Canon EFS 55-250mm Lens Review

We first heard of this lens during one of our visits to our local Canon shop. We were just browsing through their list of lenses when we found the EFS 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS. We were surprised that it cost just under $300 considering its maximum focal length and the fact that it had Image Stabilization. We immediately pre-ordered it and they said that it was going to be delivered by mid-October. For some reason, we got ours nearing the end of December. Was it worth the wait?

Once you open the box, the only thing you will get is the lens unit and the manual. The lens hood (ET-60) is sold separately unlike the other more expensive Canon lenses.

The EFS 55-250mm is the lightest and most compact in its class. Its weighs 340g which is just 15g heavier than Lisa's EF 28-105 II USM. The lens feels really solid considering the build is mostly plastic. The focus ring has a smooth feel to it unlike the zoom ring that feels a little tight. This, however, can be a good thing since the lens does not suffer from zoom creep, meaning the zoom does not extend on its own when you point the camera down like other heavier telephoto lenses.

Canon claims that their Image Stabilization technology allows you to shoot up to four stops than what would usually be recommended to avoid shake. I can definitely tell you that this is true as seen by the photos below which were taken with very slow shutter speeds.

Taken at 78mm, f/5.6, 1/15

Taken at 171mm, f/5.6, 1/8

The image quality is excellent throughout the entire focal range. We have yet to encounter any barreling or chromatic aberration since we started using it. By rule of thumb, lenses are at their best when used near the midpoint of its focal length. With that being said, this is an excellent lens for people who love taking portraits since the recommended focal lengths for portrait use of 80-110mm is where the lens is at its best.

The only thing we noticed is that you will get some vignetting when shooting near its maximum length in low light. The lens is also constructed with a fully circular aperture that produces better bokeh effects. More on this here.

Taken at 250mm, f/20, 1/320
Taken at 250mm, f/20, 1/320

Since the lens does not have USM, its auto-focus motor does take a while to lock on in low light. This can be negated if the lens is paired with a fast focusing camera like the EOS 40D. The motor is also noticeably quieter than other non-USM lenses we own. We actually noticed the sound of the Image Stabilization more that the focusing mechanism.

So was it worth the three months of waiting? Yes it was. This is one of those times that you will actually get more than your money's worth. The lens doesn't disappoint, and it certainly won't be leaving my camera anytime soon.

For a more technical, in-depth review, go here.

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The Ultimate Field Guide to Photography

When I started getting serious about photography, I remember wasting so much money on photography books. I'd go to bookstores and get completely carried away. There's a wealth of information online that plenty of us make good use of nowadays - which I will blog about tomorrow because I have the motherload of all photography links - but sometimes, nothing beats the printed page.

National Geographic is synonymous with great photography. The Ultimate Field Guide to Photography is excellent for beginners, but know that while it touches on most topics, it doesn't necessarily go in-depth. If you already have a good grasp of the basics, you may find yourself disappointed (or sorely disappointed, depending on how advanced you are), but if you ask me, the photographs alone are worth it. They're spectacular. A good number of National Geographic photographers also provide the stories behind their images, and how these were taken.

Chapters: buying your digital camera, point and shoot, basic rules, advanced techniques, a camera phone travelogue, the digital darkroom, making better prints, film photography, scanning, archiving, projects.

Canon 40D Review

A lot has been said already about the recently released Canon 40D. We will not be giving you it's technical specs or it's new features since those can be found on Canon's website already. Instead, we'll be focusing on our experience with using this camera.

First off, the camera build is amazing. The whole thing just feels right in your hand. It's weight (740g without the battery) is just heavy enough to let you know that you are holding a well built machine. Canon also made small changes on on it's grip but adding a small indentation right below the shutter button to make it more ergonomic. They also introduced some weatherproofing on the battery and CF card compartment but that's about it.

It's viewfinder which covers approximately 95% of the total image is definitely bigger and brighter compared to the 400D/Rebel XTi. The one thing we noticed though is that we needed to adjust the diopter close to +1 to get a clear image on the viewfinder. This was also the case with the 400D that we are currently using. I find this strange since I have 20/20 vision (or close to it).

The 40D also leaves the older models in it's sheer speed in focusing. The wife and I actually did a side-by-side comparison with the 400D and the 40D focuses almost twice as fast and in some low light scenarios, it was still able to get a lock when the 400D couldn't.

The 40D also features extended ISO capabilities up to 3600 but one thing we did notice is that it takes so little for you to blow the highlights. We were out shooting a few days ago and the sky was overcast. The wife was surprised that most of the images she was getting had a lot of blown highlights even after trying different ISO, aperture and shutter speed combinations. She does not have this problem with the 400D.

The most obvious difference when you look at the 40D from the rear from the 30D is or course the LCD. The thing is just huge. Some reviews both online and on print say that the LCD size forced Canon to make smaller and less comfortable menu buttons. We didn't have a hard time navigating the four buttons under the LCD though. I guess it just takes some getting used to if you were a 30D owner. The biggest thing we have a problem with is that Canon has still not upgraded it to a VGA screen like the Nikon D300 and the Sony Alpha 700. The images end up looking soft on the LCD and color rendition seems a bit off. We honestly had a lot more fun looking at images from our 400D than from this camera. I know we're not supposed to judge our shots from the LCD alone but what's the use of the big bad screen if it's way off?

Live view? It's got it, baby! It's really fun switching to live view mode and taking snapshots like you would from a point and shoot camera. It's real purpose though is for high precision focusing since you can frame your subject and use the camera's digital zoom and look at a very, very small detail on the screen and use manual focusing. This should be great for macro and product photography.

Oh yeah, something has to be said about the 40D's shutter sound. Canon has introduced a mechanism that handles both the raising and dropping of the reflex mirror. This has created a muted shutter sound that also minimizes vibrations. In older models, a spring is used to raise the mirror which causes the very distinct sound of an SLR shooting. You can check out this link to watch this video so you'll see (or hear) what I mean. It literally sounds like a silenced machine gun when High Speed shooting mode is selected.

Overall, this is definitely a great buy. We have some small complaints about it but then again, no one has made the perfect camera yet.

~Written by Jeff

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Lisa's note: There is little to no difference in image quality between the 40D and the 5D. See it for yourself here. But damn, I hate that LCD.