Tribute to a Classic: Canon EF-S 55-250 IS STM
Aug 2, 2021
6
I'd like to share some images from the Canon EF-S 55-250mm f4-5.6 IS STM, my favorite and most-used lens on the Canon M6 Mark II. It's an excellent performer: quite sharp at all focal lengths across the frame, especially when images are initially processed with Canon DPP 4 for maximum sharpness. It's wonderfully compact and light, even on a Canon M camera with the Canon EF - EOS M adapter.
Unfortunately this classic telephoto lens for Canon crop-sensor cameras has apparently been recently discontinued.
The 55-250mm focal length range multiplied by the 1.6 Canon APS-C crop sensor factor gives a rough equivalent focal length range of 88-400mm, making this lens on a Canon APS-C camera correspond to the range the Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6 L lens has on a full frame body.
I've modified my copy's rear mount to work on EF accessories including EF-compatible teleconverters, by cutting part of the plastic mount off (without taking the lens apart). After trying quite a few teleconverters, I've found that a Kenko 1.5x EF-mount SHQ teleconverter (with its electronic circuits and chip removed) gives performance almost as good as the 'bare' lens. See the second set of images below.
Images using the 'bare' EF-S 55-250 lens (no teleconverter)









Partial Lunar eclipse just before Moonset over the Gulf of Mexico from Tarpon Springs FL
Sunset behind Anclote Key Lighthouse, seen from 2 miles away, Howard Park, Tarpon Springs FL
Amtrak Silver Star Acela crossing trestle at Tampa Bypass canal
MBTA commuter train from Boston in Shirley, MA
Images using the EF-S 55-250 lens with a Kenko EF-mount 1.5x SHQ teleconverter


TECO streetcar 431, Tampa FL
Women's Dragon Boat racing in Sarasota FL
Anclote Key Lighthouse just after sunrise, seen from 2 miles away, Howard Park, Tarpon Springs FL
Anclote Key Lighthouse, same day at sunset, from 2 miles away, Howard Park, Tarpon Springs FL

Seagull in flight, beach on Buzzards Bay on Cape Code, MA
Wild Turkey walking through a yard on Cape Cod, MA




If you're curious, here's a post describing how I removed the electronics from the Kenko 1.5x SHQ teleconverter. Doing this allowed the TC to function fully on the camera, with fast and accurate autofocus, image stabilization, and correct exposure control (although the EXIF data in the above images is not correct as the camera was not 'aware' of the teleconverter at all--- the focal length and aperture from the EXIF data should be multiplied by 1.4x)
https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/65293237
Also here's a post which shows the lens with the rear mount modified to work on EF teleconverters, along with info on some of the other teleconverters I made and tried:
https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/65293237
Any home-remedy lens conversions like those mentioned above are done at your own risk!