Yesterday I bought the Canon 55-250mm F/4-5.6 IS lens, replacing my Tamron 55-200mm F/4-5.6 lens. Now I'm really interested in the differences in image quality, so I decided to put the two lenses to the test. I shot the same objects with different settings, modifying the focal length and the aperture. The test results are on a different page, so I was able to use a full screen layout.
My conclusion is that the Canon lens has a much nicer bokeh and more intense colors. However, I don't see very much difference in sharpness. I think the Canon lens is worth the extra money, because it produces better pictures and moreover has a 4-stop image stabilizer.
