Canon EF 70-300mm f4-5.6 IS USM

[Haydn1971]

Thought I'd throw a few of my personal favorites from my reletively cheap 70-300mm f4-5.6 IS USM telephoto zoom attached to my current 450D.

Owl was taken at f5.6, 1/800, ISO 400 & 300mm with just a UV filter
Kestrel was taken at f5.6, 1/500, ISO 400 & 300mm with just a UV filter

[Macadameane]

This is a great lens.  One of the few non-L lenses made with ultra low dispersion glass.  If it only had ring USM, but I can live without it.

[dr croubie]

i've always wondered why people rave about this lens so much. Sure, it's cheap, but imho it's just fuzzy. Or did i get a dud?
have a look at this cockatoo i shot in aus last september.
first shot slightly cropped, 50% scaled, 93% jpeg compression. second shot 100% crop, 93% jpeg compression. 7D, iso800, 1/1000s, f8, Ljpg straight from the camera.
DOF at that distance (~20m) should be at least 1.3m, at any rate i used spot af expansion.

so do you guys reckon it's just a dud unit, or is this typical for this design?

anyway, when i bought it i justified the expense comparing it to the 70-200f4, i paid €100 less, and got the 200-300 range and IS to boot. I've since sold it to my sister, she's happy with her 18-55 on her 550d, so she should be happy with this (although, she shoots raw and i don't, go figure), and i'm buying the 70-300L in a week or two duty-free on my way to aus...

[dr croubie]

still, at other focal lengths it impresses, just falls apart at 300mm.

BlijDorp Zoo butterfly house (rotterdam)
7d, iso500, 1/50s, f5.7, 165mm, and some combination of kenko extension tubes (maybe CPL can't remember? it's not that hard to use them, set the CPL, lightly hold it while you focus, the whole camera/lens weight can be taken with right hand only).
25% scale and 95% jpeg compression from the camera's Ljpg (i took this raw too, haven't processed yet)

[akiskev]

I'm selling my trusty 70-300 IS USM. Here's a sample shot at 300mm. So sharp!
Amazing lens. It's a pity I'm not using it that much since I got a 100-400...

[Jon Gilchrist]

Does anyone know of a good quality Teleconverter that will work with the 70-300 4-5.6?

I have not noticed the softness/oof behavior at 300mm that is shown above.

[akiskev]

Canon 1.4 extender won't fit. You can use a Kenko x1.4 though!

[AT-1]

Some shots with my Canon EF 70-300mm f4-5.6 IS USM and 7D.
The location is Warwick Castle in the UK.

On holiday in Sri Lanka last year, the lens was dropped from chest height on to a gravel track (I didn't realise my rucksack was unzipped as I swung it round and up to my shoulders).  Thankfully the lens hood was still fitted in the extended position and a small witness mark indicates that this hit first and absorbed the primary shock.  The lens still works smoothly but is a little softer towards 300mm than it used to be (it has always been a touch soft).  I think I escaped lightly even though I now have another reason to upgrade to the 70-300 L when Stateside in September.

[akiskev]

Manual focus and a bit of luck ;-)

[DJD]

Here are a couple from mine.



Model: Canon EOS 7D
ISO: 800
Exposure: 1/500 sec
Aperture: 7.1
Focal Length: 300mm


Model: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XTi
ISO: 400
Exposure: 1/50 sec
Aperture: 5.6
Focal Length: 300mm

[siegsAR]

@DJD

Those are pretty sharp shots on the long end. So it all boils down to having a good copy of this lens.

I've been reading some reviews on this, this is my second choice behind 70-200L non IS - but lacks the additional reach and IS.

[scottkinfw]

Were you able to calibrate the lens?

i've always wondered why people rave about this lens so much. Sure, it's cheap, but imho it's just fuzzy. Or did i get a dud?
have a look at this cockatoo i shot in aus last september.
first shot slightly cropped, 50% scaled, 93% jpeg compression. second shot 100% crop, 93% jpeg compression. 7D, iso800, 1/1000s, f8, Ljpg straight from the camera.
DOF at that distance (~20m) should be at least 1.3m, at any rate i used spot af expansion.

so do you guys reckon it's just a dud unit, or is this typical for this design?

anyway, when i bought it i justified the expense comparing it to the 70-200f4, i paid €100 less, and got the 200-300 range and IS to boot. I've since sold it to my sister, she's happy with her 18-55 on her 550d, so she should be happy with this (although, she shoots raw and i don't, go figure), and i'm buying the 70-300L in a week or two duty-free on my way to aus...

[dilbert]

Were you able to calibrate the lens?

i've always wondered why people rave about this lens so much. Sure, it's cheap, but imho it's just fuzzy. Or did i get a dud?
have a look at this cockatoo i shot in aus last september.
first shot slightly cropped, 50% scaled, 93% jpeg compression. second shot 100% crop, 93% jpeg compression. 7D, iso800, 1/1000s, f8, Ljpg straight from the camera.
DOF at that distance (~20m) should be at least 1.3m, at any rate i used spot af expansion.

so do you guys reckon it's just a dud unit, or is this typical for this design?

anyway, when i bought it i justified the expense comparing it to the 70-200f4, i paid €100 less, and got the 200-300 range and IS to boot. I've since sold it to my sister, she's happy with her 18-55 on her 550d, so she should be happy with this (although, she shoots raw and i don't, go figure), and i'm buying the 70-300L in a week or two duty-free on my way to aus...

The lens is just really crap at 300mm. I've sent mine + camera off to Canon for calibration and what came back ... still not as good as the Tamron 70-300 VC.

[paul13walnut5]

With any mass produced product, especially something as complex and precise as a telezoom lens, there is sleays scope for sample variation.

I owned this lens for about a year, I had a goodie, didn't like the extending barrell, the micro-motor, whilst to smooth or quiet was fast an accurate, even at f5.6/300.

I moved onto a Sigma 50-500 and so sold the 70-300.

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this lens for folk who need the reach on a budget, but I would also suggest folk look at the 70-200 f4L, theres nothing between the images, but the construction and ring usm might swing it for the trivial price difference.