EF-S 55-250 STM; worth the upgrade?

quiquae wrote:

fishywisht wrote:

A lot of the differences you quote sound possibly like the differences between a worn lens and a brand new one. You describe play in the barrel and more noise for the older lens. I don't recognise the annoying "buzz" from the stabiliser. These 55-250 lenses are bargain basement consumer lenses and not built for a professional service life.

You must have a great copy. My 55-250 IS II, purchased brand new, does not have any "play," but it certain does buzz a lot when IS is engaged, as did every single sample I've played with in the stores. The noise is significantly more annoying than 24-105L and 100L, which are quieter but not noiseless. In contrast, STM lenses are totally inaudible. I can live with the noise since I don't shoot video, but autofocus speed and accuracy is making me ponder moving to 55-250 STM.

I don't think my 55-250 IS II buzzes very loudly when IS is engaged, but it is really noisy during AF.  It also has a horrible tendency to hunt for focus, focusing in and out, especially when the subject is noisy (e.g. a bird in the trees), even when using a specific AF point.   Granted, this might have more to do with pairing with the 600d, which only has the single cross-type AF point in the center.

Personally, I think IQ on the 55-250 IS II is sufficient for my amateur purposes, but I really would love better AF performance (although IQ looks much better on the STM version according to The Digital Picture).