XSI camera is the one i brought along with the kit lens.. which lens to buy now? 55-250 or 70-300?

Question

Hello Gurus,

I brought an XSI with 55mm kit lens. I am planning to buy another lens.. 70-300mm IS is very expensive, but the 55-250mm is 200USD less. Can anyone explain me the big difference between the 2 lens??

Also i hear that 55-250 = some 100-400mm with 35mm.. Can you throw some light on this too??

Answer 1

The 70-300 IS is well worth the extra $200.

The sensor on your XSi has a 1.6x multiplication factor when converting to 35 mm SLR equivalents.

The 55-250 mm would be 88-400 mm, the 70-300 mm, 112-480 mm

The Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4.0-5.6 is an IS lens.

Answer 2

EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS is very good lens for the money, very nice performer at f/8. It has the added benefit of having the latest and greatest image stabilizer, 4-stop with auto panning detection. Both the build quality and focus motor aren't that great, but better than the kit lens.

Although EF 70-300mm has longer focal length and better made, in my experience, they perform about the same. 55-250's focus motor is surprisingly almost as fast and quiet as 70-300's USM. See my source for more detailed review comparing two lenses.

I would get 55-250 or save up for EF 70-200mm f/4L USM.

Answer 3

Generally, you would lose noticeable image quality if you tacked on a 2X extender. Also, the 55-250 f/4-5.6 would have a smaller aperture with the 2X, extending to f/8.

The XSi cannot autofocus at that small an aperture unless you tape the pins on the extender; only a 1 series can retain autofocus at f/8.

Basically, you would lose autofocus with the 2X.