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| Hey, is that the 55-200mm on your M50 ? |
Canon announced the original EOS-M camera in July 2012, bundled with the EF-M 18-55mm standard zoom lens.
Things do not move fast in the EOS-M world and it was not until August the following year that the subject of this review was announced, the EF-M 55-200mm f4.5-6.3 IS STM.
This was clearly intended as a companion to the 18-55m zoom making a versatile twin lens kit.
In 2015 the 18-55mm was replaced by the 15-45mm as the kit zoom supplied with most EOS-M bodies. It may still be possible to buy the 18-55mm new, I am not sure about that, but in any event there are plenty of them available used.
Then in 2016 the EF-M 18-150mm was introduced, covering most of the range of the original twin lens kit and largely superseding both the 18-55mm and the 55-200mm.
However the 55-200mm has remained in the catalogue, presumably because of its 33% greater reach, compact size and attractively low price. It is still a good partner to the 15-45mm in a budget twin lens kit.
It is the longest native Canon EF-M lens available although longer EF and EF-S lenses can be used on EOS-M cameras via the appropriate adapter..
The 55-200mm will appeal to photographers for whom getting the shot is more important than getting the perfect shot.
The 55-200mm doesn’t get much love in user forums or from some reviewers but I bought one anyway and have been quite pleased by its capability.
I bought mine from a grey market supplier in Hong Kong in a white box, no warranty, ultra cheap deal for just AUD 280 including postage to Australia.
This is astoundingly inexpensive for a well built complex zoom with 17 elements in 11 groups, one aspheric element and one UD element, stabiliser and fast autofocus.
I figured, what the heck, if it’s no good I haven’t lost much.
As it happens I got a decently good although not perfect copy and have been pleased with the way the lens performs and with the results it can produce.
I think that lenses like this one are really the best expression of what modern technology can offer to consumers. Most reviewers wax lyrical about Canon’s big, high performance L designated models but these are very expensive. The more difficult task, it seems to me, is to make and market good quality gear at budget prices.
Description
The 55-200mm looks and feels like all eight EF-M lenses released to date. These all feature streamlined, minimalist styling in gunmetal grey, with few on lens controls and 61mm diameter carried through the length of the lens barrel.
Construction is all plastic including the mount. Some reviewers and owners decry this saying they prefer metal but for these lightweight M lenses plastic is very suitable.
Length with front and rear caps 106mm (This is the same length as the 18-150mm by the way)
Diameter 61mm
Filter thread 52mm
Mass with front and rear caps 287 grams.
For a lens which extends to a focal length of 320mm in full frame equivalents, it is remarkably light and compact.
The zoom and focus rings operate very smoothly.
Autofocus on the EOS M50 is fast, quiet and consistently accurate with still or slowly moving subjects. With fast moving subjects like dogs running or birds in flight, accuracy declines but BIFs are still possible, albeit with a low keeper rate.
The lens is not supplied with a hood but these are available from Canon or third party suppliers if required. In keeping with the “small and sleek is beautiful” philosophy I don’t bother with hoods on my EF-M lenses.
I also don’t bother with filters unless I am near the sea which can throw up salt spray which I would rather clean off a filter than the front element.
Unfortunately Canon’s designers in their wisdom have blessed their EF-M lenses with 4 different filter sizes even though they all have the same outer barrel diameter.
I have not formally tested the efficiency of the stabiliser but I can get decently sharp shots at 200mm and 1/40 second hand held which I rate as pretty good.
The 55-200mm does not focus as close as the 18-150mm making the latter more useful as a semi-macro lens for small objects.
From my reading of reviews and reports on user forums it would appear that sample variation is a significant issue for this lens as it is with the 15-45mm and the 18-150mm.
Optics
My copy is a bit decentered producing evident softness on the right side across the focal length range.
Apart from this however the lens is decently sharp at all focal lengths and apertures. Sharpness does not noticeably improve when the aperture is closed down.
In common with other budget zooms the 55-200 has rather low contrast and acutance. As a result Raw photos straight out of the camera look soft. However there is plenty of information in the files which can be revealed with thoughtful use of the tools available in Adobe Camera Raw.
Levels of distortion and color fringing are low and readily corrected.
Peripheral shading is also present at the widest apertures, again easily corrected.
Flare can be induced with the sun near the edge of the frame but this is easily seen in the viewfinder and usually avoided with a small shift of camera position.
Summary
The EF-M 55-200mm is not the sharpest axe in the toolshed but is decently capable across the focal length range with no major weaknesses. It provides a very compact, low cost entry into the world of telephoto photography for owners of Canon EOS-M cameras.
On that basis it is an easy lens to recommend.
However also consider the 18-150mm which is more versatile as it covers a greater focal length range with useful extension into moderate wide angle territory and on my tests has slightly better imaging capability.
