# EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS II VS Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4.0-5.6 IS ?



## iTasneem (Sep 9, 2011)

In August 28, i bought this lens from Amazon: Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4.0-5.6 IS Telephoto Zoom Lens But they sent me the newest version that announced in June 13, 2011:

EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS II

What is the different between vI and vII?


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## Gothmoth (Sep 9, 2011)

you will get no detailed answer i guess.

all i was told from canon is that they reworked the optics for better IQ and that they are sorry but could not get me more infos about what exactly was reworked. 
it should also have a faster CPU for faster autofocus and better IS.

but it could also be possible, that they just made the manufacturing process cheaper. 

i say that because i have 5 laying around here (two old and three new models) and i see no difference in IQ at all.. nor did i notice faster AF. but then i have done no lab test under exact the same conditions.


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## recon photography (Sep 9, 2011)

i used a 55-250mm for the 1st time today and it surprisingly really good


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## neuroanatomist (Sep 9, 2011)

There is *no optical difference* between the two lenses - the changes are cosmetic in nature. Specifically, the ring on which the focal lengths are printed is now black instead of silver, the font used for the lens name is different, some text has been placed in different positions on the lens ("Image Stabilizer" was moved), and the registration mark (the white square used to align the lens to the mount) is now just painted on vs. being moulded and painted. These were the same cosmetic changes made to the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS when it was 'updated' to the MkII verison.



Gothmoth said:


> all i was told from canon is that they reworked the optics for better IQ and that they are sorry but could not get me more infos about what exactly was reworked.
> it should also have a faster CPU for faster autofocus and better IS.



Gothmoth, I believe that you were given misinformation about the reworking of the optics for better IQ. The optics are identical in both versions. At least, Canon made no official statement to the contrary, and the size, weight, number of elements and groups, and most importantly, the MTF curves, are identical (well, the MTF curves are not _exactly_ - if you compare the Canon pages for the MkI vs. MkII, the 55mm MTF on one is identical to the 250mm MTF on the other, and vice versa - but, that must be a website error). The fact that you see no IQ difference between the two versions is certainly consistent with the fact that they have identical optical construction and MTF curves...

Regarding the supposed 'better IS', when they released the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II, Canon explicitly stated, "_The version II of this lens includes new IS algorithms to distinguish between normal photographing and when the camera is panning to automatically provide the optimal level of image-shake correction._" Canon made no such statement about the EF-S 55-250 f/4-5.6 IS II. Since the certainly aren't shy about publicizing improvements, the inference is that there is nothing cahnged for the IS algorightms of the 55-250mm MkII. 



Gothmoth said:


> but it could also be possible, that they just made the manufacturing process cheaper



That's the bottom line. From a consumer standpoint, there is no difference at all in the 55-250mm MkI vs. MkII, and only a very minor electronic difference specific to the panning mode IS for the 18-55mm MkI vs. MkII. But from a corporate perspective, the changes to these lenses result in a small savings on the unit production costs for these two lenses. Given that Canon makes more of these two lenses than any others (and those two plus the 50mm f/1.8 II almost certainly account for more units sold than than all other Canon lenses combined!), even a small reduction in the unit production cost translates to a _significant_ increase in profit.


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## Gothmoth (Sep 9, 2011)

neuroanatomist said:


> Gothmoth, I believe that you were given misinformation about the reworking of the optics for better IQ. The optics are identical in both versions. At least, Canon made no official statement to the contrary, and the size, weight, number of elements and groups, and most importantly, the MTF curves, are identical .



well i can only tell what canon germany wrote me.

i got the info from canon germany and a german photo website (http://www.photoscala.de/) got similiar infos from canon germany too. 




via google translator said:


> We have checked with Canon, and it is as such that the new EF-S 4-5,6 / 55-250 mm IS II was improved. Our "pimped something" from the first version of the introduction, we have changed too "slight improvement" and have added a tray on top with the improvements.
> .....
> The innovations are not purely cosmetic. According to Canon, the lens design has been optimized without the existence of this detailed information. Moreover, when a new version IIer CPU was installed, the auto focus is therefore being a little faster, more effective image stabilization. And finally, a different coating to improve grip. [End insert]



could be just another coating or 5-8% reduced flares.
you would not notice that in MFT charts.

anyway... i think itÂ´s fair to say that nobody will notice any improvments (if they exist at all).


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