2 years, 2 months ago
What is the best zoom lens for less than $500?
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M$1 Answer
The best zoom lens for less than $500 is the Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4.0-5.6 IS Telephoto Zoom Lens that costs $250.00
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The Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4.0-5.6 is a great value consumer lens. This image stabilized lens is a great all rounder that gives you an impressive zoom range. When combined with the 18-55mm kit lens you may have got when you purchased your entry level Canon EOS digital SLR, you have an 18-250mm coverage in just two lenses, and that is more than enough for most photographic opportunities. The Canon EF-S 55-250mm outreaches its Nikon equivalent by 50mm, and has a good reputation for producing clear and sharp photos. A street price of around $250 only adds to the desirability of this flexible Canon zoom
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The Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4.0-5.6 is a great value consumer lens. This image stabilized lens is a great all rounder that gives you an impressive zoom range. When combined with the 18-55mm kit lens you may have got when you purchased your entry level Canon EOS digital SLR, you have an 18-250mm coverage in just two lenses, and that is more than enough for most photographic opportunities. The Canon EF-S 55-250mm outreaches its Nikon equivalent by 50mm, and has a good reputation for producing clear and sharp photos. A street price of around $250 only adds to the desirability of this flexible Canon zoom
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M$
I do want to mention that if you own a Canon with an 18-55mm kit lens, this lens is a good suggestion to extend the focal range available to you - although I don't believe it qualifies as the "best" lens in this price range by any stretch of the imagination.
Thank you for your answer, but I don't think this is what I'm looking for.
This lens has IS, and that is good, but it is a slow, variable max aperture lens. The zoom range is best suited for applications like head and shoulders or outdoor portraits. The telephoto-only range is not suitable as a general all-purposes lens. I can think of good applications - such as daytime nature photography - perhaps outdoor sports photography.
At f/4 max aperture, it would be useless for indoor head and shoulders portraits without a bright light source. It also has a very limited ability to create blurry backgrounds to create separation for portraits or wildlife photography.
I think there are much more versatile lenses available in this price range.
I'm interested in finding lenses that are remarkably good for a specific function, or are remarkably good as general-purpose lenses. Faster or constant-aperture lenses are more likely to get my vote for best answer.