bobburk3 Loc: Maryland

I'm looking for a zoom lens for a Canon camera. I do not intend to take movies with the camera. Is the STM feature worth the extra cost in buying a canon lens? Probably looking at a used Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4.0-5.6 IS II Zoom Lens. It is $149 at Cameta Camera for a used lens in Very Good condition. Any thoughts?

Dave327 Loc: Duluth, GA. USA

STM in Canon lexicon means a “stepping motor” for focusing. It is not a feature, just a description. These lenses do make a slight audible noise when focusing. Moving up, USM stands for “ultra sonic” focusing motor. These are just about silent and usually quicker. Canon does make a lens with a high bred focusing motor which combines a stepping & USM in their NANO lens. This lens is optimized for video which you are not interested in. I have one and it is very fast focusing and silent to my ears. Just FYI info.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Nano USM lenses use a motor system that combines the benefits of a ring ultrasonic motor (USM) with a lead-screw type STM (stepping motor). USM delivers high speed focusing for photo shooting, while STM allows for smooth and quiet focusing for video recording. Instead of having to chose between the two options when picking a lens, photographers and videographers can snag a lens that offers both.

For DSLR lenses, there's only one Nano lens so far: EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM, that can be used only on cropped bodies. Your decision between STM and USM will likely be based on price and focal length of the lens rather than the quiet motor, unless you're specifically focused on a quieter lens that should be the STM version.

bobburk3 Loc: Maryland

Good information. Thank you.

pmorin Loc: Huntington Beach, Palm Springs

Isn’t there also an EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS II USM which is also a nano usm technology lens motor?

bobburk3 Loc: Maryland

There is a 75-300mm but the 75 is a little too long for me. I would rather have a 55-300mm but Canon doesn't have one, at least not in the price range I can afford.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

You are right. My google seems to have not come back with an exhaustive list as only the (mirrorless) RF 24-105 f/4 L IS came back also from 'nano USM'. But, a read of this lens' specs show the Nano USM technology here as well for the EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS II USM. Although the price is significantly higher at $450 new, this lens might be a better overall choice vs the OP's candidate EFS 55-250.

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

Most, but not all of the STM lenses are also virtually dead silent and were developed specifically for video. A couple of them, most notably the EF 50mm f/1.8 STM, have very noisy STM motors. Most of the STM motors are quieter than most of the USM motors, but not nearly as fast. I own a number of examples of both.

pmorin Loc: Huntington Beach, Palm Springs

I actually have one. It takes fabulous shots. I think he wants something wider, but the only thing that will get him there would be the EF 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6L IS USM. The price on those is usually over two thousand, even used. But the 70-300 is still a great lens.

foathog Loc: Greensboro, NC

I have one I'd sell you. I don't think it's taken more than 50 exposures. Still have the box, etc. I have a couple L lenses now that cover that range.

Don, the 2nd son Loc: Crowded Florida

I have the 55-250 EF-s and have been pleasantly surprised at its ability to provide excellent results. Very good value on my 7Dii.

tankdonovan Loc: Tennessee

I have the Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM and it is great. May be the best you can buy for the money.

Photocraig

Correction: There's at least one more--the EF 70-300 3.5-5.6 II, an excellent but more expensive, alternative, to the 55-250. I think there are a few more but a search at canonusa.com would yield the best results. I love my 70-300 and the nano usm gives great results.

I have a few other STM lenses and I never do video, and don't notice any advantage over my USM lenses.

Orson Burleigh Loc: Annapolis, Maryland, USA

Ditto that When I bought an EOS Rebel T6S the EF-S 55-250mm IS STM was available as add-on for approximately $150.00. That EF-S 55-250mm IS STM, measured on a cost-to-quality basis, is outstanding. It is not the equal of a 100-400mm L lens, but at one tenth of the price and one third of the size, the EF-S 55-250mm IS STM still earns its place as part an EOS 80D based grab-and-go kit.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

Yes, in my opinion it's worth it... if you want faster, quieter auto focus AND better image quality.

The "II" is selling for $179 brand new, while the "STM" is selling for $299 new. That's a difference of only $120.

You can compare the lenses in more detail yourself, at: https://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/ISO-12233-Sample-Crops.aspx?Lens=856&Camera=736&FLI=0&API=0&LensComp=777&CameraComp=736&SampleComp=0&FLIComp=5&APIComp=1

Particularly notice that the 250mm end of the range in both lenses, the STM version is sharper.

In his detailed review of the STM lens (https://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EF-S-55-250mm-f-4-5.6-IS-STM-Lens.aspx), Bryan wrote:

"Image quality has easily been the biggest drawback for me to recommend Canon's 55-250mm lenses. These lenses just haven't been very good performers – especially at the upper end of the FLR. The Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM Lens changes things in this regard.

With 15 lens elements in 12 groups, the IS STM has an obviously different optical design compared to the IS II's 12/10 design. And perhaps the most notable feature of [the STM] lens is the image quality it delivers.

At apertures wider than f/5.6, expect mildly soft results from this lens (turning up the sharpness setting counters much of this). At f/5.6, image sharpness is quite good over the entire focal length range and across the entire frame, which also means that this lens is quite sharp at 200mm and above with a wide open f/5.6 aperture. Except at 100mm, I am seeing very little difference in f/8 image quality over what is delivered at f/5.6. The 100mm focal length is the weakest in this lens and improvement is still being seen at f/8 at 100mm.

Using an aperture narrower than f/8 with most modern high megapixel (15+) APS-C format DSLRs results in increasingly soft results due to diffraction. This attribute is not unique to the 55-250 IS STM as all decent quality lenses mounted on these APS-C format cameras will show the same decrease in overall sharpness. I'm not saying that you should not use apertures narrower than f/8, but that you should be aware of the trade-offs for doing so. Use the site's image quality tool to see the difference for yourself.

When we look at a comparison between the 55-250mm IS STM and the 55-250 IS II, the [STM] lens is looking remarkable. The STM delivers significantly better image quality than the IS II from 135mm through 250mm – even when stopped down to f/8. The improvement can be seen in the center of the frame and the difference in the corners is dramatic."

Check it out for yourself, at the above link. Only you can say if the difference is worth the extra $120 to you (or maybe less, if you shop around and buy used... or refurbished).

EDIT: Have you considered refurbished? At the Canon USA website the 55-250mm STM is currently available for $240 (https://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/catalog/ef-s-55-250mm-f4-5-6-is-stm-telephoto-zoom-lens-refurbished). That's only $91 more than the used "II" you're looking at. Canon's refurbished are typically little different from new.... And they have the same factory warranty as new.

IMPORTANT: Avoid the EF 75-300mm "III", which is sometimes included in kit with the most entry level cameras and can often be found new or used cheaper than any other Canon telephoto zoom. HOWEVER, it's got the worst close focusing ability, uses slow/noisy micro motor focus drive (same as the EF-S 55-250 II), lacks Image Stabilization AND has the worst image quality of any of them. Any of the 55-250mm, 70-300mm or 70-200mm Canon lenses is a much better choice in every imaginable way. The only thing the EF 75-300mm has going for it is that it's cheap.

The Canon EF 70-300mm IS USM II (with the new Nano USM) that's been mentioned is a very nice lens... the earlier version of that lens, which can be found for less $, is also quite good. They are more expensive than the EF-S 55-250mm.

There's very little noticeable difference between 55mm and 70mm. In fact, you probably already have an 18-55mm lens... and the "gap" between that and 70-300mm is virtually meaningless. It's focal lengths that are largely unnecessary. The extra 50mm at the 300mm end of the range might be more useful. The EF 70-300mm IS USM II is selling for $449. The earlier version of it can be bought new for $379 (both can be found for a lot less used or refurbished).

There also is the EF 70-300mm IS USM "L", which is the best of them all, premium build quality with sealing for weather resistance, and the only one of these lenses that can optionally be fitted with a tripod mounting ring (sold separately)... but is a whole lot more expensive at $1350 new ($850 used).

And, there's the EF 70-300mm IS USM "DO" that was discontinued a couple years ago... It has pretty darned good image quality too. The diffractive optics used in it make for a more compact lens, but it's not any lighter than the "II". At one time, this was the most expensive of these lenses at over $1400 new... but now can be found used for around $500-600.

Finally... NONE of the above lenses use fluorite in their optical formula, the way all but one of the Canon 70-200s and the 100-400s do. Fluorite is ideal to minimize chromatic aberrations, which can be problem in telephoto zooms. All the 70-200s and the 100-400s either come with or can optionally be fitted with a tripod mounting ring. They also are all "L-series", real workhorse build quality and have extra sealing for weather/dust resistance. The EF 70-200mm f/4L non-IS version currently is on sale for $549 new. The EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM can be found used for about the same amount. (These two don't incl. Tripod Ring A, it's an additional $149 for the Canon OEM... or $49 for third party.)

A matched hood is highly recommended to protect the lens and improve image quality. L-series lenses come with a matched lens hood. The other lenses above don't,... their hood is sold separately and normally cost between $25 and $30 for Canon OEM. Third party hoods may be available for less. Some of the very latest OEM hoods now use a neat locking mechanism, but are costing more ($50 to $75).