I had owned Canon Digital Rebel XSi 12.2 MP Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens (Black) for about a year when I decided that the standard lens that it came with was rather limited in terms of what sorts of shots I was able to take, especially when it came to taking pictures of distant object. I was not willing to spend too much money on any of the higher end professional or prosumer cameras. I needed something that would take decent photographs under the normal shooting condition, something comparable to the performance of the standard lens. I also wanted image stabilization, as I had come to appreciate how important it was for making low-blur shots. This Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4.0-5.6 IS telephoto zoom lens fit that description perfectly, and over the last year and a half it has met or exceeded all of my expectations.

The lens, as can be expected, shoots good high-zoom pictures, especially in broad daylight. The image stabilization greatly helps in lower light condition as it eliminates a lot of the blur. However, I have not had much success with using this lens at night, even with really long exposure while using a tripod and a remote control. In my experience I got the best result when using this lens for shooting (relatively) nearby objects at high zoom. This would give me a really large contrast and the pictures that I got that way are among some of the best I ever shot.

This is also a fairly heavy lens, especially if you are not used to interchangeable lenses, so you need to plan in advance if you are going to use at a particular shooting situation or not. I discovered that it just fits perfectly in my regular sized DSL camera bag. Also, if you are using more than one lens at the shooting session be very careful when exchanging the lenses. I recommend always trying to find a flat surface on which you can lay down any one lens at a time.

Whether you are interested in taking close-ups of distant objects or creating some interesting artistic effects, this is a perfect lens to invest into after you’ve gotten used to taking pictures with SLR cameras.