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
Sigma Contemporary 16-300mm f/3.5-6.7 DC OS 300mm

Sigma Contemporary 16-300mm f/3.5-6.7 DC OS 300mm

Sigma
98 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

Sigma Contemporary 16-300mm f/3.5-6.7 DC OS 300mm

No customer feedback yet

Scores

Landscape
Canon
70
Sigma
100
Budget
Canon
93
Sigma
99
Macro
Canon
61
Sigma
96
Travel
Canon
81
Sigma
93
Portrait
Canon
80
Sigma
91
Video Cinema
Canon
77
Sigma
91
Wildlife Sports
Canon
78
Sigma
87
Professional
Canon
67
Sigma
84
Street
Canon
80
Sigma
79

Specifications

Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STMSigma Contemporary 16-300mm f/3.5-6.7 DC OS 300mm
Optics
Typezoomzoom
Focal Length Min55 mm16 mm
Focal Length Max250 mm300 mm
Elements1520
Groups1214
Aspherical Elements04★
ED Elements15★
CoatingSuper Spectra coatingwater- and oil-repellent coating
Aperture
Max Aperturef/4f/3.5
Min Aperture4-5.63.5-6.7
Constant✗✗
Diaphragm Blades79★
Build
MountCanon EF-SSony E
FormatAPS-CAPS-C
Weather Sealed✗✓★
Weight0.38 kg★0.61 kg
Filter Thread58 mm67 mm
AF & Stabilization
AF TypeSTM★HLA
Stabilization✓✓
Stabilization Stops4 stops6 stops★
Focus
Min Focus Distance850 mm170 mm★
Max Magnification0.29x1:2★

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)

Sigma Contemporary 16-300mm f/3.5-6.7 DC OS 300mm

  • Strong versatility (100th percentile)100th %ile
  • Strong optical (99th percentile)99th %ile
  • Strong stabilization (99th percentile)99th %ile
  • Strong bokeh (88th percentile)88th %ile

Pricing

Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM is £328 cheaper (2.2x less).

Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM0.310score per dollar
vs
Sigma Contemporary 16-300mm f/3.5-6.7 DC OS 300mm0.164score per dollar

Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM offers 1.9x better value for money

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

Sigma Contemporary 16-300mm f/3.5-6.7 DC OS 300mm

Verdict

★ Winner: Sigma Contemporary 16-300mm f/3.5-6.7 DC OS 300mm

Scores 98 overall, wins 8 of 9 usage categories and 7 of 22 specs.

Sigma Contemporary 16-300mm f/3.5-6.7 DC OS 300mm Better at:

MacroBudgetTravelPortraitLandscapeProfessionalVideo CinemaWildlife Sports

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