Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM first thoughts (bargain) and links

A new lens from Canon were introduced from Canon, which is a telephoto zoom lens that can be used with APS-C digital SLR cameras like the Canon 100D, Canon 700D or the Canon 70D. It is the fourth STM lens for the digital SLR cameras and it is the perfect combination lens with the Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM. It is the first telephoto lens with STM focus motor build into it.

Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM

The STM engine makes it perfect for video, so if you are shooting a lot of video then this could be the lens that you use to take video of soccer games, wildlife or other subjects where you can't get close to the subject to record the video. The STM engine is almost silent when shooting videos, so you don't record audio from your video where you hear the camera moving the lens to get the correct focus.

Another great thing about the lens is that the front element is not rotating, which is great for those that uses filters when they take pictures or video. This is most important if you use graduated filter, polarising filter where the setup of the filter is important.

So the question is if this is the lens to choose or the Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS II is the one to choose. For the most part the two lenses look the same when looking at the specification, but there are a couple of important differences.

• The lens construction in the Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM is more complex in the new lens, which usually means that you will get better image quality from the lens.
• The minimal focus distance is about 30 cm /1 feet closer making it easier to use the camera to take close portrait pictures. This makes the Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM better.
• The image stabilisation is a half stop worse in the new Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM lens, but this is a minor difference which you might not see in real life.

The price difference at this point in time at BH Photo Video is just $50, which is close to nothing when you are shopping for a new lens and at a price at $349 it really sounds like a bargain. So bottom line is if you are looking to buy a new telephoto zoom lens for you APS-C digital SLR camera I would wait and look for reviews of this lens before choosing a telephoto zoom lens.

You can use this page of the Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM to follow when new reviews are made around the Internet about this lens.

Links:

- Product page
- Press release