Just bought a new Canon EF 70-300L IS USM lens.

[Richard8971]

Second update. I took the 70-300 out today and well...

I am kicking myself for not getting this thing sooner. Focus is "right now" and the images are truly razor sharp. Canon put a lot of thought into this lens and it is 100% modern. Some of my "photo buddies" are reconsidering getting "pro" lenses now that they have seen the images from my 70-300L.

I do not regret buying this lens!

D

 

[Richard8971]

UPDATE:1-12-13

A few of my photo buddies have the EF 70-200 2.8L IS USM and they swear by them. I have seen the photos and they speak for themselves.

Truth be told, I rarely shoot at under f8. (I range from f8 to f16) Nothing personal, just my particular style of shooting. If I need 2.8 glass I can slap on my EF 100mm macro 2.8. That is also a great walk around lens that is really sharp.

Having that extra 100mm over the 70-200 is worth losing the 2.8 glass, to me. Yes, the images from the 2.8 200 are fantastic, but I can do what I need to do with my 300 and get great images for a few bucks less and get that extra range I need.

I have thought about getting the 1.4X teleconverter from Tamron if I needed more reach and I don't mind a tripod and manually focusing.

D

 

[Marsu42]

I have thought about getting the 1.4X teleconverter from Tamron if I needed more reach and I don't mind a tripod and manually focusing.

I've got the identical set (100L, 70-300L) and a Kenko 1.4x tc that works great with the macro (more working distance) and good with the tele zoom, the Kenko enables f8 focusing on all cameras even though it's prone to hunting in low contrast and not as precise as the bare lens.

 

[discojuggernaut]

I've had mine for a year, during the transition between 7d and 5d3. Awesome outdoor/travel/walkaround/sports lens. Fast AF, wonderful colors, sharp. Love the form factor. Compact when stored. Built like a tank. Sadly selling it, due to recent 70-200 2.8 mkii acquisition. Anyone in SoCal interested, please PM me.

 

[Plainsman]

Could it be that the 70-300L is so good that Canon can delay or even abandon the upgrade of the 100-400L?

After all if the imminent 7D II gets 24Mp a 7D II with 70-300L will be equivalent to 88 - 380 with a 50D.

 

[Marsu42]

Could it be that the 70-300L is so good that Canon can delay or even abandon the upgrade of the 100-400L?

I guess so, because for the 100-400Lii to really make a iq difference apart from the 100mm more zoom range (not that much, even 200-300 isn't) it would have to be significantly more expensive - and in this case many people might be inclined to buy tele primes instead that have a larger aperture than f8 with a tc.

 

[East Wind Photography]

I agree, you need to have F2.8 to take advantage of the advanced AF systems in the newer Canon cameras. I shoot mostly birds in flight and even at F4 to get a shutter speed that can really stop action and water drops I have to raise the ISO to 1000 or higher. Even with the 5D3 that sometimes is not good enough depending on how close the subject is. I can say it entirely can be based on what you shoot. The 70-300 is a great lens but it's not for everyone. I have stuck with F4 and faster on the tele's and they have to accept the 1.4x III. F5.6 and limited to 300mm is too restrictive for what I shoot.

I've considered this lens, but I've developed an addiction to f/2.8 or faster. That and I love to shoot in crazy lighting, which means the >= f/4 just doesn't do it for me. Unfortunately, it's got great range, and otherwise would win out for me even that it's not quite up to the 70-200 f/4 or f/2.8 for sharpness/IQ I'd still take it if it was wider than f/4.

 

[miah]

I've had my new 70-300L for less than a week and like the OP, I'm blown away by its AF speed, color, sharpness and build quality. Marsu42, I recently purchased the 100L, as well, and am debating the Kenko 1.4x for use with it and the 70-300L. This seems like a good mix. Can you tell us how much additional working distance the 1.4x adds to your 100L? And will the 5D3/70-300L + 1.4x auto focus at f/8 with current firmware?

 

[SpecialGregg]

I understand that you CAN mount the 70-300L to the Canon 1.4x III, as long as you have the lens extended past 250mm when you mount it.

 

[East Wind Photography]

We are promised F8 AF for the 5D3 in April as a firmware upgrade. But don't expect the fast AF you are used to. AF at F8 is a bonus, not something to use every day or for every purpose.

I've had my new 70-300L for less than a week and like the OP, I'm blown away by its AF speed, color, sharpness and build quality. Marsu42, I recently purchased the 100L, as well, and am debating the Kenko 1.4x for use with it and the 70-300L. This seems like a good mix. Can you tell us how much additional working distance the 1.4x adds to your 100L? And will the 5D3/70-300L + 1.4x auto focus at f/8 with current firmware?

 

[Lnguyen1203]

I put a Kenko 1.4x teleplys Pro on the 70-300L and the 5D3 works pretty well AF at F8. No need for new firmware for this combo.

 

[East Wind Photography]

Simply awesome! I wonder what the IQ difference is between the canon 1.4 and the kenko?

I put a Kenko 1.4x teleplys Pro on the 70-300L and the 5D3 works pretty well AF at F8. No need for new firmware for this combo.

 

[Lnguyen1203]

Canon 1.4x TC won't fit with the 70-300L, so it is not a choice for this combo. Folks will want to compare with the 100-400L, but the reason I got the 70-300L is it is a better, lighter, smaller lens than the 100-400 for a walk around and medium telephoto lens. I don't use the 1.4x much on it, but have done some test shots with hummingbirds and they look fine (even in not so ideal lighting).

 

[miah]

Appreciate your confirmation, Lnguyen1203. I could never tell for sure, from what others all over the internet have said about this combo, until your definitive statement. I'll be ordering up one Kenko Teleplus PRO 300 DGX 1.4x AF Teleconverter. Thanks!

 

[Lnguyen1203]

Appreciate your confirmation, Lnguyen1203. I could never tell for sure, from what others all over the internet have said about this combo, until your definitive statement. I'll be ordering up one Kenko Teleplus PRO 300 DGX 1.4x AF Teleconverter. Thanks!

You're welcome. Just remember to substrate about 1 stop of light. I don't quite understand how the Canon light meter works, but that is my experience. The 5D3 knows the presence of the Kenko and will give you the correct focal length and aperture setting, but the light metering is off by about 1 stop.

 

[miah]

Lnguyen1203, are you saying that whenever you mount your Kenko 1.4x to your 70-300L you set the 5D3's exposure compensation to +1?

 

[Marsu42]

Can you tell us how much additional working distance the 1.4x adds to your 100L?

The tc converts the 100mm lens into a 140mm lens and still focuses to infinity (unlike extension tubes) - the working distance difference is significant for easily frightening critters (I'm (still) on crop, so it's actually 100x1.6x1.4). The iq of 100L+tc is excellent.

And will the 5D3/70-300L + 1.4x auto focus at f/8 with current firmware?

Yes, though there have been some reports with problems on the 5d3 (check these threads). Be sure to get the newestdgx with the blue dot, and from a big retailer so you get even the latest model from that (I suspect Kenko does silent firmware updates).

are you saying that whenever you mount your Kenko 1.4x to your 70-300L you set the 5D3's exposure compensation to +1?

... certainly not on the 60d (and I've also never read of the +ev requirement before) - the metering is through the lens, so afik the tc should be "invisible".

 

[Random Orbits]

Appreciate your confirmation, Lnguyen1203. I could never tell for sure, from what others all over the internet have said about this combo, until your definitive statement. I'll be ordering up one Kenko Teleplus PRO 300 DGX 1.4x AF Teleconverter. Thanks!

I'm not sure if this completely true. I remember reading on TDP that the 1.4x can be mounted when the 70-300L is zoomed out a bit.

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/news/news-post.aspx?news=3227

The link states:

What I just discovered, however, is that the 70-300 L's rear element retracts into the lens far enough that, at about 250mm, there is enough clearance for the 1.4x to mount.

The available focal length range is about 350-420mm. There is a physical bump at the lower end of that range with (guessing) the rubber around the edge of the extender element contacting the rear 70-300 L lens element or its edge ring. This combination indeed autofocuses on the 1D X with the new firmware.

I'll put this combination on the ISO 12233 chart testing list to see what the image quality looks like, but ... I'm not sure that I recommend mounting this combination due to potential damage the to lens. I'll try to find out what Canon says about this.

TDP also has ISO crops of the 70-300L with 1.4x, where it is shown to be softer than the 100-400L

 

[miah]

RandonOrbits, that applies to the Canon 1.4x, because of its design. The Kenko design is different, and allows it to be used over the entire 70-300L range. I don't have either tele-extender, so this isn't from personal experience, but that seems to be the consensus. And as for the extender eating another stop of light and impacting sharpness, I think that's the expected price you pay for gaining the reach.

 

[J.R.]

I put a Kenko 1.4x teleplys Pro on the 70-300L and the 5D3 works pretty well AF at F8. No need for new firmware for this combo.

You say that with the Kenko 1.4x the 5D3 autofocuses ... will this combo work with the 100-400 also as it will also result in a max aperture of f/8?