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Customer Reviews for EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III
EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III
A DC motor is used instead of a USM to drive the AF
13 elements in 9 groups
Front group rotating extension system with Micromotor
Closest Focusing Distance: 4.9 ft./1.5m
Average Customer Rating:
(36 Reviews) 36
Rating Snapshot (36 reviews)
5 stars
11
4 stars
12
3 stars
10
2 stars
2
1 star
1
30 out of 36(83%)reviewers would recommend this product to a friend.
Customer Reviews for EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III
Review 1 for EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III
Nickname: dhalb
Location: North Dakota
Used this product for: Less than 1 month
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Mostly used for: Landscape/Nature
Canon Enthusiast: Less than 1 year
Product replacement: No
Good beginner lens, nothing special.
Overall Rating
Features
2
out of
5
Performance
2
out of
5
Price/Value
4
out of
5
Quality
3
out of
5
Satisfaction
3
out of
5
Date:May 20, 2013
Pros: easy to use, excellent range
Cons: Slow auto-focus, Semi-sharp images, Poor build quality, no image stabilizer, chromatic aberration, needs to be stopped down.
Great lens for beginners because of its low price. It's also fairly light for its focal length. It can produce a few nice photos provided you know what you're doing. But that's about where the pros end.
If you're looking for super-sharp professional quality images, you're going to have to look somewhere else.
The focus is soft to begin with, but once you go over 200mm it gets dramatically worse.
The Auto Focus has a lot of trouble with low-light situations, and is fairly picky while in AI Servo. Not to mention slow. I've had a couple instances where it took nearly 10 (ten) seconds to focus.
There's also an issue with Chromatic Aberration. Everyone loves pincushioning and purple fraying around their subject, right?
Anyway, aside from the soft focus, slow AF, and CA problems, the lack of the Image Stabilizer is truly the major downfall to this lens. I recommend using a tripod above 135mm, and I don't even attempt hand-shooting over 200mm after dozens of failed shots.
For a superior quality lens with a similar focal length that doesn't break your bank, I recommend picking up the 55-250mm IS II instead.
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Review 2 for EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III
Nickname: mkt
Location: Arizona
Used this product for: 1 to 3 months
Expertise Level: Hobbyist/Enthusiast
Mostly used for: Travel
Canon Enthusiast: Less than 1 year
Product replacement: No
Infinity focus is blurry
Overall Rating
Features
4
out of
5
Performance
3
out of
5
Price/Value
5
out of
5
Quality
3
out of
5
Satisfaction
3
out of
5
Date:March 24, 2013
Purchased December 2012 with bundled T3i.
Nice lens with wide zoom range.
Manual focus at the infinity setting is blurry, you have to back it off just a tad. Internal focusing mechanism just not up to old standards. You can not just set it to infinity and shoot.
Many posts on web about the out of focus at infinity issue. It is a problem I did not expect to have. Not critical but really annoying.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Review 3 for EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III
Nickname: Big Ro
Location: New york, NY
Used this product for: Less than 1 month
Expertise Level: Casual User
Mostly used for: Family & Friends
Canon Enthusiast: 6 to 10 years
Product replacement: No
great starter
Overall Rating
Features
3
out of
5
Performance
3
out of
5
Price/Value
5
out of
5
Quality
3
out of
5
Satisfaction
4
out of
5
Date:January 4, 2013
Pros: great for beginners
Cons: Slow auto-focus
Got this with my T3 kit in a bundle for Black Friday. First foray stepping away from point and shoot. Read a lot of reviews and complaints. First off, it's not an L lens so people need to stop comparing. If you realize what you have, then you are good to go. As far as the 200mm to 300mm zoom goes, it's imperative to use a tripod or you will get nothing but blur. I tried this and was disappointed until I used a tripod/monopod. The zoom, with manual focus, can get you that good to sometimes great shot all the time. Until you are ready to step your game up, this is a very good lens to learn the basics. Just remember what you have and your expectations will be reached.
17 of 17 people found this review helpful.
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Review 4 for EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III
Nickname: D.T.
Location: Twentynine Palms, CA
Used this product for: Less than 1 month
Expertise Level: Hobbyist/Enthusiast
Mostly used for: Landscape/Nature
Canon Enthusiast: Less than 1 year
Product replacement: No
Overall Rating
Features
3
out of
5
Performance
3
out of
5
Price/Value
5
out of
5
Quality
3
out of
5
Satisfaction
3
out of
5
Date:December 9, 2012
Pros: easy to use, great range
Cons: Slow auto-focus, Semi-sharp images, Poor build quality, no is
Not much to say... it's average lens all-around. Not a bad lens, but not really good. It has great range, but you will need a tripod, for sure. Images are nice, but not perfect. Great lens for beginners because of price. No USM, and no IS make it pretty plain. I bought a 55-250mm IS lens to replace this one. If I know I'm going somewhere where I'll need the extra zoom, and I plan on bringing a tripod, I will bring this one out of the closet for a bit. If you're looking to buy a telephoto zoom, save up for a couple more months and get the 55-250mm IS lens. For what it's worth, you absolutely can't argue with the value.
13 of 15 people found this review helpful.
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Review 5 for EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III
Nickname: Harlem knight
Location: New York, NY
Used this product for: Less than 1 month
Expertise Level: Casual User
Mostly used for: Family & Friends
Canon Enthusiast: 1 to 5 years
Product replacement: No
great for beginners
Overall Rating
Features
3
out of
5
Performance
4
out of
5
Price/Value
5
out of
5
Quality
4
out of
5
Satisfaction
4
out of
5
Date:December 7, 2012
Pros: Super-sharp images
Cons: Slow auto-focus
Got this extra with my rebel t3 kit, my first foray away from the point and shoot. So far so good. While I'm not a professional, I take the occasional shots whenever something catches my eye. As I've been playing with the lenses, I've noticed that if you follow the parameters of the lens, it will give you good to great results. Tried to take a picture of the big and little dipper, guess it wasn't enough light as the camera just wouldn't focus. On some subjects, it just keeps focusing, found out a couple of steps taken backward can alleviate that issue. Overall, so far, its a good lens and can give you great shots. Being that it doesn't have IS, if you zoom to the max, you'll get nothing but blur so invest in a tripod. Anything closer and the focus is great.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Review 6 for EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III
Nickname: ChatRoomKiller
Location: Houston, TX
Used this product for: more than 1 year
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Mostly used for: Travel
Canon Enthusiast: 6 to 10 years
Product replacement: Yes
Poor performer at best.
Overall Rating
Features
2
out of
5
Performance
1
out of
5
Price/Value
2
out of
5
Quality
1
out of
5
Satisfaction
1
out of
5
Date:November 3, 2012
Cons: Slow auto-focus, Semi-sharp images
Out of the box, my focus ring sticks before getting to infinity when on autofocus.
It canl not take a distant object in focus while set over 200mm on any setting. In over 100 attempts ZERO pictures are in focus. Even on landscape mode or manual with focus set on infinity and the Fstop raised to f16 are still blurry at 200mm - 300mm.
This lens is simply no good.
It canl not take a distant object in focus while set over 200mm on any setting. In over 100 attempts ZERO pictures are in focus. Even on landscape mode or manual with focus set on infinity and the Fstop raised to f16 are still blurry at 200mm - 300mm.
This lens is simply no good.
6 of 11 people found this review helpful.
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Review 7 for EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III
Nickname: Q
Location: WA state
Used this product for: 1 to 3 months
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Mostly used for: Sports
Canon Enthusiast: more than 20 years
Product replacement: Yes
Sad
Overall Rating
Features
4
out of
5
Performance
3
out of
5
Price/Value
3
out of
5
Quality
2
out of
5
Satisfaction
3
out of
5
Date:September 22, 2012
Pros: inexpensive
Cons: Semi-sharp images
I used to be a serious amateur and loved my FTb, A1 and EF bodies for 35mm. Canon FD lenses were known for their sharpness; the difference between lower priced Canon glass and the upper end lenses was the speed of the lens. The faster lenses were more expensive, but even the less expensive models were sharp.
After relying on my G9 for a few years, I am getting back into SLRs. This lens has none of the old quality. Even in-focus photos are soft and I doubt it's because of my 50D body. This lens is a huge disappointment.
3 of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Review 8 for EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III
Nickname: Corbittstudios
Used this product for: 6 to 12 months
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Mostly used for: Sports
Canon Enthusiast: 1 to 5 years
Product replacement: Yes
Excellent quality for the price.
Overall Rating
Features
4
out of
5
Performance
4
out of
5
Price/Value
5
out of
5
Quality
4
out of
5
Satisfaction
5
out of
5
Date:August 23, 2012
Pros: Fast auto-focus
Cons: Semi-sharp images
It is a good lens if you are just starting out in wildlife or sports I always have it with me good build quality but realize that it is not a pro lens but you can still accomplish amazing shots from it.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful.
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Review 9 for EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III
Nickname: Jomaque
Location: Barstow, CA
Used this product for: 3 to 6 months
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Mostly used for: Landscape/Nature
Canon Enthusiast: 6 to 10 years
Product replacement: No
Eh...Good price, not quality
Overall Rating
Features
3
out of
5
Performance
2
out of
5
Price/Value
4
out of
5
Quality
3
out of
5
Satisfaction
4
out of
5
Date:June 28, 2012
Pros: Superior build quality, lightweight
Cons: Slow auto-focus, Semi-sharp images, chromatic aberration
I bought this lens back in November, and it's a starter telephoto. After some shots later on, however, there was noticeable problems with the lens and photos. The lens' autofocus is very slow, even my 18-55 is faster. The 75-300 is also prone to chromatic aberration, which leads to purple fringing on edges of subjects, which are a problem. I do recommend this lens, however, to someone on a tight budget. But, overall, as a photographer, I'm not exactly pleased.
11 of 13 people found this review helpful.
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Review 10 for EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III
Nickname: Brenna1227
Location: Uniontown, Ohio
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
It's ok...
Overall Rating
Features
5
out of
5
Performance
4
out of
5
Price/Value
4
out of
5
Quality
3
out of
5
Satisfaction
4
out of
5
Date:June 18, 2012
Pros: Fast auto-focus, Super-sharp images
Cons: Poor build quality
This lens is ok. It produces really sharp images and the auto-focus is average speed. What I don't like is, it is really cheaply made. When I got it, some of the metal around the lens was chipped, the plastic was faded, etc. If you are looking for a lens that performs well that is well priced, then I would get this lens. If you are willing to spend more, don't get it.
4 of 5 people found this review helpful.
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Review 11 for EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III
Nickname: sam i am
Location: Gainesville, FL
Used this product for: 3 to 6 months
Expertise Level: Hobbyist/Enthusiast
Mostly used for: Family & Friends
Canon Enthusiast: more than 20 years
Product replacement: Yes
Great air shots
Overall Rating
Features
3
out of
5
Performance
4
out of
5
Price/Value
5
out of
5
Quality
4
out of
5
Satisfaction
4
out of
5
Date:May 25, 2012
Pros: Superior build quality
Cons: Slow auto-focus, Semi-sharp images
I used this lens with my new camera at the Sun N Fun air show in Lakeland FL in April of 2012. I found it easy for my spouse and I to use. We were taking shots of fast moving FA18 as well as older bi-planes. The lens did very well with night shots of the air show.
6 of 8 people found this review helpful.
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Review 12 for EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III
Nickname: Mit
Location: San Mateo, California
Used this product for: more than 1 year
Expertise Level: Hobbyist/Enthusiast
Canon Enthusiast: 1 to 5 years
Product replacement: No
Disappointed with the lens
Overall Rating
Features
4
out of
5
Performance
3
out of
5
Price/Value
4
out of
5
Quality
4
out of
5
Satisfaction
2
out of
5
Date:March 16, 2012
I used this lens at the 2012 Indian Wells Professional Tennis Tournament. Inside stadium shooting at night was very disappointing as I could not used a flash. With courtside seats costing $100.00 a piece, I had expected to get very sharp pictures of the greats. Not so. the focus was very uneven and blurry around the immediate subject matter causing distraction to the eye. The highest shutter speed I could attain was 70/sec. I used the sport shooting mode and the manual mode. I also used a monopod to improve steadiness but this still did not achieve the result I was looking for. The lens performed better in bright daylight but late afternoon light once again degraded sharpness. It was too bad because the compostion of my pictures was good. I welcome any advice as to how to improve my technique using this lens from more experienced and better photographers. My email is attached.
13 of 17 people found this review helpful.
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Review 13 for EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III
Nickname: Jweavercma
Location: Boise, Idaho
Used this product for: more than 1 year
Expertise Level: Hobbyist/Enthusiast
Canon Enthusiast: 1 to 5 years
Product replacement: No
Good for Beginners
Overall Rating
Features
2
out of
5
Performance
3
out of
5
Price/Value
5
out of
5
Quality
4
out of
5
Satisfaction
3
out of
5
Date:February 13, 2012
Pros: fairly sharp images
Cons: external focusing mechanism, slow autofocus
When I first used this lens I was a rank amateur so I had no idea what I was doing. Now that I have advanced beyond my kit lenses, the limitations of this lens are glaringly apparent. My major problem with is the fact that you cant use a polarizer or split ND filter with it due to the external focusing mechanism.
8 of 10 people found this review helpful.
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Review 14 for EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III
Nickname: Wolfman
Location: Bismarck ND
Used this product for: 1 to 3 months
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Canon Enthusiast: 11 to 20 years
Product replacement: No
Good Lense
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:January 5, 2012
This is a very good lense for the price. I take lots of sport action shots and it works very well. I have looked at other lenses that are over $1000 and they offer more quality but when viewing pictures from both, you can't really tell a difference.
142 of 146 people found this review helpful.
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Review 15 for EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III
Nickname: rip red
Location: Sandwich, IL
Used this product for: Less than 1 month
Expertise Level: Casual User
Mostly used for: Landscape/Nature
Canon Enthusiast: Less than 1 year
Product replacement: Yes
first slr and i am very satisfied
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 20, 2011
It is amazing and great for beginers. It is unbelievable how well you can zoom in and auto focus or do it manually.
30 of 30 people found this review helpful.
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Review 16 for EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III
Nickname: pslake
Location: North Carolina
Used this product for: 3 to 6 months
Expertise Level: Hobbyist/Enthusiast
Mostly used for: Sports
Canon Enthusiast: Less than 1 year
Product replacement: Yes
A very good lens for the money!
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:July 9, 2011
Pros: Fast auto-focus, Superior build quality, Super-sharp images
I have a Canon D-50, I bought from canon.com and added this lens for sport photography. It far exceeded my expectations. It is a quality lens that is well contructed, works very well and takes great pictures.
17 of 19 people found this review helpful.
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Review 17 for EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III
Nickname: Photo dude
Location: Reno, Nevada
Used this product for: 1 to 3 months
Expertise Level: Professional or Expert
Mostly used for: Landscape/Nature
Canon Enthusiast: 11 to 20 years
Product replacement: No
Very nice 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:June 15, 2011
Pros: Fast auto-focus, Superior build quality, Super-sharp images
Great images, easy to use, well constructed. I prefer to use a lens hood to eliminate stray light.
10 of 13 people found this review helpful.
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Review 18 for EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III
Nickname: Big Juicy
Location: Jacksonville, FL
Used this product for: 6 to 12 months
Expertise Level: Hobbyist/Enthusiast
Mostly used for: Portraits
Canon Enthusiast: 1 to 5 years
Product replacement: No
Follow up...
Overall Rating
Features
4
out of
5
Performance
4
out of
5
Price/Value
5
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
4
out of
5
Date:March 30, 2011
Pros: great zoom, sharp images if used correctly
Cons: Slow auto-focus, shoots dark
This is a follow up to my post/review from a few months back. I've been using this lens now for quite a bit of time and have shot around a lot with it. One thing I've noticed and had read before is that the lens tends to shoot dark. I've found this to be true so adequate lighting (natural or via flash) is critical to compensate for this. I love the Canon Speedlite 430 II flash and it's exposure compensation feature which helps immensely. This lens can also generate quite a bit of noise so be sure to have the ISO set correctly for the conditions on your camera. Also, you'll need to shoot on "P" mode or "TV/SV" mode so you can align the focal length with the lens size; example, 300mm lens, 300 or more shutter speed to eliminate camera shake. A lot to remember but if you do these things you'll be happy with this lens. Still a thumbs up for price/value! Enjoy and shoot well...
63 of 69 people found this review helpful.
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Review 19 for EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III
Nickname: Photo Man
Location: DETROIT, MICHIGAN
Used this product for: Less than 1 month
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Canon Enthusiast: 11 to 20 years
Product replacement: No
Well worth the money spend
Overall Rating
Features
5
out of
5
Performance
4
out of
5
Price/Value
5
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
5
out of
5
Date:January 19, 2011
Pros: just about everything, amature
Cons: auto focus a little slow
I BOUGHT THIS LENS TO PUT ON MY OLD CANON EOS REBEL TO TAKE WITH ME WHILE DRIVING AROUND. I WASN'T SURE IT WOULD LIVE UP MY EXPECTATIONS, BUT WAS WILLING TO SETTLE FOR A LITTLE LESS. BOY, WAS I SUIRPRISED. IT HAS GOOD QUALITY, IS WELL MADE, AND TAKES BEAUTIFUL PICTURES FOR REAL. THE AUTO FOCUS IS A LITTLE SLOW, BUT WHEN IT LOCKES IN, YOU HAVE A BEAUTIFUL PICTURE. THE AUTO FOCUS IS A LITTLE STIFF, BUT I THINK IT WILL NEVER HAVE ANY LENS CREEP. I CARANKED IT UP TO 300MM AND CAUGHT A HAWK IN FLIGHT. IT TOOK ON OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PICTURES EVER. IF YOU LEARN TO USE THE LENS PROPERLY, LIKE EVERYTING ELSE, YOU WILL FIND NO FAULT WITH IT. I HAVE A 70-300 IS USM, AND IT TOO IS KING OF THE ROAD. I HOPE CANON STAYS ON THE RIGHT PATH, AS RIGHT NOW THEY PRODUCE THE BEST LENS FOR THE MONEY, PERIOD.
30 of 30 people found this review helpful.
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Review 20 for EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III
Nickname: Stone Man
Location: Wilbraham, Ma.
Used this product for: 3 to 6 months
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Product replacement: No
It's great for it's price
Overall Rating
Features
3
out of
5
Performance
4
out of
5
Price/Value
5
out of
5
Quality
3
out of
5
Satisfaction
5
out of
5
Date:October 24, 2010
For starters this is not a lens for professionals and I'm not one anyway so..., knowing that this is a great lens. It has the features you'll need to take it into the field and get some really good photos under your belt while getting use to the handling and functions of a telephoto lens. After you master this one and chose to use your camera rather then park it in the closet you may end up buying the next level up but for starting out or even for a an everyday knock around lens this one is perfect and can handle some abuse with no trouble. For the cost you really can't beat it. Overall the images will be some you can take a level of pride in. I have taken some longer shots (around 50 to 70 yards) of birds which came out pretty darn good. After printing them I was fairly satified with it and I'm happy enough with it to say "I would" buy it again for the price.
After all the cost is nothing compared to other high end lens's and it's a little toughy that will not make you worry to take it in the woods or the city and get a few bumps, it can handle it. If you buy one for non-professional work you'll have some really neat photos that people will admire including you.
After all the cost is nothing compared to other high end lens's and it's a little toughy that will not make you worry to take it in the woods or the city and get a few bumps, it can handle it. If you buy one for non-professional work you'll have some really neat photos that people will admire including you.
77 of 78 people found this review helpful.
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