topic Re: EF-M 55-200mm? in EF & RF Lenses

EF-M 55-200mm?

nickay — Mon, 23 Nov 2020 19:03:51 GMT

Hi all!

I just got the M50 with the kit lens for $550. Literally just 2 days ago. Now Amazon and Best Buy are having a Black Friday sale for an M50 + the kit lens + the 55-200mm lens for $750.

Do you think it's worth exchanging my camera for this new bundle?? Is this a good lens??

Re: EF-M 55-200mm?

Tronhard — Mon, 23 Nov 2020 19:18:09 GMT

@nickay wrote:
Hi all!
I just got the M50 with the kit lens for $550. Literally just 2 days ago. Now Amazon and Best Buy are having a Black Friday sale for an M50 + the kit lens + the 55-200mm lens for $750.

Do you think it's worth exchanging my camera for this new bundle?? Is this a good lens??

I use the M5 with the 55-200 and it is a decent lens. Really, a lot depends on what subjects you want to capture and what you intend to produce.

On a crop sensor body like the M-series cameras, the 55-200 delivers a Field of View (essentially what you get) equivalent to an 88-320mm lens on a full-frame body. So that makes it suitable for subjects at a distance if that is what you want to capture.

What you want to produce has a major impact on the equipment you use. If you are intending to produce images for the web, digital devices or small prints, then the EF-M series lenses should be fine.

You don't mention what kit lens you have. There are several that ship with the M-series bodies, but I am guessing it is either the 18-55 or the 15-45mm unit. So between either of these and the 55-200 you would get a fairly wide coverage.

You might want to check a couple of reviews of this lens:

https://www.kenrockwell.com/canon/eos-m/55-200mm.htm

https://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EF-M-55-200mm-f-4.5-6.3-IS-STM-Lens.aspx

https://www.dpreview.com/products/canon/lenses/canon_m_55-200_4p5-6p3

Re: EF-M 55-200mm?

Waddizzle — Mon, 23 Nov 2020 21:33:04 GMT

@nickay wrote:
Hi all!
I just got the M50 with the kit lens for $550. Literally just 2 days ago. Now Amazon and Best Buy are having a Black Friday sale for an M50 + the kit lens + the 55-200mm lens for $750.

Do you think it's worth exchanging my camera for this new bundle?? Is this a good lens??

Not really, once you factor in return shipping and insurance, which will come out of your pocket, not unless your vendor offered a price guarantee, so YMMV.

I think the best lens for the EF-M mount from Canon is the EF-M 22mm f/2.0 STM. Not ideal for video, it is awesome for stills.

Re: EF-M 55-200mm?

nickay — Mon, 23 Nov 2020 22:29:16 GMT

I feel like the 2 replies are why I'm so teeter tottery on the zoom lens. I keep hearing amazing things about the lens but then hearing that it's not super necessary!

This would be my main camera - and I mainly like to use it for travel occasions. I keep leaning back and forth because I've heard a lot about how great that pancake lens is.

Re: EF-M 55-200mm?

Tronhard — Mon, 23 Nov 2020 23:38:26 GMT

This is where I deliver my great lecture on features vs. benefits. So, just bear with me because this is good advice - you're getting free what sales staff used to pay handsomely for.

There is a big difference between features and benefits. A feature is a characteristic of a product or service that is specific to the offering but not specific to a potential purchaser.

A benefit comes from the other direction. A benefit is specific to a user and is a means to either improve their performance or reduce a constraint to that performance.

So when judging the suitability of a product, value is ONLY achieved when features can match to benefits. For example: a feature of many cameras is that they offer video capability, but since I do not take videos (I'm a stills photographer) I do not need that feature, and as it offers no benefit, there is no value to me in that.

In your case one feature of the pancake lens is that it is considered optically excellent and compact, but has a wide fixed focal length. A feature of the zoom lens is that it combines many focal lengths and brings subjects closer. They are intended for completely different types of photography. As you say your camera comes with a kit lens. Likely such a lens is in the wide to mild telephoto range. Will the pancake lens compete in that space.

So, the question is: will you make use of either of those feature to benefit your photographic needs. If you can't identify how either will specifically improve your photography then there is no value in the purchase. Do you want or need to be able to get more "reach" to bring subjects closer to you? As I said before much depends on how you use your camera and what you will produce. From what I understand of your situation you will use it mostly for travel. So, do you want the flexibility of focal length the 55-200 offers, or do you want optimum low light, but very limited focal length options.

You will get a lot of advice about how good gear is, and while that may be true, it is not relevant unless you can justify the investment.

Re: EF-M 55-200mm?

jrhoffman75 — Tue, 24 Nov 2020 02:26:39 GMT

@nickay wrote:
Hi all!
I just got the M50 with the kit lens for $550. Literally just 2 days ago. Now Amazon and Best Buy are having a Black Friday sale for an M50 + the kit lens + the 55-200mm lens for $750.

Do you think it's worth exchanging my camera for this new bundle?? Is this a good lens??

Trevor's advice is right on.

Assuming after considering the advice you decide you want the zoom lens Canon has it for $279 as a refurb.

That is $79 more than the incremental bundle price.

Price the cost of return and see if it is cost benefical compared to just purchasing the lens.

Re: EF-M 55-200mm?

ebiggs1 — Tue, 24 Nov 2020 14:52:16 GMT

A lot of folks buy something before they know what they want. They usually end up buying things twice!