Photo Plus - UK (2020-04)

106 http://www.digitalcameraworld.com

SUPERTEST

FEATURES

VERDICT

01

The optional ET-54B

cylindrical hood

costs £13/$23.

02

There are 17 optical

elements in this

small lens, including

a UD (Ultra-low

Dispersion) element.

03

The lens is available

in silver or black.

04

The zoom range is

equivalent to

88-320mm in

full-frame terms.

05

Durable yet

lightweight, the

plastic mounting

plate isn’t

weather-sealed.

FEATURES

BUILD & HANDLING

PERFORMANCE

VALUE

OVERALL

o test real-world performance,

we use lenses in all sorts of

lighting conditions, for indoor

and outdoor shooting scenarios. We

check for good build quality, handling,

smooth and precise operation of all

controls, and we test the speed and

the accuracy of autofocus.

We typically test full-frame

compatible EF lenses on a range of

full-frame and APS-C format bodies,

whereas EF-S lenses that are designed

specifically for APS-C format bodies are

only tested on cameras like the EOS

90D and 7D Mark II. EF-M and RF

lenses are tested on respective EOS M

and EOS R type mirrorless bodies.

In-camera corrections for chromatic

aberrations and peripheral illumination

are disabled throughout all testing, to

better reveal the true performance of

each of the lenses on test.

We also run a full range of lab tests

under controlled conditions, using the

Imatest Master and DxO Analyser

suites. Photos of test charts are taken

across the range of apertures and

zoom settings, then analysed for

sharpness, distortion and chromatic

aberrations (colour fringing).

HOW WE TEST

We combine real-world results with lab

testing to arrive at our overall ratings

T

CANON EF-M 55-200mm

f/4.5-6.3 IS STM £249/$349

Tiny for a telephoto, this smartly turned-out

lens certainly won’t weigh you down

lthough it lacks the

retractable design of Canon’s

EF-M 11-22mm and

15-45mm lenses, this

telephoto of the trio is nevertheless

compact and lightweight, at just

61x87mm and 260g. As with the

EF-S 55-250mm lens for DSLRs,

this lens for mirrorless cameras has

a plastic mounting plate, but that’s

no bad thing, as it helps to keep

the weight off and is still robust.

Typical of EF-M lenses, the

design is very clean-cut. There are

no physical switches on the barrel,

choices for auto/manual focusing

and stabilization on/off being

catered to with in-camera menus.

These systems are taken care of by

a fast yet virtually silent stepping

motor for AF, and an optical

stabilizer unit with a 3.5-stop

rating, complete with auto panning

detection. During panning,

stabilization is only applied in

the vertical or horizontal plane,

depending on camera orientation

and the direction of movement.

The zoom ring works with ace

smoothness and, while the inner

barrel extends at longer zoom

settings, it doesn’t rotate during

focusing. The manual focus ring is

positioned at the front of the lens

and its electronic coupling enables

smooth, precise adjustments.

Performance

For a lens that only stretches to

a focal length of 200mm, the

f/4.5-6.3 aperture rating might

seem slow, but that’s a key factor in

the diminutive build. Handling and

balance are excellent on an EOS M,

AF is quick and accurate,

stabilization is effective and image

quality is convincing overall, with

good sharpness and contrast, along

with well-controlled colour

fringing and distortions.

A

2500

2500

2000

2000

1500

1500

1000

1000

500

500

C

e

n

tr

e

E

d

g

e

f/4

f/4

f/2.8

f/2.8

f/5.6

f/5.6

f/8

f/8

f/11

f/11

f/32

f/32

f/22

f/22

f/16

f/16

Short Mid Long

SHARPNESS