Impressively lightweight and compact,this general purpose zoom is perfect for nearly any kind of photography where your camera will be hand held. It functions well in a broad range of lighting, and offers great optical quality, with eleven element and nine group construction that will give you fairly crisp details from corner to corner. You also have the ability to go up close and personal if you like.

Canon’s EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS is the lens that offers the longest zoom range in this series of lenses.

It offers whole new opportunities to the photographer when it comes to travel and wildlife photography, assuring its optical quality through a UD element that will minimize the chromatic aberrations that can cause lowered contrast and fringed color. The plastic housing isn’t a favorite of mine, being less able to withstand drops and falls, but at this price and with this weight you can’t expect it to be built like a Sherman tank. The Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS retails for about 250 USD.