Let me start out this review by saying that this lens, the EF-M 55-200mm 1:4.5-6.3 IS STM, is nothing short of a "best buy."  On my new favorite Canon M6 Mark II camera it's a very powerful imaging tool that is light-weight and has great resolution.  It's a fraction of the cost of competing L-series lenses and a mere fraction of the weight.  It makes a package that has amazing high-resolution and is very easy to lug around a mountain on a hot summer day.

     The EF-M 55-200mm has macro capabilities that will come in handy and the resolution is quite astonishing when compared to vastly more expensive macro-dedicated lenses.  The wildflower photograph below is the Rocky Mountain Dwarf Sunflower imaged right here in the Wind River Canyon, Wyoming.  Rocky Mountain Dwarf Sunflower, Wind River CanyonRocky Mountain Dwarf Sunflower macro photography image from the Wind River Canyon in the state of Wyoming.       While sitting under a juniper tree with some tea and this camera-rig, I spotted a butterfly I'd been trying to photograph for years!  He was cooperative, or maybe just busy, but the image is sharp and only my knees suffered.  It's a nice addition to my "butterfly collection" but he is still flying around, unhurt.  This butterfly has a strange name, it's a Juniper Hairstreak (Callophrys gryneus), which makes sense because I was sitting under a juniper tree! Juniper Hairstreak Butterfly, Wind River Canyon, WYJuniper Hairstreak butterfly imaged in the Wind River Canyon by Michael John Balog in the state of Wyoming.      That's a wild daisy he's sitting on and will give you some idea just how small this butterfly really is.  With this lens and camera it was "almost" easy to image him.  All that is required is an abundance of concentration; and a lot of luck.  But where on earth did he get his name?

     While out behind the cabin photographing my wild roses, someone showed up that I have seen here in the Wind River Canyon for twenty years!  A very small, little green bee that I thought was impossible to ever photograph.  I had to get down on my poor-old-knees again, but it was definitely worth it.  As it turns out this quarter-inch flying emerald is a wasp! The research was maddening until finally finding an exact photographic match.  He's called an Emerald Jewel Wasp and is a dazzling and unique color even here in the canyon----he seems very small for a wasp though. Emerald Jewel Wasp, Wind River Canyon, WYAn Emerald Jewel Wasp macro photograph imaged in the Wind River Canyon in the state of Wyoming.      This Emerald Jewel Wasp is rare even here in the canyon, as I only see maybe two all summer!  If it wasn't for the M6 Mark 2 and the EF-M 55-200mm lens it would have proven impossible to get this picture.  Since there is no bug gallery on my website he has landed in the wildflower and butterfly gallery instead.  He's an interesting addition to the Wind River Canyon.

     The Canon EF-M 55-200mm lens on an M6 Mark II Canon camera is a potent combination that is very affordable when you consider the outrageous price of their R-series camera bodies.  I have always loved my Canon cameras, but $4K is completely nuts for most photography hobbyists.  A note to Canon----keep affordable mirrorless available for the rest of us!!!

     Safely visit my website HogbatsPhotography.com for photographs of Bighorn Sheep, hummingbirds and things I can guarantee you've never seen in Wyoming!  Thank you for reading my Wind River Canyon Blog.

*I'm just getting over Omicron 5, and yes, it is yukky!!!  Be safe, be smart.......

I'm Michael John Balog and I'm lucky to live in the Wind River Canyon.