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Customer Reviews for EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM
EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM
Two Ultra Low Dispersion (UD) elements for improved image quality
Floating focusing mechanism for sharpness from close up to infinity
Dust and water-resistant construction
Newly-developed Fluorine coating keeps soiling, smears and fingerprints to a minimum
Average Customer Rating:
(30 Reviews) 30
Rating Snapshot (30 reviews)
5 stars
22
4 stars
4
3 stars
3
2 stars
1
1 star
0
27 out of 30(90%)reviewers would recommend this product to a friend.
Customer Reviews for EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM
Review 1 for EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM
Nickname: DManInDFW
Location: DFW, TX
Used this product for: 1 to 3 months
Expertise Level: Casual User
Mostly used for: Landscape/Nature
Canon Enthusiast: 1 to 5 years
Product replacement: Yes
Outstanding Lens!
Overall Rating
Features
5
out of
5
Performance
5
out of
5
Price/Value
4
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
5
out of
5
Date:February 28, 2013
Pros: Fast auto-focus, Superior build quality, Super-sharp images, great is
Cons: lack of included mount, lack of included hard case
Wow, not much I can say that others haven't already. This is my very first L series lens. I am defnitely an amateur and purchased my first DSLR about 3 years ago, a Canon T1i refurb. With that camera I also purchased the kit lens (18-55) and also the relatively highly regarded (for a kit lens) 55-250. Most of my shooting is at the longer end of the 55-250 and I typically shoot my kids at play (park, soccer, baseball) as well as the occasional air show and at a Formula 1 event (Austin). I also enjoy shooting wildlife and birds in flight. I always felt that I was missing out and that I assumed my T1i had some focus issues as images weren't as sharp as I had anticipated. Wow was I ever wrong.
I took a major step forward and purchased this lens and I am absolutely awestruck. Images are now FAR sharper, the IS works great and AF is super quick and is spot on and virtually silent. I can now crop images considerably and still have sharper pictures than I could with the 55-250 uncropped.
While this lens is quite expensive I consider it an investment that I can keep for many years even if I eventually upgrade camera bodies. This has made my T1i a new camera all over again and has encouraged me to actually learn how to shoot better. I have gone in the last month from someone that shoots full auto or one of the auto modes (sports, landscape, etc.) to someone that now shoot 80% on one of the manual modes (TV, AV, etc.).
I LOVE this lens! The only cons I listed above...for this kind of money, please Canon please include a better case and a tripod ring...this lens deserves those.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful.
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Review 2 for EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM
Nickname: sparky
Location: Arizona
Used this product for: Less than 1 month
Expertise Level: Professional or Expert
Mostly used for: Landscape/Nature
Canon Enthusiast: 11 to 20 years
Product replacement: Yes
L series introduction
Overall Rating
Features
5
out of
5
Performance
5
out of
5
Price/Value
4
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
5
out of
5
Date:January 17, 2013
Pros: Fast auto-focus, Superior build quality, Super-sharp images
Cons: lens weight takes some getting used to
This is my first L series lens and it was selected for the range it provides (70-300mm) as that is what I've been shooting with for years. With just a few 'test shots' under purposely challenging conditions to see what the IS could compensate for I was already impressed. Full zoom, hand-held while sitting in a running vehicle is most certainly not ideal for ANY lens, but even those shots which were by design, difficult, turned out better than I'd expected by a long ways. Now on to applying more traditional techniques...outstanding results in every aspect. Having selected the center focus box on manual selection, I went and took some aviation shots where the only thing that provides a reference point is the aircraft itself. Purposely causing an out of focus scenario by removing the focus point from the aircraft, once placed back onto it again there was no 'hunting', focus was re-established almost instantly.
This isn't a lens for lightweights as it most certainly is not one either, but when considering how much glass and metal one is actually carrying around with this lens, it is not unreasonably heavy all things considered. I may need a tripod collar eventually as my niche is extended exposures/night shots/ lightning photography, but I have not a single regret in having selected this lens!
This isn't a lens for lightweights as it most certainly is not one either, but when considering how much glass and metal one is actually carrying around with this lens, it is not unreasonably heavy all things considered. I may need a tripod collar eventually as my niche is extended exposures/night shots/ lightning photography, but I have not a single regret in having selected this lens!
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Review 3 for EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM
Nickname: 521vs
Location: boise,idaho
Used this product for: 6 to 12 months
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Mostly used for: Landscape/Nature
Canon Enthusiast: more than 20 years
Product replacement: No
fantastic lense
Overall Rating
Features
5
out of
5
Performance
5
out of
5
Price/Value
5
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
5
out of
5
Date:September 27, 2012
Pros: Fast auto-focus, Superior build quality, Super-sharp images
Cons: heavy, expensive
If you could own only one telephoto zoom this is the lense I would choose. Canon has packed a lot of lense into a compact size. The focus is very fast and tack sharp,and the image stabilization works extremely well. The weight is significant but the overall size is very moderate.I am very very pleased with the purchase.
13 of 13 people found this review helpful.
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Review 4 for EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM
Nickname: romeribu
Location: Hobe Sound, Florida
Used this product for: 1 to 3 months
Expertise Level: Hobbyist/Enthusiast
Mostly used for: Landscape/Nature
Canon Enthusiast: Less than 1 year
Product replacement: Yes
Still on trial
Overall Rating
Features
4
out of
5
Performance
5
out of
5
Price/Value
5
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
5
out of
5
Date:September 26, 2012
Pros: Superior build quality, Super-sharp images
The lens is doing a great job. i have been using it for the last two weeks and will still need more time to give a better review.
So far so good and it does a better job then the previous lens i had.
So far so good and it does a better job then the previous lens i had.
2 of 6 people found this review helpful.
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Review 5 for EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM
Nickname: Oliver
Location: Washington, DC
Used this product for: 1 to 3 months
Expertise Level: Hobbyist/Enthusiast
Mostly used for: Sports
Canon Enthusiast: 1 to 5 years
Product replacement: No
Practical telephoto zoom
Overall Rating
Features
5
out of
5
Performance
5
out of
5
Price/Value
4
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
5
out of
5
Date:August 10, 2012
Pros: Fast auto-focus, Superior build quality, relatively small and light (for a tele zoom)
Cons: reversed focus and zoom ring layout
Though obviously not as fast as any of Canon's 70-200 L lenses, the 70-300L is in some ways a more practical, versatile lens for every day use.
The biggest advantage is size: Though still a big heavy lens by most measures, by telephoto zoom standards, the 70-300L is *relatively* small and light. It isn't that much bigger than the 24-105L. And its about an inch shorter than the 70-200 f4, and about 2 inches shorter than the 70-200 f2.8, so it fits more easily in a camera bag. It is considerably lighter than the 70-200 f2.8L. I have borrowed my friend's 70-200 f4, a great lens as well, but the 70-300 is just more pleasant to carry around. If you are a lazy photographer like me, you may find that you are more likely to bring the 70-300L with you because the other lenses are too much trouble.
Another advantage obviously is reach - you get another 100mm without having to use a teleconverter. You may not need it, but its is very nice to have in a lot of situations.
The biggest con for me is that the zoom and focus rings are reversed from every other Canon lens I have used: on this lens, the zoom ring is out on the end of the lens, and the manual focus ring is the one closer to the body.
Presumably there was some engineering reason why they had to do it this way, but it takes getting used to, especially when switching between lenses. And I just find it easier when the more frequently used zoom ring is the one closer to the body. This is the main thing I wish I could change about the lens.
Another con is that even if you don't need to shoot at a wide aperture, because this is an f5.6 lens (at the long end), not all of the autofocus points are available on the 5D3. There are still plenty of points in the center column, and the autofocus is still very fast and accurate, but just remember that you won't have all the points on the side areas like with most of your lenses.
Some people complain that Canon doesn't include a tripod ring, but I don't find it that big a deal because this is a lens that is meant to be hand-held. It also doesn't have a fancy zippered case like 70-200 f2.8, just the simpler cloth bag like other L lenses, but that doesn't matter either because you will tend to keep this lens in your camera bag or on the camera - you aren't going to want a separate case for it.
All the zoom lenses involve a tradeoff between size, weight, maximum aperture, and price. The 70-300L might not be ideal for portraits, or for shooting indoor sports, or for other low-light applications. But for general outdoor applications, including sports and nature photography, I find it is a very practical, user-frendly lens.
The biggest advantage is size: Though still a big heavy lens by most measures, by telephoto zoom standards, the 70-300L is *relatively* small and light. It isn't that much bigger than the 24-105L. And its about an inch shorter than the 70-200 f4, and about 2 inches shorter than the 70-200 f2.8, so it fits more easily in a camera bag. It is considerably lighter than the 70-200 f2.8L. I have borrowed my friend's 70-200 f4, a great lens as well, but the 70-300 is just more pleasant to carry around. If you are a lazy photographer like me, you may find that you are more likely to bring the 70-300L with you because the other lenses are too much trouble.
Another advantage obviously is reach - you get another 100mm without having to use a teleconverter. You may not need it, but its is very nice to have in a lot of situations.
The biggest con for me is that the zoom and focus rings are reversed from every other Canon lens I have used: on this lens, the zoom ring is out on the end of the lens, and the manual focus ring is the one closer to the body.
Presumably there was some engineering reason why they had to do it this way, but it takes getting used to, especially when switching between lenses. And I just find it easier when the more frequently used zoom ring is the one closer to the body. This is the main thing I wish I could change about the lens.
Another con is that even if you don't need to shoot at a wide aperture, because this is an f5.6 lens (at the long end), not all of the autofocus points are available on the 5D3. There are still plenty of points in the center column, and the autofocus is still very fast and accurate, but just remember that you won't have all the points on the side areas like with most of your lenses.
Some people complain that Canon doesn't include a tripod ring, but I don't find it that big a deal because this is a lens that is meant to be hand-held. It also doesn't have a fancy zippered case like 70-200 f2.8, just the simpler cloth bag like other L lenses, but that doesn't matter either because you will tend to keep this lens in your camera bag or on the camera - you aren't going to want a separate case for it.
All the zoom lenses involve a tradeoff between size, weight, maximum aperture, and price. The 70-300L might not be ideal for portraits, or for shooting indoor sports, or for other low-light applications. But for general outdoor applications, including sports and nature photography, I find it is a very practical, user-frendly lens.
62 of 63 people found this review helpful.
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Review 6 for EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM
Nickname: Keyan
Used this product for: Less than 1 month
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Mostly used for: Landscape/Nature
Canon Enthusiast: 1 to 5 years
Product replacement: No
Fantastic lens
Overall Rating
Features
5
out of
5
Performance
5
out of
5
Price/Value
4
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
5
out of
5
Date:July 14, 2012
Pros: Fast auto-focus, Superior build quality, Super-sharp images
This lens is fantastic, particularly on a crop camera. There are a ton of lenses that all cover the 70-300mm range and many thought this lens would be rather redundant. It isn't. This lens is amazing, extremely sharp, built very well, very effective IS and fast ring USM autofocus, all of the great things you expect from an L class lens, but in a package that is relatively small and light (for an L tele zoom). This lens pairs very well with crop cameras as they are smaller and lighter than their full frame counterparts and the compact package of this lens balances well on them.
Some are thrown by the focus ring being behind the zoom ring, but this is exactly the same set up as the 17-55 IS USM so I am used to it. The focus ring has to be behind the area where the barrel extends so it can be connected to the ring USM system which in this case is in the rear of the lens.
Only minor drawbacks are the included case is a drawstring bag and no tripod collar included, however this lens is really intended to be portable and hand held most of the time.
Overall this is an amazing lens and I would highly recommend it!
13 of 14 people found this review helpful.
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Review 7 for EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM
Nickname: DGC
Location: Lake Tahoe, CA
Used this product for: 6 to 12 months
Expertise Level: Professional or Expert
Mostly used for: Sports
Canon Enthusiast: more than 20 years
Product replacement: Yes
70-300 F4-5.6L
Overall Rating
Features
4
out of
5
Performance
4
out of
5
Price/Value
4
out of
5
Quality
4
out of
5
Satisfaction
4
out of
5
Date:May 27, 2012
Pros: well balanced images, good value vs. f 2.8 lenses
Cons: not constant f4
Extremely good color rendition and highlight to shadow performance. I wish this lens had been made in a constant F4. But it gets the job done, and quite well.
2 of 5 people found this review helpful.
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Review 8 for EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM
Nickname: TODZILLA
Location: aurora,il.
Used this product for: more than 1 year
Expertise Level: Professional or Expert
Canon Enthusiast: 1 to 5 years
Product replacement: Yes
BEST 70-300MM LENS EVER!
Overall Rating
Features
5
out of
5
Performance
5
out of
5
Price/Value
5
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
5
out of
5
Date:April 24, 2012
Pros: very sharp! solid feel! very smooth!
Cons: none
after more then a year and thousands of photos later,i have to say i love this lens for just about everything! i use the 7d and took pics of dragonflies up close and the detail is amazing! i have to say everything close up to distant looks sharp at all focal lengths and wide open! by having the zoom ring at the end of the lens i think gives better balance and doesnt bother me at all! hand held shots at 300mm and 1/60th shutter speed are sharp! theres not much this lens cant do! I took it to the zoo and performed great indoors and out! took some pics of dolphins indoors and they turned out sharp! took some great pics of flying hawks, so its a great action lens! very fast and quiet autofocus! easy to carry and use all day long! was looking at the 70-200 f/4 IS when the new 70-300L came out and i just knew i had to have it for the extra 100mm. from my expirience,this lens doesnt need a tripod collar so not an issue with me.excellent,sharpness,color,and contrast from this lens,as long as you get a good copy,mine needed to be recalibrated and when i got it back from canon it was very sharp! ! you wont be disapointed!
8 of 8 people found this review helpful.
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Review 9 for EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM
Nickname: RH
Location: Montana
Used this product for: 3 to 6 months
Expertise Level: Professional or Expert
Canon Enthusiast: 11 to 20 years
Product replacement: Yes
Serious design flaws
Overall Rating
Features
1
out of
5
Performance
4
out of
5
Price/Value
3
out of
5
Quality
4
out of
5
Satisfaction
1
out of
5
Date:April 15, 2012
Optically this lens lens is pretty good, certainly much better than the standard series 70-300, which is unusable at focal lengths over 200mm. Where this lens fails is that the focusing ring is placed where the zoom ring should be situated. Jammed in so close to the lens mount it is very difficult to use this lens with gloves, and most of my shooting takes place in temperatures that require them. I have lost more than a few shots because of this. An obvious amelioration to this poor design would have been simple- to equip the focus function switch with three positions- Manual focus only, Autofocus only, and both Manual & Autofocus live. The lens as it exists, with the manual focus function always live, really stinks. It is very easy to bump the focus ring and disturb the focus. Other photographers that have asked me about this lens have agreed fully after holding it. I do not recommend this lens.
10 of 30 people found this review helpful.
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Review 10 for EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM
Nickname: greybird
Location: texas
Used this product for: Less than 1 month
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Canon Enthusiast: more than 20 years
Product replacement: No
Super lens
Overall Rating
Features
5
out of
5
Performance
5
out of
5
Price/Value
5
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
5
out of
5
Date:February 18, 2012
Pros: sharp and fast, reasonable weight and compact size, very nice presentation, quality build
Cons: no tripod collar included, will not work with extenders
Superior lens as far as sharpness at all focal length and speed. Not much difference in the weight as compared to my 100mm macro. Works great for macro as well as distance. I haven't taken it off my camera since I got it a week ago. I not ready to spring the $$$$ for the tripod collar--works ok on my heavier tripod wihout. In retrospect, I would most certainly choose this one again, highly recommended.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.
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Review 11 for EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM
Nickname: PK
Location: Houston, Texas
Used this product for: 3 to 6 months
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Canon Enthusiast: 11 to 20 years
Product replacement: No
You won't be sorry you bought it !!!
Overall Rating
Features
5
out of
5
Performance
5
out of
5
Price/Value
4
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
5
out of
5
Date:January 29, 2012
Pros: great size for 300 "l", easy handling, sharp pics edge to edge, great color
Cons: little expensive
Bought this lens to do close-in wildlife photography and have been very pleased with the results. I have this one mounted on a T2i and it gives sharp images edge to edge as well as great color. The size makes it easy to handle in a hurry and the 300mm allows me to bring in those somewhat distant subjects. Most of my shooting is done freehanded and this is where the IS really shines, it helps a lot and I can tell right away when I forget to turn it back on after tripod use. Some complain about the weight but it does'nt bother me. I find a little extra weight gives the camera and lens combo a better feel.
This lens has done everything that I have asked it to do and done it very well. If you are serious about the quality of your photos and need something in this focal range, then you won't be sorry if you choose this lens. I only wish I hade bought it sooner.
Oh, and don't be concerned about the tripod colar. This lens does not come with one but if you have to have one from Canon they are not cheep. You may be able to find a used or aftermarket one online.
Botom line is I REALLY LIKE THIS LENS !!!!!! You will too.
This lens has done everything that I have asked it to do and done it very well. If you are serious about the quality of your photos and need something in this focal range, then you won't be sorry if you choose this lens. I only wish I hade bought it sooner.
Oh, and don't be concerned about the tripod colar. This lens does not come with one but if you have to have one from Canon they are not cheep. You may be able to find a used or aftermarket one online.
Botom line is I REALLY LIKE THIS LENS !!!!!! You will too.
9 of 10 people found this review helpful.
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Review 12 for EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM
Nickname: GeneinTO
Location: Lansing, MI
Used this product for: 3 to 6 months
Expertise Level: Professional or Expert
Canon Enthusiast: 6 to 10 years
Product replacement: Yes
Nice Lens
Overall Rating
Features
3
out of
5
Performance
4
out of
5
Price/Value
3
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
3
out of
5
Date:January 26, 2012
Pros: compact and solid
Cons: collar not included
I have had this lens 4 months now. I shoot about half handheld outside and half on a tripod. The compact design is great at 70mm and lens extends as you zoom which is 'old school' but not too distracting. It will even 'stand up' in most camera bags meaning it takes a lot less room than comparable lenses. Image quality is good, AF is quiet/smooth, and IS is adequate. On a tripod I do sometimes notice some shake when lens was extended (even on my heavier tripod). I am sure this will be better when I find the 'optional' collar. It has unavailable thru most retailers since I bought the lens and is quite pricey. Regardless I think it is a must have item with this lens. Overall the lens performs well and once I get my hands on a collar, I will enjoy it much more.
4 of 7 people found this review helpful.
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Review 13 for EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM
Nickname: Scotty
Location: Alaska
Used this product for: 1 to 3 months
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Canon Enthusiast: 11 to 20 years
Product replacement: No
Beau t ful lens
Overall Rating
Features
5
out of
5
Performance
5
out of
5
Price/Value
4
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
5
out of
5
Date:November 22, 2011
The lens is crystal clear and tac sharp. While many complain it needs a collar, I suggest a little exercise. It is very comfortable to hold and not much difference in weight versus the 24-70L. While I too would like a lower price, you get what you pay for. In this case, I paid for a crystal clear, sharp, long range zoom lens. That's exactly what I received.
22 of 24 people found this review helpful.
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Review 14 for EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM
Nickname: 2.5H
Location: out snaping photos
Used this product for: 6 to 12 months
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Canon Enthusiast: 1 to 5 years
Product replacement: Yes
Favorite zoom lens
Overall Rating
Features
4
out of
5
Performance
5
out of
5
Price/Value
4
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
4
out of
5
Date:November 19, 2011
Pros: superfast auto focus, great i.s., great color, light weight for what it does, focus ring is close to the camera which i prefer
Cons: no tripod mount
Was using a 70-300mm non-L and upgraded to a 100-400mm, but couldn't deal with the slide zoom together with its weight. I received my 70-300mm L lens last winter and I concur with all the others that say this lens should come with the tripod ring the initial literature promised would be included. However all that happened when I pointed out that I was owed a tripod ring was the language was changed in the ads to no longer include one.
However I feel the price is correct for this lens as delivered - SUPER fast autofocus with great image stabilization with my 60D. When I shoot action at slower shutter speeds, my keep rate doubled with this lens over my non-L 70-300mm. I find I can literally wave the camera around and get a few surprisingly usable shots! It's also light enough that my 70-200mm L IS never gets used. Highly recommended.
12 of 12 people found this review helpful.
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Review 15 for EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM
Nickname: Serious amateur
Location: Columbus, Ohio
Used this product for: 1 to 3 months
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Mostly used for: Travel
Canon Enthusiast: more than 20 years
Product replacement: No
Terrific lens
Overall Rating
Features
5
out of
5
Performance
5
out of
5
Price/Value
4
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
5
out of
5
Date:October 25, 2011
This is my first L lens and I debated for a long time before deciding to spend the extra $. No regrets. The performance and flexibility are fantastic and the sharpness compared to other mid level Canon lenses I own is unbelievable. I'm using it on a 60d and have taken very sharp photos at the 300mm setting (480mm) handheld at 1/60 second. The focus is super fast to capture sports. If you can afford it, go for it.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful.
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Review 16 for EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM
Nickname: MPKL
Location: Oregon
Used this product for: Less than 1 month
Expertise Level: Hobbyist/Enthusiast
Mostly used for: Landscape/Nature
Canon Enthusiast: 1 to 5 years
Product replacement: Yes
Great Lens
Overall Rating
Features
3
out of
5
Performance
5
out of
5
Price/Value
4
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
4
out of
5
Date:October 17, 2011
Pros: Fast auto-focus, Superior build quality, Super-sharp images
Cons: no tripod mount
I love the sharpness and silent fast focusing of this lens.
At the price I paid for it a tripod mount ring should have been included. Canon should send one free to anyone who bought this lens due to the front heavy situation when trying to use a tripod. I fear I will break the bottom out of my camera body.
At the price I paid for it a tripod mount ring should have been included. Canon should send one free to anyone who bought this lens due to the front heavy situation when trying to use a tripod. I fear I will break the bottom out of my camera body.
4 of 6 people found this review helpful.
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Review 17 for EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM
Nickname: impressed
Location: Rochester, NY
Used this product for: 1 to 3 months
Expertise Level: Hobbyist/Enthusiast
Mostly used for: Travel
Canon Enthusiast: 1 to 5 years
Product replacement: No
A Great Lens
Overall Rating
Features
5
out of
5
Performance
5
out of
5
Price/Value
5
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
5
out of
5
Date:October 8, 2011
Pros: Fast auto-focus, Superior build quality, Super-sharp images
I am approaching what you would call an amateur photographer. I bought this lens to use on a 9 day safari in Kenya. I did some research beforehand and found some recommendations emphasizing a fixed length telephoto lens because you almost always use it at maximum zoom. This is not true. Our safari experience did include animal viewing at a distance but also included lions, cheetahs, giraffes, baboons and elephants so close that a 300mm zoom would allow you to perform a dental examination. You definitely need the range of a zoom and at 70mm with my cropped sensor camera (cannon EOS 40D) sometimes you were still too close. Changing lenses on safari in the dust and bouncing along the road is not a graceful procedure. The image stabilization feature of the lens is great but a bean bag is indispensable. I love the lens and the results I obtained. The detail it captured allowed images to be enlarged and still retain great clarity.l also love the way at full zoom and maximum aperture you get great detail and a pleasant background blur. Any problems I had with the photographs were do to my errors, mostly with shutter speed (lack of attention to it). It is a great lens and everyone who sees you using it is impressed and expects you to be taking great photos.
8 of 8 people found this review helpful.
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Review 18 for EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM
Nickname: Fiddler
Location: Oregon
Used this product for: 3 to 6 months
Expertise Level: Hobbyist/Enthusiast
Mostly used for: Landscape/Nature
Canon Enthusiast: 1 to 5 years
Product replacement: No
Excellent Lens--Needs tripod collar
Overall Rating
Features
5
out of
5
Performance
5
out of
5
Price/Value
5
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
3
out of
5
Date:August 11, 2011
Pros: Fast auto-focus, Superior build quality, Super-sharp images
Cons: no tripod collar available (yet)
---I have had this lens for just over three months and it is a fantastic lens. It is expensive but this is a case of "you get what you pay for" so while some feel it is overpriced I don't. I haven't found a single thing to be even slightly upset about except one.
---The only thing that brings my satisfaction level down to three stars is I would love to use the lens with a tripod and I am simply unable to do so. When mounted on m 7D the lens is so front heavy that it causes undue strain on all of my tripods. I am relegated to using it hand held and while it is an excellent hand held lens I feel as if half of its potential is being wasted.
---I simply cannot understand why it has taken Canon so long to make this necessary accessory available and until it is available I won't recommend it to a friend without pointing out the shortcomings of such a large lens without a collar.
---I would really like to hear something official from Canon as to the future availability of the Ring C(WII) collar.
28 of 30 people found this review helpful.
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Review 19 for EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM
Nickname: Anonymous
Location: Northern lower Michigan
Used this product for: 3 to 6 months
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Mostly used for: Landscape/Nature
Canon Enthusiast: more than 20 years
Product replacement: Yes
Great Zoom Lens (almost)
Overall Rating
Features
4
out of
5
Performance
5
out of
5
Price/Value
4
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
5
out of
5
Date:June 16, 2011
Pros: Superior build quality, Super-sharp images, rugged construction, high-quality finish
Cons: price, incompatible with extenders
I purchased the EF 70-300mm F4-5.6L telephoto zoom last winter, and it is a wonderful piece of equipment. It replaced an older Canon 70-300 F4-5.6 USM that I had owned for 18 years. What I like the most about it is the wonderfully sharp images that can be obtained hand-held at high magnification in relatively low-light situations with the Image Stabilizer active in Mode 1 (I haven't used it yet in Mode 2). It's extra weight compared to my previous 70-300mm lens actually makes it easier to hand-hold steadily. When locked into place at the 70mm focal length, it is nice and compact to carry and the lens doesn't self-extend while I walk around. The construction is very rugged and the lens is beautifully finished. It also makes a very nice portrait lens on my T2i with the 1.6 crop factor. The only criticisms I have are that it is quite expensive (I feel that Canon charges extra for the L series lenses just because of their fine reputation, not because they actually cost that much more to manufacture), and that it is incompatible with the EF 1.4 and 2.0 extenders (other L series telephoto zooms ARE compatible). Having said this, I am still very pleased with this product and proud to be the lucky owner of such a great piece of photographic equipment.
18 of 19 people found this review helpful.
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Review 20 for EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM
Nickname: yeldarb
Location: PA
Used this product for: Less than 1 month
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Mostly used for: Family & Friends
Canon Enthusiast: more than 20 years
Product replacement: No
Can't Use Extenders?
Overall Rating
Features
3
out of
5
Performance
4
out of
5
Price/Value
3
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
3
out of
5
Date:May 5, 2011
Pros: Superior build quality, Super-sharp images
Cons: no extender support
I tested this lens to see if it could replace my 100-400. I certainly like that it's lighter and smaller, and the optics quality is fantastic. The rotating zoom ring (vs push/pull) is more versatile (I think push/pull is fine for still photography but when I shoot video it's impossible.) I also agree with others who said Canon should include the tripod mount ring, but that's minor. The biggest problem for me is that unlike the 100-400, this lens wont' work with the Canon Extender EF 1.4X III and 2x III. I occasionally want to go out to 500+ (e.g when shooting sports or auto racing). This is really too bad. I don't understand why Canon would not make it work, possibly a size issue? If I could use the Extender I would make the replacement and give this lens 4.5 stars.
25 of 31 people found this review helpful.
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