The original EF 300mm 2.8 (non-IS). Thought I was being smart selling it when I did because it was was pretty obvious from internet chatter that the IS version was coming out soon. Got a very fair price for it through eBay from a guy in the UK. Not sure what he did, but I remember I shipped it to a performance/stage theater.
When the new IS version hit the stores, I had about half the purchase price saved up and was fully prepared to finance the rest. But I absolutely hated the handling of the new lens. The removable tripod collar is a BUG and NOT a feature. Also, the manual focus was changed and felt stiff and clunky compared to the silky smooth electronic focus of the original. The original *was* a battery hog due to using USM even while on manual, but the smoothness and responsiveness to fine focus adjustments was amazing.
I was very disappointed and never bought the IS model. I guess I found it was easier than I thought to live without a 300 2.8, but I still miss it. I'd love to get my hands one of the new ones, *after* an in-store test drive, but there's no way I'm financing any large gear in this economy. At least the tripod collar is permanently mounted.
I was briefly in the market for an old used original version 300mm 2.8 a year or so ago, but I was told that Canon no longer services this model. I find that hard to believe but I put the whole idea on hold before I got around to researching it. If that's true, even if I got the lens cheap, it would still be too much money to spend on a lens that can never be repaired if needed.
When the new IS version hit the stores, I had about half the purchase price saved up and was fully prepared to finance the rest. But I absolutely hated the handling of the new lens. The removable tripod collar is a BUG and NOT a feature. Also, the manual focus was changed and felt stiff and clunky compared to the silky smooth electronic focus of the original. The original *was* a battery hog due to using USM even while on manual, but the smoothness and responsiveness to fine focus adjustments was amazing.
I was very disappointed and never bought the IS model. I guess I found it was easier than I thought to live without a 300 2.8, but I still miss it. I'd love to get my hands one of the new ones, *after* an in-store test drive, but there's no way I'm financing any large gear in this economy. At least the tripod collar is permanently mounted.
I was briefly in the market for an old used original version 300mm 2.8 a year or so ago, but I was told that Canon no longer services this model. I find that hard to believe but I put the whole idea on hold before I got around to researching it. If that's true, even if I got the lens cheap, it would still be too much money to spend on a lens that can never be repaired if needed.
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