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
Meike 25mm f/1.8 25mm

Meike 25mm f/1.8 25mm

Meike
45 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

Meike 25mm f/1.8 25mm

82 out of 100 medium confidence 25 reviews

This manual lens is praised for its solid metal build, smooth focus and aperture rings, and excellent value for money. Users find it ideal for landscape, astrophotography, and video work where manual control is acceptable. However, some report the de-clicked aperture ring moves too easily, depth-of-field markings are inaccurate, and the lens cap is loose. Overall, it delivers impressive image quality for the price, especially when used with a tripod and focus magnifier.

Pros
  • Solid metal build quality
  • Smooth focus and aperture rings
  • Excellent value for money
  • Sharp image quality when focused
  • Great for astrophotography
Cons
  • De-clicked aperture ring moves too easily
  • Inaccurate depth-of-field markings
  • Loose lens cap
  • Focus past infinity on some samples
  • Not sharp wide open
👍 Build quality 8
👍 Value for money 7
👍 Image quality 6
👎 Aperture ring issues 3
🤔 Focus accuracy 4
👎 Lens cap fit 2

Scores

Budget
Canon
94
Meike
41
Travel
Canon
82
Meike
47
Street
Canon
81
Meike
42
Wildlife Sports
Canon
79
Meike
32
Video Cinema
Canon
78
Meike
30
Portrait
Canon
75
Meike
33
Landscape
Canon
71
Meike
43
Professional
Canon
68
Meike
37
Macro
Canon
62
Meike
52

Specifications

Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STMMeike 25mm f/1.8 25mm
Optics
Typezoomwide-angle
Focal Length Min55 mm25 mm
Focal Length Max250 mm25 mm
Elements157
Groups125
Aspherical Elements0★—
ED Elements1★—
CoatingSuper Spectra coatingmulti-layer nano optical coating
Aperture
Max Aperturef/4f/16
Min Aperture4-5.6f/1.8
Constant✗✗
Diaphragm Blades7★—
Build
MountCanon EF-SSony E
FormatAPS-CAPS-C
Weather Sealed✗✓★
Weight0.38 kg0.19 kg★
Filter Thread58 mm49 mm
AF & Stabilization
AF TypeSTM★manual focus only
Stabilization✓★✗
Stabilization Stops4 stops★—
Focus
Min Focus Distance850 mm250 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 (87th percentile)87th %ile
  • Strong social proof (85th percentile)85th %ile
  • Below average macro (34th percentile)

Meike 25mm f/1.8 25mm

  • Strong build (94th percentile)94th %ile
  • Strong macro (78th percentile)
  • Strong social proof (74th percentile)
  • Below average af (13th percentile)13th %ile
  • Below average bokeh (28th percentile)
  • Below average versatility (34th percentile)

Pricing

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

Meike 25mm f/1.8 25mm

No current pricing available

Verdict

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

Scores 84 overall, wins 9 of 9 usage categories and 7 of 22 specs.

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

MacroBudgetStreetTravelPortraitLandscapeProfessionalVideo CinemaWildlife Sports

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