270mm advertised for the Tamron), and is relatively light. A definite keeper.

Show more

Comment

Overall, I do like the lens but this may not be the best lens for beginners to use. If I were just starting off, I would recommend either getting the Canon 50mm lens which is great for portrait and good for Boka shots or getting the 24 mm lens for landscapes, night photography, or anywhere you would like to have a wider angle. I think this lens is best used in manual mode as you have more control on the lighting conditions and it can gain better focus. I found the lens even though it had an image stabilizer on it, to still need very minimum movement or the photo would become blurry. The focusing, in general, is good on the camera but the more you zoom into the image you are trying to capture, the more undefined and imprecise the subject becomes. Its quite a heavy lens compared to other ones that I have so it is not something you are going to want to carry around on your neck for a long time. Overall, I still like the lens and it is priced very cheaply, but maybe not a lens for the beginners in photography. Photo 1 is a macro shot from three feet back from the subject. Photo 2 and 3 are at 55 mm and about 10 feet from the subject. Photo 3 is at 250 mm 10 feet from the subject.

Show more

Comment

You would never know this is a reconditioned lens if it didnt say so in the description. It arrived in a factory carton, wrapped in plastic, with all the needed literature included. The lens takes great photos, and at less than half the price, how do you go wrong?

Show more

Comment

This is a good lens for the money. If your object is static and the camera is on a tripod, you should have no issues. At max zoom what you see through the lens is not always what you get. I have been trying to capture our local resident fishhawk almost everyday at a particular time. Unfortunately, any movement results in fuzzy images. I will persist, however, as I am confident I will get a desirable shot. [Update 02-15-2019] Having used this lens for a few months extensively, I can say it spends more time on my Canon 70D than any of the other two I own. Because of the depth of field, I can capture a look that I love at full zoom, even when relatively close to objects. I am not a professional by any means but I have been able to get high-quality shots. Very happy!

Show more

Comment

I bought this lens because I needed a zoom lens with a longer range than what I already had and didnt have a big budget. I shoot weddings on a regular basis now and couldnt be more happy with the results. Image quality is awesome for the price, and I was extremely impressed with how fast the auto focus was. Ive always been happy with my work, but having this lens makes it even better. How I got along without it for as long as I did is beyond me.

Show more

Comment

Nice refurbished lens. I was once told these lenses have a greater quality control because each one is carefully brought back to the correct specs, this is NO exception. Saved bucks and have a sharp light lens. OK plastic mount, but you should handle you equipment with care anyway. I do and they last

Show more