Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM Telephoto Zoom Lens (Import Model)

Loooooove it! Super nice quality, easy to use, and pretty durable. Makes an average-grade camera pretty nice~

The media could not be loaded. This lens is phenomenal.Background:I did a lot of research before buying. I have a Canon EOS M50. It comes with a fantastic kit lens, but it's not great for capturing long-distance wildlife shots. Also, the M50 is not directly compatible with this lens, so I additionally bought this Commlite lens adapter for ~ $43: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0788PDN1S/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1Canon makes an adapter, but it's about five times the price of the Commlite. While I don't have both adapters to compare, the Commlite adapter has performed brilliantly along with this lens on my M50 in terms of both autofocus and image stability. I researched this adapter before buying the lens I'm reviewing here and found this one to be best liked as an alternative adapter to Canon's.Research:The lens designed for the EOS M50 that comes closest to these specs is the Canon EF-M 55-200mm:https://www.amazon.com/Canon-55-200mm-4-5-6-3-Image-Stabilization/dp/B00L7SO7WQ/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1539717077&sr=1-2&keywords=Canon+EF-M+55-200mmCurrently priced at ~ $350 new. Okay, I've put that on the back burner for now. It's considerably smaller and less likely to make bystanders self-conscious when you're taking shots or making video.Another all-around lens might have been a better alternative is the Canon EF-M 18-150mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM Lens for ~ $500. If this one had been bundled with the M50, it would have been awesome. Unfortunately, it wasn't, and once again I don't want to pay that much for an additional beginning lens. Had this lens been bundled with the M50, I could easily have waited before buying any additional lenses.https://www.amazon.com/s/gp/search/ref=sr_nr_p_89_0?fst=as%3Aoff&rh=n%3A172282%2Ck%3Aeos+m+lenses%2Cp_89%3ACanon&keywords=eos+m+lenses&ie=UTF8&qid=1539716986&rnid=2528832011Another alternative was the Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III for ~ $80:https://www.amazon.com/Canon-75-300mm-4-5-6-Telephoto-Zoom/dp/B01N9VPHE4/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1539717546&sr=1-3&keywords=Canon+EF+75-300mm+f%2F4-5.6+IIIExcept this one has nebulous autofocus* and no image stabilization. While it does have a longer reach, the image is considerably softer* with more color fringing* than the crispness found in the lens I'm reviewing here... hence the much lower price for the 75-300 III. (*For APS-C cameras like the M50.) Actually, most camera reviewers agree -- this 75-300 is the lens to avoid.Lastly, there was the Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 is II USM for ~ $500:https://www.amazon.com/Canon-70-300mm-4-5-6-USM-Lens/dp/B01LXTX4WY/ref=sr_1_17?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1539717546&sr=1-17&keywords=Canon+EF+75-300mm+f%2F4-5.6+IIIIncludes AF and IS... Still, not as sharp all-round as the lens I'm reviewing here. And once again, this was outside my desired price range.Determination:At ~ $200 for the adapter and this lens, I've gotten a reasonable telephoto lens that works brilliantly with my M50, plus the ability to add more EF/EF-S lenses to my camera kit later.I should note that this is the international version, so it doesn't come with a warranty included. Amazon offered a warranty through Assurion, so I bought the four-year warranty for just over ~ $12.Bokeh -- The closest you can get with this lens is about four feet, but when you do, you can get some crispy closeups with beautiful bokeh (creamy, blurry background). I've included several examples of closeups with nice blurry backgrounds. The depth of field is only a few centimeters at 300mm and at a distance of four feet when you do this, but even so... hand-held, I'm achieving some pretty awesome shots.Video Stabilization -- The deer video shows about what you can expect from hand-held video with the deer about 40 feet away. It starts out a little shaky, but then stabilizes in about a second. I had a lot of other deer videos, but we can only upload one video per review.Zoom expectations -- Three street scenes, all with identifying numbers and political slogans blurred, but otherwise unretouched... The stop sign that looks furthest away was shot with the lens at 55mm. The stop sign that looks a little closer was shot at 135mm. The stop sign that looks closest was shot at 250mm. All of these photos were taken 377 feet (about 1.13 football-field-lengths) from the sign.All settings were automatic for these photos except for the spider web picture. (Awesome video of that too, but couldn't take the time to show here.) The spider spinning its web was shot hand-held with manual focus. Frankly, this couldn't be done without image stabilization.Overall:I am glad I bought this lens. For anyone who has Canon EOS M-50 that doesn't want to break the bank on other decent lenses, this one hits the sweet spot for price vs capability.

I was concerned about the dramatic difference in price between this international version and the Canon USA version, currently priced at $300. If anyone would like more info on what an international version is, I would recommend the YouTube video "Canon USA Vs. Canon International. What is a Gray Market Camera?"I was concerned again when I saw the packaging. It arrived in a nondescript Canon box, with the lens wrapped in bubble wrap inside. It made me wonder if this was an unmarked refurbish, but when I unwrapped the lens, it looked brand new - I could not find any signs of wear or use.The lens works fantastically. This is my first lens with IS and STM. Both are amazing features, but I especially enjoy the ease of using a telephoto lens with IS. The STM is very effective at making the auto focus much quieter than previous lenses, to the point of not even noticing any noise (unless I'm trying to listen for it).I first tested this lens out around my home, in low light. It shot much better in low light than I expected, which is likely due, in part, to the IS. The auto focus struggled just a bit in very low light, as expected, but no issues in brighter conditions. Hopefully I'll be able to update this review with some proper pictures, soonI'm waiting for something to go wrong - this seems like too good of a deal for this lens. I'll update if anything does, but so far, I'm pretty stoked about this purchase.edit - Used this lens at the park the other day, it was great! Shot some happy ducks, and a bee

I really like this lens. Unfortunately, I do not have a similar lens to contrast it against and therefore this review will be biased towards this product due to the simple, but honest, statement from the opening sentence.Also, its worth using the search engine of your choice to find a fairly comprehensive video review of this product by a lovely gentleman with a charming accent (I watched his review before I purchased this lens) with whom I am not affiliated, yet grateful for his efforts (he reviews other lenses as well).As for my humble opinions- they will be less technical, yet every bit as valid for the casual and/or novice photographer. Here is the quick and dirty version:- Lens is light-weight as advertised- STM is silent and smooth as advertised.- IS gives at least four stops in decent daylight- could be more, but I've been shooting RAW lately and haven't pushed the limits as I'm slightly biased by what I see in the LCD display and not yet fully trusting of my skills with the digital editors that adjust the exposure after the fact.- The lens profiles in the camera are a nice reason to stay with the name-brand lens: when shooting in RAW and using DPP, (from Canon- I use this lens on a T2i), there are adjustments that can be made in camera that affect the image capture: Peripheral Illumination Correction, for one. With better canon camera bodies, there is also Chromatic Aberration Correction).- Standard 58mm ring (for filters and attachments).And that's as technical as I can get at the moment. Again, I really like the lens. I found it for a good price (Grey Market- almost half of what the manufacturer would charge) although there was no warranty. This is because Grey Market lenses (often designated as "white box") are sold from overseas and although they are the same components (or so I've read, using the internet search engine of my choice) its a bit of a gamble considering shipping, storage and general manufacture errors, but if you get a good one- its a good one!On a side note, because of this lens (and the aforementioned reviewer's glowing report), I also purchased the 18-55 IS STM lens from Canon, and my experience thus far has been exactly the same as with this piece of glass. Most people will probably purchase a canon camera with one or both of these lenses as a part of a kit- I, on the other hand, am on a very strict budget and bought only the body first, then pieced together the rest of my system over a period of time.