Used Canon EF-S 55-250mm IS II Lens

[zakslm]

I purchased a used Canon EF-S 55-200M f-5.6 IS II lens from KEH that was described as UGLY. 

I had purchased used equipment from KEH years ago when I had an EOS film body.  The gear I purchased back then was graded anywhere from UGLY to EX+ and I had good experiences with KEH.  With the exception of a 540EZ flash that was graded UGLY an lived up to it (but worked perfectly), I found that their grading to be conservative and was very satisfied with the items I purchased. 

So, I saw the above mentioned ugly lens for a price that was a fraction of the cost of a new 55-200mm EF-S IS lens, and decided to go for it.

The lens arrived earlier today (together with the caps, UV filter and Canon hood I purchased) and I am pleased to say that KEH still appears to be very conservative in their grading.  Other than some external signs of use and wear the lens looks good.  I would grade the lens on first inspection as closer to a Good/Bargain grade. 

I cleaned the glass surfaces to remove some dust and residue from previous cleanings, turned on the AF and IS, put the lens on my camera and took a few shots.

I was not disappointed.  The lens worked perfectly and the images were crisp and clear.   I'm going to take more test shots this weekend, but for the time being, I'm satisfied with my purchase.  

Below is an image taken at 55mm, f/4 @ 1/100th sec, no flash.  

 

 

Edited March 1, 2023 by zakslm

[mickeysimpson]

Looks good! Woof woof.

 

[wgpinc]

I've taken a lot of pictures I like with the Canon EF-S 55-200M f-5.6 IS II lens on my Canon T5i. Quality lens that even new is a bargain. Very good lens with great reach and image quality.

[mike_clinard1]

I have always had good success with KEH equipment and, like you, have found their ratings to be very conservative.

[Ken Katz]

I inherited a 55-250mm IS II, and since it has a minor cleaning mark on the front element, I don't think it would be worth much if I tried to sell it to KEH.  Don't have a EFS compatible camera to test it, but thinking of adapting it to m43, assuming an adaptor will provide AF functionality.  The lens has 100mm advantage over my longest native m43 lens and as described here, has a reputation for good performance.  Might work as a cheap zoo / wildlife lens for me.

[dean_meersman]

Every now and then I'll nail everything just right with this lens and get remarkable shots like this

[hjoseph7]

Canon makes some perfectly good lenses that don't make the DXO mark, and that don't have the red ring on the top. The problem is you never know which ones are good and which ones are Lemons. Sometimes you get lucky and sometimes you don't.  This lens right here seems to me that it would satisfy the most uptight pixel-peepers. Usually these lenses come with limitations though, such as build-quality, weather-sealing, missing hoods, light gathering ability, noisy motors etc. However, they make great temporary replacements incase you lose all your gear in some sort of accident, and/or they can be good for travel in far-flung places.  The good thing is that Canon doesn't  abandon these lenses, they keep improving the optical formulas and fine-tune some of their features as time goes by. For example the first version of this lens might have been much worse than the second or third version.   

[zakslm]

On 4/10/2023 at 10:53 AM, hjoseph7 said:

Canon makes some perfectly good lenses that don't make the DXO mark, and that don't have the red ring on the top. The problem is you never know which ones are good and which ones are Lemons. Sometimes you get lucky and sometimes you don't.   

Spot on!  This forum, YouTube and other sites provide lots of valuable information and opinions (and sample shots) on consumer grade lenses and equipment.  In fact, I bought the 55-250 after doing that type of research.

This didn't exist years ago and we had to depend on reviews in the photo mags that were very biased toward higher end pro grade equipment and often denegrated consumer grade equipment.  Of course, there was always word of mouth as well.

I do think that Canon lenses are consistent meaning that there is consistency in optical performance among samples of the same lens.  I haven't heard of a one off sample optically being a "lemon" among Canon lenses.  

 

 

Edited April 12, 2023 by zakslm

[ajkocu]

I have wondered if KEH upgrades the item's rating if the seller underestimates its condition. I've been happy with items I've bought from them. When I sell things to them I usually describe it as like new and let them decide. I keep on looking for a lens I would not buy new, something outrageous!