The Best Inexpensive Zoom Lens for Casual Photographers!

Author's Rating:

Pros: Light, small, takes veyr clear, crisp and colorful photos.

Cons: Slight noise when using, somewhat cheap feel.

The Bottom Line: 
I would recommend that if you are looking for a great zoom lens that will still fit your budget, this is an excellent choice to satisfy that need.

Author's Review
When i first got into taking photos seriosuly, i went out, after some research, and purchased the Canon t2i.  It came in a package that included the 18-58mm lens.

After a few weeks with this lense i decided that i wanted a zoom lense to accompany my camera.  I wanted some type of lens that i, from the side lines, could shoot pictures of my brother player soccer.  I decided to pick up the canon 55-250mm lens.  So far i am very pleased with it for many different reasons.

The Good
-This is one of the most inexpensive and yet still very effective zoom lenses out there. For a price of 200 dollars on amazon, it is almost unbeatable.  Not only is it an inexpensive zoom lens, it is also an image stabilized lense.
-The images that this camera takes are very sharp. I have shot pictures of my brother and his friends playing soccer and have not experiences and blur.  Even at full length zoom the shots are still very crisp and sharp.
-Image stabilization is very nice! THe enhanced composition at 250mm is extremely pleasing. The IS (image stablizer) on this lense can be switched off to conserve battery. I have not noticed a big difference in the battery life of the camera even when it is on.
-This is a realtively small and very light lens. Weighing in at only 13.8 ounces, this lens is very easy to carry around.  The lens is 2.8 inches in diameter and 4.3 inches long. This size also allows for it to be put into a bag or comfortbaly carried in your hand while walking around.
-The colors of the photos taken while using this lense are superb.  I can tell the difference between the colors and crispness of photos taken with this lense rather the the ones taken with my 18-55mm lens.
- This lense is very easy to use.  My mom, who has almost no experience with cameras, was easily able to pop this lens on the camera and start shooting photos of my brother and i passing the football.

The Bad
-Somewhat of a cheap feel to it.  It has a plastic mount which holds it to the camera.  Neither of these things have bothered me in the slightest but if you are a pro photographer, you may get annoyed with the build of this lens.
-This lens is sometimes a but slow to focus in low and dim light.  Again, this hasnt bothered me becasue i am never in a situation where i need the shot immediatly, but it could be a hassle to some.

So far i have enjoyed this lens immensly and am happy with the purchase.  THe only time i have noticed any type of blur in the photos was when i was taking shots of really quickly moving things really close to the lens (example: waving my hand in front of the lense).

The lens is very easy to use with a manual and auto focus option switch on the lens and also a stabilizer switch next to it.
I have found this lens very helpful when taking photos of things, such as the moon and sports players, that are at far distances.

This is a great lens for casual to semi serious photographers.  It performs extremely well and takes crisp and clear shots with vibrant colors.