The versatile new lens enables photographers to shoot a variety of subjects due to its variable focal range. It’s ideal for shooting anything from portraits to longer-distance subjects, such as wildlife, sports, or even features within a landscape – ensuring the moment is always captured in impressive detail.

The EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS II will be available separately and also as part of a double lens kit, bundled alongside the recently-announced EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II with EOS 550D, EOS 600D and EOS 60D bodies, providing beginners with a fantastic start to their photography system, all in one box.

Designed and manufactured to exacting standards, the EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS II reflects Canon’s premium design philosophy, with an enhanced exterior design and a number of premium technologies to ensure leading image quality. Canon’s four-stop Image Stabilizer (IS) counters image blur during low light and handheld shooting, and the inclusion of an Ultra-low Dispersion (UD) lens element and Canon’s Super Spectra Coatings also ensure beautifully crisp, high contrast and glare-free images. The latest EF-S lens to be added to Canon’s range is ideal for photographers seeking an affordable and versatile lens for general-purpose telephoto photography.

The new EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS II will be available from July 2011.

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Northlight compared 550D vs 500D

Pro points

18MP CMOS sensor with gapless micro lenses
ISO 6400 in default ISO range (12,800 is extra)
Customisable auto ISO ranges
Expanded bracketing range (+/- 5 stops)
Dedicated button for video/live shooting
63 zone iFCL metering
3:2 LCD screen with more pixels
1080 HD at 30, 24 or 24fps
Stereo microphone input
Manual controls in video mode
Slightly higher burst shooting rate (3.7 fps vs. 3.4 fps)
SDXC compatible

Con points

Reduced buffer size (JPEG 34 vs. 170, RAW 6 vs. 9)
Price – higher

Improvements compared to original EOS 5D

• 21.1 megapixel (5,616 x 3,744 pixels), compared to 12.8 megapixels (4,368 x 2,912 pixels)
• DIGIC 4 image processor, compared to DIGIC II
• 100-6400 ISO (expandable to L (50), H1 (12800), H2 (25600)), compared to 100-1600 (expandable to L (50), H (3200))
• 3.9 frames per second continuous shooting (78 JPEG or 13 Raw in a single burst), compared to 3 fps (60 JPEG or 17 Raw)
• Small Raw modes: sRAW1 mode (10 megapixel/3861 x 2574 pixels), sRAW2 mode (5.2 megapixel/2784 x 1856 pixels)
• 98% viewfinder coverage with 0.71x magnification, compared to 96% coverage
• Larger 3.0-inch (76 mm) LCD display with 640 x 480 VGA resolution (307,200 pixels/921,600 dots), compared to 2.5-inch (64 mm)
• 1800mAh LP-E6 battery, compared to 1390mAh BP-511A

New features

• Movie recording with 12 minutes of full HD at 1920×1080, or 30 minutes of SDTV at 640×480 resolution, up to 4 GB, 30 frames/s (due to FAT32‘s limitations)
• Monaural microphone for audio during video recording, speaker for playback and microphone jack for external stereo microphone
• Live preview with contrast-detect autofocus
• HDMI video output for live preview or playing clips and images on an external monitor via Type C MiniHDMI port
• Dust reduction system to perform automatic sensor cleaning
• Battery management software

The 5D Mark II is the first camera in the EOS line to provide video recording functions. Still photography during video recording is possible, but the camera suspends recording video until the final still frame is captured.

The Li-Ion battery for the 5D Mark II (LP-E6) has a 1800mAh capacity. Each battery contains a microchip with a unique identifier for reporting charge status and battery health for display on the camera. The 5D Mark II’s ‘Battery Info’ screen can track battery health and shooting history for up to six LP-E6 batteries.

Source: Wikipedia