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

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

Canon
84 Overall Score
vs
AstrHori 6.5mm F2.0 6mm

AstrHori 6.5mm F2.0 6mm

AstrHori
49 Overall Score

What Buyers Say

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

82 out of 100 high confidence 331 reviews

The Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM lens is widely praised for its excellent sharpness, fast and silent autofocus, and lightweight design, making it a fantastic value for amateur photographers and wildlife enthusiasts. Many users highlight the impressive image quality at the long end and the effective image stabilization, though some note softness beyond 200mm and noticeable vignetting at full zoom. A few reviewers experienced quality control issues like blurry images or a non-functional focus ring, but the overwhelming consensus is that this lens delivers outstanding performance for its price point.

Pros
  • Excellent sharpness for the price
  • Fast and silent STM autofocus
  • Lightweight and compact design
  • Effective image stabilization
  • Great value for money
Cons
  • Softness beyond 200mm
  • Noticeable vignetting at full zoom
  • Plastic build quality
  • Electronic manual focus requires camera power
  • Slow maximum aperture (f/5.6 at 250mm)
👍 Image quality 45
👍 Autofocus performance 30
👍 Value for money 35
🤔 Build quality 20
👍 Image stabilization 18
🤔 Sharpness at long end 25

AstrHori 6.5mm F2.0 6mm

72 out of 100 low confidence 8 reviews

This manual fisheye lens delivers a distinctive circular image with strong distortion that many users love for creative shots like skateboarding videos and travel photos. Build quality is praised as solid for the price, but compatibility issues on Canon mirrorless and full-frame cameras are a notable drawback. Focusing is tricky due to the manual-only design and narrow depth of field at wide apertures. Overall, it's a fun, affordable lens for those who understand its limitations.

Pros
  • Solid build quality for the price
  • Fun creative fisheye effect
  • Compact and portable
  • Good value for money
  • Sharp image in center
Cons
  • Manual focus only, tricky to use
  • Compatibility issues with Canon mirrorless
  • Small image circle on full-frame cameras
  • No autofocus
  • Cannot use lens filters
👍 Build quality 4
👍 Value for money 5
👎 Manual focus difficulty 4
👎 Compatibility issues 3
👎 Image circle size 2
👍 Creative effect 4

Scores

Budget
Canon
93
AstrHori
49
Travel
Canon
81
AstrHori
35
Portrait
Canon
80
AstrHori
64
Street
Canon
80
AstrHori
51
Wildlife Sports
Canon
78
AstrHori
25
Video Cinema
Canon
77
AstrHori
38
Landscape
Canon
70
AstrHori
24
Professional
Canon
67
AstrHori
33
Macro
Canon
61
AstrHori
49

Specifications

Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STMAstrHori 6.5mm F2.0 6mm
Optics
Typezoomfisheye
Focal Length Min55 mm6 mm
Focal Length Max250 mm6 mm
Elements156
Groups125
Aspherical Elements0★—
ED Elements1★—
CoatingSuper Spectra coating—
Aperture
Max Aperturef/4f/2
Min Aperture4-5.6f/2
Constant✗✗
Diaphragm Blades79★
Build
MountCanon EF-SNikon Z
FormatAPS-CAPS-C
Weather Sealed✗—
Weight0.38 kg0.27 kg★
Filter Thread58 mm—
AF & Stabilization
AF TypeSTM★manual focus only
Stabilization✓★✗
Stabilization Stops4 stops★—
Focus
Min Focus Distance850 mm200 mm★
Max Magnification0.29x★—

Pros & Cons

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

  • Strong stabilization (93rd percentile)93rd %ile
  • Strong versatility (92nd percentile)92nd %ile
  • Strong af (86th percentile)86th %ile
  • Strong social proof (81st percentile)81st %ile
  • Below average macro (33rd percentile)

AstrHori 6.5mm F2.0 6mm

  • Strong bokeh (94th percentile)94th %ile
  • Strong aperture (92nd percentile)92nd %ile
  • Strong macro (83rd percentile)83rd %ile
  • Strong build (71st percentile)
  • Below average optical (1st percentile)1st %ile
  • Below average af (14th percentile)14th %ile
  • Below average user sentiment (16th percentile)16th %ile
  • Below average versatility (34th percentile)

Pricing

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

No current pricing available

AstrHori 6.5mm F2.0 6mm

Verdict

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

Scores 84 overall, wins 9 of 9 usage categories and 6 of 22 specs.

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

MacroBudgetStreetTravelPortraitLandscapeProfessionalVideo CinemaWildlife Sports

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