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Canon EF 100-300 f4.5-5.6 USM review  PDF Print E-mail
Lenses Canon EF / EF-S
User rating
4.0
out of 5
Editor's rating
1.0
out of 5
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Reviewed by:
Editor
Wednesday, 19 December 2007
Average user rating: 4.0 
15 User reviews
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Lens Summary

Overview

Highly practical and portable telephoto zoom lens. The five zoom groups make the length only 121.5 mm. With Rear focusing, the lens does not change length or rotate during focusing. Any filter effects therefore remain intact. It also makes autofocusing quick and quiet.

Lens Specifications

Generic Lens Specifications
Lens Type: Zoom
IS / VR / OS: None
Min Focal length (mm): 100
Max Focal Length (mm): 300
Number of Elements: 13
Element Groups: 10
Max Aperture: 4.5
Minimum Aperture: 40
Diaphragm Blades: 8
Closest Focus Distance (m): 1.5
Maximum Magnification: 0.26
Filter Type: Screw In
Filter Diameter (mm): 58
Diameter at widest (mm): 73
Lens Length (mm): 121
Weight (g): 540
Release Date: June 1990

Details




Depth-of-Field Data for EF100-300mm f/4.5-5.6 USM
f = 100mm[unit:m]
DF4.55.6811162232
NDFDNDFDNDFDNDFDNDFDNDFDNDFD
Inf.65.10Inf.53.77Inf.38.07Inf.26.98Inf.19.12Inf.13.56Inf.9.64Inf.
2015.3528.7714.6331.7113.1741.9211.5577.109.84Inf.8.14Inf.6.56Inf.
108.7011.778.4712.237.9613.487.3515.766.6220.765.8237.824.97Inf.
76.347.816.228.015.958.525.609.375.1710.914.6814.264.1225.31
54.665.394.595.494.455.724.256.084.016.693.707.793.3510.18
32.883.132.853.162.803.242.723.342.623.512.493.782.334.25
21.952.061.942.071.912.101.882.141.832.201.772.301.692.46
* D = Focusing Distance    ND = Near Distance    FD = Far Distance    Inf. = Infinity
f = 200mm[unit:m]
DF5.6811162232
NDFDNDFDNDFDNDFDNDFDNDFD
Inf.210.43Inf.143.20Inf.101.39Inf.71.77Inf.50.84Inf.36.05Inf.
2018.2822.0917.5723.2316.7324.9015.6727.7314.3933.0712.9045.49
109.5510.499.3610.749.1211.088.8011.608.3812.437.8613.84
76.787.246.687.356.567.516.397.746.178.105.898.67
54.895.124.845.184.775.254.695.364.575.534.415.79
32.963.042.943.062.923.092.893.122.843.182.783.26
21.982.021.972.031.962.041.952.051.932.081.902.11
* D = Focusing Distance    ND = Near Distance    FD = Far Distance    Inf. = Infinity
f = 300mm[unit:m]
DF5.681116223240
NDFDNDFDNDFDNDFDNDFDNDFDNDFD
Inf.432.47Inf.305.98Inf.216.61Inf.153.29Inf.108.55Inf.76.94Inf.64.88Inf.
2019.1220.9718.7721.4118.3122.0517.6923.0316.8924.5815.8727.1815.2829.16
109.7710.249.6810.349.5610.499.3910.709.1611.038.8511.528.6611.86
76.897.126.847.166.787.246.697.346.587.496.427.716.327.86
54.945.064.925.084.895.124.845.174.785.244.695.354.645.43
32.983.022.973.032.963.042.943.062.923.092.893.122.873.15
21.992.011.992.011.982.021.972.031.962.041.952.051.942.06
* D = Focusing Distance    ND = Near Distance    FD = Far Distance    Inf. = Infinity

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Editor review : Canon EF 100-300 f4.5-5.6 USM
Overall rating (weighted)
1.0
Sharpness
1.0
Build Quality
1.0
AF Speed
1.0
Value for Money
1.0
Editor lens review will be updated shortly.
Why should you care what I think?
My relationship with this item: Editor review
Conclusions at a glance
Would you recommend this Item: Undecided

User Lens Reviews

Average user rating from: 15 user(s)

Overall rating (weighted)
4.0
Sharpness
3.9
Build Quality
4.0
AF Speed
4.1
Value for Money
3.9
 

Add new review


1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

Detail, Tuesday, 29 September 2009


Overall rating (weighted)
4.8
Sharpness
4.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
All summer I have been taking pictures of dragonflies and damselflies. The detail is amazing!
I can see the hair on the legs of dragonfly! Wonderful! A little slow to focus sometimes but overall the picture quality is so much better than a Tamron my spouse was using.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

There's a reason it's been around for a while, Sunday, 17 May 2009


Overall rating (weighted)
3.8
Sharpness
4.0
Build Quality
4.0
AF Speed
4.0
Value for Money
3.0
With the constant release of new lenses, it's impressive to find a reasonably-priced zoom with staying power. The Canon EF 100-300 is one of those lenses, maintaining it's position in their lineup for over a decade. While it cannot compete with the L-series lenses, especially the 70-200 f/2.8, it offers a great range within a reasonable price. On a DSLR with low-noise at higher ISO setting, bringing up the ISO is a fair trade for the performance it offers. True, I drool when I look at the 70-200 models, but this one has been a constant and trustworthy companion for events, especially when shooting outdoor events where I prefer a low profile for more effective candid shots. While my next purchase will probably be a 70-200, there's no way I would give this one up.
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

Not for me, Thursday, 12 February 2009


Overall rating (weighted)
1.8
Sharpness
1.0
Build Quality
1.0
AF Speed
2.0
Value for Money
3.0
This is not a lens for anyone shooting events indoors.
It MAY be great for those of you who don't mind using flash, but I really try not to (preference here). So, others like it and keep in mind the type of photography you do and take it for a test drive - returned.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

I'm no expert, but I really love this lens..., Monday, 19 May 2008


Overall rating (weighted)
4.8
Sharpness
4.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
I'm no professional, but I love taking photos. I have the XTi and only have two lenses so far: the 28-105 and this one, the 100-300. In reading several reviews, I seem to not be alone in this setup.

Overall, I absolutely love this lens and haven't had any problems with it in the six months I've had it. My images stay pretty sharp throughout the zoom range and I rarely have light problems. Most notably, I recently used this lens to shoot an evening choir concert at the church where I work. Despite the low light and the distance, I was able to get some well balanced, crisp, and well-lit shots of the people singing.

If you're just the average joe-photographer looking for a great telephoto zoom, I'd very highly recommend this lens. If you're any sort of professional, read the more intelligent reviews around here for the information you're looking for.
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

Canon telephoto zoom lens is great., Saturday, 03 May 2008


Overall rating (weighted)
4.8
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
4.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
Though it can take some time to learn to use it, it has been very helpful in taking pictures that can't be taken with a normal point and shoot.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

Good allrounder, Tuesday, 15 April 2008


Overall rating (weighted)
4.5
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
4.0
Value for Money
4.0
This lens have the qualitys I need for allround use, fits easily into my backpack, or just mounted on my camera it's not to heavy. It has a fast and prescise autofucus. Mounted on a good tripod it takes excellent pictures with little noise, and crystal clare imagery.

A good deal both in quality and price.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

Excellent lens for medium telephoto, Sunday, 17 February 2008


Overall rating (weighted)
4.8
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
4.0
This Japanese made lens is compact, light weight and well made. I use it in combination with a Canon IS 28-135mm lens and a 50mm prime lens. These lens cover most of my photo needs. Focusing is fast and accurate with the ring type USM auto-focus. Ring type USM focusing allows fine adjustment to the focus without switching to manual focus mode. This is not the case on the USM motor focus found on the lower cost 75-300mm Canon lens.

My lens stays quite sharp to the eye at full zoom. The lens is effectively a 160-480mm with the 1.6 cropping factor of my Canon 30D.

AS the lens does not have image stablization, it is best used with a tripod in lower light. Perhaps some of the softness reported by others at 300mm is actually the result of Camera shake which is hard to avoid at full zoom.

Finally in my view the build quality of the Canon 100-300mm lens is superior to the lower cost 75-300mm USM lens. The Canon EF70-200 f/4 L is sharper but far more expense.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

Super lens., Monday, 07 May 2007


Overall rating (weighted)
5.0
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
This is a great lens for most longer shots. Works well with my Canon 30D for most shots I have wanted to take. Fairly fast focus. Have used it for indoor gymnastics meets and baseball shots.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

Big step up on the 75-300 , Tuesday, 27 March 2007


Overall rating (weighted)
4.8
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
4.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
The Canon EF 100-300 f/4.5-5.6 USM is the best entry level 300mm zoom lens. In order to do any better you have to get into Canon's L line which means a lot more money. Many people, including myself, start off with Canon's EF 75-300 f/4-5.6 III USM because of the low price. This lens won't break the bank but is definitely worth the difference. The build quality is much better on the 100-300. Also I have found this lens to be sharper. Along with that, this one has ring-type USM instead of Micro USM so it focuses faster and quieter while allowing full time manual focus--you can manually adjust the focus without having to switch between AF and MF. Also, since it uses Internal Focusing, the front of the lens doesn't rotate or extend when focusing so it is easier to use a circular polarizer. For the money, you can't beat this lens.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

EF 100-300/4.5-5.6 Canon, Monday, 19 February 2007


Overall rating (weighted)
3.8
Sharpness
4.0
Build Quality
3.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
3.0
This is an excellant lens for the reasonable price. A little soft at the high end of of the scale, but since its use is on a Canon DSLR there is alot of capacity and I seldom need to go that high. It matches well with my EF 28-105/3.5-4.5 lens.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

Not bad...not bad at all, Thursday, 07 September 2006


Overall rating (weighted)
3.5
Sharpness
3.0
Build Quality
4.0
AF Speed
3.0
Value for Money
4.0
I bought this lens along with a couple of other Canon "prosumer" zooms several years ago when I switched from Nikon to Canon SLR's. I hadn't used it much until I recently rediscovered how useful it is.

See, I have the venerable 70-200/2.8L. That lens is truly outstanding. I use it a lot with the Canon EF 1.4X Extender which makes the 70-200 into a 98-280 f/4 zoom. When I got the 70-200, I pretty much stopped using the 100-300.

I recently realized that I carry the 70-200 around more than I actually use it. My most used lenses are in the normal to wide range unless I have a special purpose in mind that requires a longer focal length lens. But sometimes opprotunity presents the need for a long lens when you least expect it and, even though I was never a Boy Scout, I do like being prepared. The 100-300 is smaller and lighter than the 70-200/2.8L. It's a pretty sharp lens if you recognize its limitations. Limitations include being a notch or two down in sharpness at the 300mm end of the zoom range unless you stop it down to around f/11. At 200mm or shorter, it performs well even at maximum aperture even though it's not up to "L-series" optical quality.

It's not "L-series" quality in build either. It has a plastic barrel and the manual focusing ring was an afterthought. It grows in physical size when zoomed to the longer focal lengths. It sucks in dust by doing this (I have lots of speckles inside my lens to show this--but they have no affect on image quality). It also has an annoying tendency to zoom itself back and forth by its own weight. I carry a large rubber band around to keep this from happening if for some reason I use the lens on a tripod and tilt it up or down.

I like this lens more today than I did when I first bought it, despite the fact that the 70-200/2.8 is a much better lens on all fronts.
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

so so, Wednesday, 03 August 2005


Overall rating (weighted)
2.5
Sharpness
2.0
Build Quality
3.0
AF Speed
2.0
Value for Money
3.0
at 300mm it is quite noisy rendering any professional use out the door. Great at 200mm and below not really worth the price
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

Great value for price; some caveats on performance, Monday, 15 November 2004


Overall rating (weighted)
2.8
Sharpness
3.0
Build Quality
4.0
AF Speed
2.0
Value for Money
2.0
I bought this lens along with a 28-105mm zoom to get a wide coverage of focal lengths for as little money as possible. At the same time, I wanted to maximize my sharpness at 300mm for bird and astronomy photography. If this is your goal, then this is the perfect lens. It is significantly sharper than the 75-300mm lens at 300mm, while still staying under $300. If saving money is your absolute priority, then go with the 75-300mm.

In the end, I have become dissatisfied with the sharpness at 300mm. As stated in other reviews, it really drops off after about 200mm. At full zoom, I am finding the softness intruding on my pictures so I have started using it only as a 100-200mm zoomer. The 1.6x crop on my Canon 300D makes up for this somewhat, but it's still a Bit of a letdown.

Another aspect of this lens that I have found aggrivating is the tendancy for the lens to zoom/unzoom itself if mounted vertically. The weight of the forward elements is suffient to actuate the zooming mechanism. Sometimes this happens quickly and noticeably, but I've had long-exosure shots where the lens has slowly zoomed out during the exposure and ruined it (weird effect, but not what I was after). Astrophotography in particular tends to see frequent use of the lens in a vertical position and this lens is really not the right choice if you're going to be aiming up.
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

Best tele-zoom in its price range, Tuesday, 15 June 2004


Overall rating (weighted)
3.8
Sharpness
4.0
Build Quality
4.0
AF Speed
4.0
Value for Money
3.0
Very light and compact. This makes a great "traveling" lens. I take about 15% of my pictures with this lens, mostly out on hikes where I don't want to haul around my expensive & heavy 70-200 f/2.8 L. This lens paired with an EF 28-105 f/3.5-4.5 USM or EF 28-135 f/3.5-5.6 IS USM will give you a compact, light-weight package that you can take along on trips or nature hikes, and cover all of the useful focal lengths.

Much better image quality than Canon's EF 75-300 lenses. Ring USM for fast auto-focus, but no image stabilization. Good build quality for the money spent.

Sharpness drops off noticably past 200mm or so, with some flaws around the edges, but images are still acceptable for the most part. Great lens for 10D/Rebel/300D digital cameras, since the 1.6x cropping will eliminate the flaws at the egdes of the picture at the longer focal lengths, and make this lens effetively a 150-450mm.

Best used stopped down to f/8 or f/11, in good light or with fast film (or digital camera set at ISO 400+). Not recommended for low-light situations, but could be useful for indoor flash close-up portraits.

For the $250-$300 price range, this lens can't be beat. To get noticeably better image quality, you would have to spend twice as much. If you're inclined to do so, check out the Canon EF 70-200 f/4 L.

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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

We get what we pay for. But maybe a little more wi, Saturday, 24 March 2001


Overall rating (weighted)
4.8
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
4.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
This lens is very good. Picture is very sharp with 100-200 mm. and it's perfect for head&body portrait. I love this lens. In 300 mm area you can see softness but it's not much.

And I compared with 28-105,this one is sharper at 100 than28-105 @105, and it shows much less distortion.

Compared with 75-300mm USM, this one seems sharper than 75-300, with the focus speed almost the same.

Of course, there are other better ones(like 70-200 f2.8L or other fixed focal telephoto lenses), but look what you pay for, it's really a good deal for amateur photographers.

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