Anyone tried the 55-250mm STM? at DVinfo.net

Mark Dobson · February 25th, 2014, 02:17 AM

With the latest news that the EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM will also be supported in an upcoming firmware upgrade for the C500, C300 and C100 I was wondering if anyone had tried this lens out.

I've been thinking of getting it for a while now but have yet to read an in-depth review of the lens, well let's rephrase that, I'm waiting for photozone to review the lens!

I had been thinking of buying the ubiquitous Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 USM L IS or the Canon EF 70-200mm f/4 USM L IS but if the 55-250 STM lens is as good as the increasingly popular 18-135 STM it could be a useful, lightweight lens to stick in the bag. And I could put the money I've saved towards the the C300 dual pixel upgrade.

Matt Davis · March 6th, 2014, 08:42 AM

The longer range lenses are made to a different budget for people who don't want to change lenses - and I mean consumers rather than professionals here.

They will be more fragile. Like a Mogwai, don't get them wet. They will suck in air on every zoom, and they won't filter that air - so you'll get dirt in the lens. And these are complex lenses, drive by wire, no cam-driven actuation, it's all micro-motor stuff.

Cheaper lenses may do amazing things, but the light that shines twice as bright lasts half as long. I fear these lenses won't be on eBay in 5-10 years time because they will be toast. Bone dry, gritty and darkened by a few years Pro use.

OTOH, as a backup lens, it may be great. I was on a job recently and a fellow videographer suffered the loss of a lens due to gravity. Because the lenses were chosen for focal length coverage rather than situation coverage, there was a little crisis. So having an all-purpose, all-focal-length superzoom may be a wise backup.

But I'd hope that such superzooms - despite their lack of cost - are still fine usable lenses.

Mark Dobson · March 7th, 2014, 01:26 AM

I tried out the 55-250mm the other day and was impressed by the quality of the image. It is very light and extremely quiet when focusing. And that's the reason Canon are promoting the use of the STM range of lenses with the cinema EOS cameras.

I didn't buy it however as the focal range overlaps other lenses I've got. In terms of durability, sure you get what you pay for but were you to drop one of these lens of a hard surface I think it would just bounce rather than the sickening noise I heard when my 100-400 slipped out of my hand last year and landed on a parquet floor. The repair cost a tiny bit more than my insurance excess so I didn't claim.

In terms of the autofocus performance these lenses are very good. However once switched to AF there is no manual override.

Last week at BVE I had a chat with Yoshifumi Satake, the developer of the C300 who was on the Canon stand demonstrating the C100 Dual Pixel autofocus with a C100 and 18-135 STM lens. He also developed the XF305 which probably explains why so many XF305 parts are found on the C300, these include the EVF, the LCD, the menu system and recording codex.

From what he was saying I don't think it will be that long before we see a servo controlled zoom for the Cinema Eos range.

February 25th, 2014, 02:17 AM	#1
Mark Dobson Major Player Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Horsham / United Kingdom Posts: 328	Anyone tried the 55-250mm STM? With the latest news that the EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM will also be supported in an upcoming firmware upgrade for the C500, C300 and C100 I was wondering if anyone had tried this lens out. I've been thinking of getting it for a while now but have yet to read an in-depth review of the lens, well let's rephrase that, I'm waiting for photozone to review the lens! I had been thinking of buying the ubiquitous Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 USM L IS or the Canon EF 70-200mm f/4 USM L IS but if the 55-250 STM lens is as good as the increasingly popular 18-135 STM it could be a useful, lightweight lens to stick in the bag. And I could put the money I've saved towards the the C300 dual pixel upgrade.

March 6th, 2014, 08:42 AM	#2
Matt Davis Trustee Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Berkshire, UK Posts: 1,562	Re: Anyone tried the 55-250mm STM? The longer range lenses are made to a different budget for people who don't want to change lenses - and I mean consumers rather than professionals here. They will be more fragile. Like a Mogwai, don't get them wet. They will suck in air on every zoom, and they won't filter that air - so you'll get dirt in the lens. And these are complex lenses, drive by wire, no cam-driven actuation, it's all micro-motor stuff. Cheaper lenses may do amazing things, but the light that shines twice as bright lasts half as long. I fear these lenses won't be on eBay in 5-10 years time because they will be toast. Bone dry, gritty and darkened by a few years Pro use. OTOH, as a backup lens, it may be great. I was on a job recently and a fellow videographer suffered the loss of a lens due to gravity. Because the lenses were chosen for focal length coverage rather than situation coverage, there was a little crisis. So having an all-purpose, all-focal-length superzoom may be a wise backup. But I'd hope that such superzooms - despite their lack of cost - are still fine usable lenses. __________________ Director/Editor - MDMA Ltd: Write, Shoot, Edit, Publish - mattdavis.pro EX1 x2, C100 --> FCPX & PPro6

March 7th, 2014, 01:26 AM	#3
Mark Dobson Major Player Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Horsham / United Kingdom Posts: 328	Re: Anyone tried the 55-250mm STM? I tried out the 55-250mm the other day and was impressed by the quality of the image. It is very light and extremely quiet when focusing. And that's the reason Canon are promoting the use of the STM range of lenses with the cinema EOS cameras. I didn't buy it however as the focal range overlaps other lenses I've got. In terms of durability, sure you get what you pay for but were you to drop one of these lens of a hard surface I think it would just bounce rather than the sickening noise I heard when my 100-400 slipped out of my hand last year and landed on a parquet floor. The repair cost a tiny bit more than my insurance excess so I didn't claim. In terms of the autofocus performance these lenses are very good. However once switched to AF there is no manual override. Last week at BVE I had a chat with Yoshifumi Satake, the developer of the C300 who was on the Canon stand demonstrating the C100 Dual Pixel autofocus with a C100 and 18-135 STM lens. He also developed the XF305 which probably explains why so many XF305 parts are found on the C300, these include the EVF, the LCD, the menu system and recording codex. From what he was saying I don't think it will be that long before we see a servo controlled zoom for the Cinema Eos range.