Canon's Telephoto Zoom Lens EF70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM inherits and expands on the exceptional optical performance of its highly acclaimed successor, the EF75-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM, which, when it was released in September 1995, had the distinction of being the world's first interchangeable lens for SLR cameras equipped with an Image Stabilizer.
The EF70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM lens offers an extended zoom range at the wide-angle end and incorporates an Image Stabilizer that compensates for the equivalent of three shutter stops faster, increased from two in the EF75-300mm lens. The UD lens element minimizes Chromatic aberration throughout the zoom range and, compared to the previous lens, achieves higher image quality with high Resolution and high Contrast without any color bleeding on subject outlines.
In addition, Canon's Telephoto Zoom Lens EF70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM features a zoom ring lock mechanism, which keeps the lens at the shortest Focal length to prevent it from extending and hitting obstacles when attached to the camera and carried with a shoulder strap.
The EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM telephoto zoom lens has been developed to meet the high-performance standards that today's photographers demand. Improved Image Stabilizer Technology provides up to three stops of "shake" correction, and the "Mode 2" option stabilizes images while panning with a moving subject. Compared to the original Canon EF 75-300mm IS zoom lens, this telephoto lens has faster autofocus, and overall the lens is lighter and has a smaller diameter than the original. The zoom ring can be locked at the 70mm position, making this powerful lens easy to transport, too.
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My relationship with this item: Editor review
Conclusions at a glance
Would you recommend this Item: Undecided
Last updated: Wednesday, 02 April 2008
User Lens Reviews
Average user rating from: 140 user(s)
Overall rating (weighted)
4.4
Sharpness
4.5
Build Quality
4.4
AF Speed
4.4
Value for Money
4.4
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful
Great Lens, Saturday, 22 November 2008
Overall rating (weighted)
4.3
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
4.0
AF Speed
4.0
Value for Money
4.0
This is the best lens you get for the money. I can't believe how great and easy it is to use. I used it to take pictures of my son playing soccer and I could zoom him right up and get close up's that I could not have gotten with a regular lens. Love this lens..................
C. Kemp
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0 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Canon 70-300mm lens, Friday, 21 November 2008
Overall rating (weighted)
4.3
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
4.0
AF Speed
4.0
Value for Money
4.0
I received the Canon 70-300mm lens quickly from Amazon.com. Their service was great. I haven't had the chance to use the lens much yet, but know I will love it.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Dissapointed , Thursday, 20 November 2008
Overall rating (weighted)
2.8
Sharpness
2.0
Build Quality
3.0
AF Speed
4.0
Value for Money
2.0
I am a Canon fanatic and own many lenses and this lens is the one that does not give me that happy glowing feeling. I bought it primarily so when I went to sporting evens I could get closer into the action - I tend to buy seats close rather than sitting at the back of the stands and I am frustrated after a year of ownership.
At 300mm the lens is blurry, it seems to produce inconsistent color when I use bursts (1-2 pictures out of ten come up dark.....?) and it can be slow to focus. I thought I would be able to use this for nature photography however without the predictability of baseball I am not sure I'd be able to snap a birds that might land quickly and dart away again.
Its just not up to the quality of my other Canon lenses. I also think it is shameful that it does not come with a hood considering the price - you can tack on another $40 for that. When all is said and done you may find something similar from Sigma or one of the other producers that is cheaper and of similar quality. I personally wish I had gone that route for once.
It is not bad ... its just not great. I'm looking for a replacement.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Canon comes through again with another great produ, Wednesday, 29 October 2008
Overall rating (weighted)
4.3
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
4.0
AF Speed
3.0
Value for Money
5.0
Great and powerful lens! I used it with the xsi and will with the 50d. The pics so far are ourstanding. I do think it's a little pricey but the IS system is worth it.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Great IS and Bokeh, Thursday, 23 October 2008
Overall rating (weighted)
3.8
Sharpness
3.0
Build Quality
4.0
AF Speed
4.0
Value for Money
4.0
With this lens, I can capture very nice pictures of my kids/nephew/niece. The IS work wells. Handling is good. Bokeh is what I expected.
The only thing that I like to have is the Full-Time Manual Focus which it doesn't have.
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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Amazing!!!!!!!!!!, Sunday, 19 October 2008
Overall rating (weighted)
5.0
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
I am using this lense on a Canon Xsi and it is truely amazing. The pictures are so sharp and clear. I could not be happier with this purchase. It is a lot of money but well worth it. I love it!!!
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful
Love the lens - hate the tax, Monday, 06 October 2008
Overall rating (weighted)
3.8
Sharpness
4.0
Build Quality
4.0
AF Speed
3.0
Value for Money
4.0
The lens meets my expectations. I'm disappointed with picture quality at 300mm, blurry - definately need a tripod. I'm angry about an added charge for New York sales tax. I'm not a resident of NY. Amazon wouldn't ship the item to an APO address (which our federal government declares must be viewed as a US address); so I had it delivered to a family member in NY, then forwarded to me. I was shocked to see the previously undisclosed charge added to my bill.
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
solid lens so far, Monday, 29 September 2008
Overall rating (weighted)
5.0
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
Having only used the lens for a few weeks, I have not had that many opportunities to see limitations, but overall the lens seems to do all that I could have asked of it. The autofocus seems to be very fast and accurate. It is not a "l" series lens, but for the price and the focal length, it is able to capture action frames as fast as the Rebel xsi it is mounted on will cycle. I am very pleased with the performance of this lens so far and would recommend it to anyone who is looking for an affordable way to outfit their digital SLR.
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful
Canon EF 70-300mm, Sunday, 14 September 2008
Overall rating (weighted)
5.0
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
This lens is outstanding. I am a rookie mom taking football pictures for my freshman son's games and the photos I have been able to get are great. I am in the stands and my pictures look like I am right next to the players. I can see their eyes in some photos.
I bought my camera at Best Buy but found that Amazon had the best price for lens and memory cards
Great lens package.
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful
WAY too expensive, but..., Sunday, 07 September 2008
Overall rating (weighted)
4.0
Sharpness
4.0
Build Quality
4.0
AF Speed
4.0
Value for Money
4.0
WAAAAY too expensive (they all are though) but it gets the job done. A decent lens, but it's definitely NOT an "all-in-one"... you'll need others to get the job done. The low and high ends are pretty much useless, but the mid-range is good.
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful
Love this lens, Sunday, 07 September 2008
Overall rating (weighted)
5.0
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
This is my first dSLR camera, so I do not have much experience with other lenses. I can tell you every shot I take looks great, well, as great as the operators abilities! I have captured some wonderful shots of birds from across my yard, the details remain clear even if I crop them in futher later.
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful
Canon EF70-300mm F4-5.6 IS USM, Saturday, 06 September 2008
Overall rating (weighted)
5.0
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
Lens was all I had hoped for, performed great when just shooting hand held on solid land or when bobbing around in a kayak. Excellent wild-life and scenery shots under varying conditions and distances.
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful
The Canon EF 70-300 mm IS is a GREAT lens for the, Wednesday, 27 August 2008
Overall rating (weighted)
4.8
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
4.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
Bought this lens a few months ago and have been very happy with all the photos since. I don't think you can take a bad picture with this lens. I've taken everything from drag racing pictures of dragsters going 320 MPH, to beautiful zoomed-in shots of flowers and butterflies with amazing results. Can't buy a better lens for the price. It focuses super fast and always takes clear shots. You'll love it !!
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful
Great zoom lens for selective focus, Thursday, 07 August 2008
Overall rating (weighted)
3.8
Sharpness
4.0
Build Quality
4.0
AF Speed
3.0
Value for Money
4.0
I took this lens to the zoo last week, and got some great shots of the animals. I found out that I really should have used a tripod or a monopod for some of the zoomed-in photos, but live and learn. I'm very happy with the quality of the construction.
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0 of 2 people found the following review helpful
A budget telephoto, Monday, 28 July 2008
Overall rating (weighted)
4.3
Sharpness
4.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
4.0
Value for Money
4.0
I'm brand spanking new to DSL's and took a big plunge with a 400D XTi. I wanted a telephoto; probably more for braggen rights and when I went looking for a telephoto having the 'IS' for Image Stabilizer, something with reach and most importantly looks cool (about 7" long by itself)...well, I had to be realistic about a budget and got this one. As far as quality-hey it's Canon which means pretty good stuff. I rated it at 4 cuz I've not used it yet but for the price? Well, it's either one like this or about a 1000 buck's more. I don't think it's going to see that tick on an elk at 5 miles but it brings those duck's up closer than my point a shoot which seems to always look farther away. Still a Bit pricey for us DSL newbies but it's got the all the right stuff for a starter telephoto, in my opinion.
