55mm to 250 mm

[nan156]

would a 55mm to 250mm lens  work well to leave on all the time to take  normal photos as well as telephoto shots?

[jrhoffman75]

Depends on what you consider normal. 55mm on a crop body (equivalent to 88mm on a 35mm film camera) is really a short telephoto lens.

Most people would consider that too long for general shooting.

[TTMartin]

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@nan156 wrote:

would a 55mm to 250mm lens  work well to leave on all the time to take  normal photos as well as telephoto shots?

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Probably not.

The EF-S 18-135 IS STM or EF-S 18-135 IS USM are the normal choices for an all purpose walk around lens.

[Waddizzle]

That would be okay on a full frame, although having more range at the short end would be better.

If you are using an APS-C camera body, then the lens will likely be too long at the short end for most "normal" photos.  But, that would highly depend upon your definition of a "normal" photo. It would be a good range for a high school baseball game, though.

A range of 55-250mm would not be suitable for walking around like a tourist on the streets of some city.  For that, I would recommend something with the range of the common kit lens with APS-C bodies, 18-55mm.

[kvbarkley]

Do you have the 18-55? Set it to 55 and walk around with it. I suspect you will find it too narrow. I have the 18-135 which is great but sometimes I wish it went down to 15...

[ebiggs1]

The quick answer is no.  It is not a good normal lens.

I agree with kvbarkley, the Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM Lens would be better but as a general 'normal' lens 18mm is still just a tad too long.  Second reason why the Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM Lens and even the Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM Lens isn't a great 'normal' lens is both are pretty slow.  They are more suited for outdoor, good light conditions.

In the case of 'normal' tele shots the Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM Lens would work well.  The Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM not so much as a tele.

The idea of a all in one general purpose lens almost defeats the real advantage of a DSLR.  The ability to use different lenses. In fact to use the perfect lens for the job. But if you must there are other choices like the Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens.  Another is the Tamron 18-200MM F/3.5-6.3 Di III VC.  And possibly the Sigma 18-250mm F3.5-6.3 DC (OS)* MACRO HSM.  This is just a sampling. There are others as well.

[eos1]

I have a 55-250 IS ii . Superb lens. Auto focus is good ( At this price) . I use it a lot & haven't faced any problem since the last 14 months.