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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Would you recommend this Item: Undecided
Last updated: Wednesday, 02 April 2008
User Lens Reviews
Average user rating from: 169 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
excellent lens, Sunday, 28 June 2009
Overall rating (weighted)
3.8
Sharpness
4.0
Build Quality
3.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
3.0
This is an excellent lens. It was lighter than I was expecting and so far seems to be very sharp and much better than its predecessor. It is smaller and lighter than the 70-200 or 100-400 mm and therefore very likely to accompany me on distant journeys.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Great product, Tuesday, 09 June 2009
Overall rating (weighted)
4.8
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
4.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
I was thinking about getting a 70-200MM f/2.8 or f/4 IS. I decided on this because of price and weight (very light, can carry for hours). Works great. What ever you decide GET AN IS lens. Trying to hold still at 200mm+ is very hard and even more difficult to get a non blurry image. I was a little concerned about getting good Blur @ f/4-5.6, no worries.
Cons: When zooming, lens extends, though has zoom lock Not all that fast, if your shooting sports get something faster Minim focus distance is almost 5 feet, that's a lot, can be annoying.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Wow, I love this lens, Wednesday, 03 June 2009
Overall rating (weighted)
4.5
Sharpness
4.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
4.0
I'm just getting into back photography after 25 years. I received this as a gift and was overwhelmed at first. But in no time I was having a ball with this and how easy it was to use. Love the lens!
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Incredible Lens, Monday, 25 May 2009
Overall rating (weighted)
5.0
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
It is difficult to write a review for an item when there are so many other good reviews already present. It is even more difficult to give new feedback on an item that has a lot already said about it.
I will start by stating that I am not a professional photographer, nor am I a professional product reviewer. With that said let me state that I am a person that does art, and has done it for a number of years. Photography was a means for me to try and capture my own subjects and scenes. I have a limited budget on photography equipment and cannot always afford the best, or elite items. When I purchased this lens I knew that it was not going to be the fastest lens available, or the one with the highest zoom. I intended to get this for my nature photography to be able to zoom in on objects I see all around me. Instead I found this lens to be an incredible lens for capturing faces, and portraits. I can be in a crowded place, or at a party and this is always my lens of choice. I can capture someone from across the room, and they are unaware of me taking their picture. As a result my photographs are more natural and life like. I have also used this lens for nature shots, and architectural shots. In all the lens is a really nice addition to my equipment. As for a hood, I was able to purchase a cannon hood for the lens, separately. I have used the hood on numerous occasions. The size of the lens is not too bad, and storage is not a problem. In all I would recommend this lens to anyone that needed an affordable zoom.
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful
Great Lens, Thursday, 21 May 2009
Overall rating (weighted)
4.8
Sharpness
4.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
I was very impressed with this lens. I originally tried out 70-200mm L glass series lens and sold it to buy this one. Much better reach and the image stabilization made up for it being a slower lens. Pictures are sharp and clear, great for kid's sporting events and wildlife shots. I also own the 28-135 mm lens, which is a great all purpose lens.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Good, not great lens.., Thursday, 14 May 2009
Overall rating (weighted)
3.8
Sharpness
4.0
Build Quality
4.0
AF Speed
3.0
Value for Money
4.0
I bought this lens about 2 years ago and have taken some great, sharp shots with it. The IS is excellent in both modes. I'm glad it has the zoom lock because without it the lens will flop out. Since buying this lens I have added some L's to my lineup and have gotten a Bit spoiled. If I could do it over again, I would buy the 70-200 f/4L IS instead of this lens even though it is white (I hate to stand out). I hate that the 70-300 does not have ring-type USM. It has the micro motor USM that you cannot manual focus unless you flip a switch. If you can swing the price difference and don't mind the shorter focal length, I would recommend getting the 70-200 instead.
Update: I just noticed on the description of this lens on Amazon, they claim it has ring-type USM (the better, faster auto focus with full-time manual focus in one shot mode). This is FALSE, it has micro motor USM (slower to auto focus and NO full-time manual focus).
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
This Lens is MOSTLY Awesome, Thursday, 23 April 2009
Overall rating (weighted)
4.5
Sharpness
4.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
4.0
Having used both the Canon 70-300 without IS, and the Canon 70-300 WITH IS (this lens), it is ABSOLUTELY worth the extra $400-$450 for this lens. The image stabilization is truly amazing. It allows you get the shot you want from across the room without having to worry about shakiness.
Having said that, there are a couple of small negatives to this lens. One, it's a little bit heavy. Not nearly as heavy as the 70-200 f/2.8L IS, but certainly heavier than the 70-300 non IS. Two, there is no manual focus override in auto-focus mode. i.e., you need to flip a switch in order to manual focus. This is probably the most annoying complaint I have. You simply cannot turn the focus ring by hand with auto-focus on. Three, the auto-focus can be pretty slow sometimes. For example, if you are focused on something 5 feet away, and then try to focus on something 60 feet away, it can take as long as 1-2 seconds. Four, this is NOT a macro lens. It says on the lens "macro," but that's phooey. It's a blatant misuse of the word. Granted, you can get some pretty nice close-ups, but you're not going to be getting useable pictures of insects.
I know I focused more on the negatives than the positives, but that's what you want to hear isn't it? The issues I have with the lens? Overall, it's an absolutely phenomenal lens. It's tremendously fun, and the quality of pictures you can take with it FAR outweighs its inconveniences.
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful
Simply put.......awesome, Wednesday, 15 April 2009
Overall rating (weighted)
5.0
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
I have used this lens for 2 months now and I am constantly amazed with its results. Whether it is used for (reasonably) fast action at my daughter's soccer games, or for static shots, the lens is easy to use, fairly lightweight and produces excellent results.
Of course, I wish it were less expensive (and it will be in time).
Awesome.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Excelent telephoto for amateurs, Sunday, 12 April 2009
Overall rating (weighted)
5.0
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
Sure, it's not L glass but then you're not paying those extra $1,000. I can get sharp images within all the focal range. It might need to be stopped down a bit at 300 so it's more of an outdoor lens but I'm totally satisfied.
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0 of 3 people found the following review helpful
great service, Saturday, 11 April 2009
Overall rating (weighted)
5.0
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
Order arrived sooner than estimated and in excellent condition. I would purchase from them again.
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful
the canon lense is very sharp as a stock photograp, Friday, 10 April 2009
Overall rating (weighted)
4.8
Sharpness
4.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
I love my new lense sharp sharp photography Thank you for having this lense on Amazon
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful
Great long range lens, Monday, 23 March 2009
Overall rating (weighted)
4.8
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
4.0
Value for Money
5.0
I have been using this lens for a month or so for long range shooting form inside a vehicle. With the engine running and my shaky arms, it still takes clear pictures. When you zoom in on the computer you can see only minimal blur. For the price and what you get, I feel like I got a great deal.
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0 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Great one!!!, Wednesday, 18 March 2009
Overall rating (weighted)
4.0
Sharpness
4.0
Build Quality
3.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
4.0
This lens is very good and works perfectly for my need.
Cons: Heavy
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Canon 70-300mm Telephoto IS USM Lens , Thursday, 12 March 2009
Overall rating (weighted)
4.8
Sharpness
4.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
I purchased this lens to go with my Canon XSI camera. So far the lens is all what I expected. It's movements are very quick and smooth. The AF is really fast especially on moving targets. I would buy this lens again.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
I Love It, Sunday, 08 March 2009
Overall rating (weighted)
5.0
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
As a novice photographer, I highly recommend this lens. With the image stabilizer, it makes using the lens a lot better. Just be sure to adjust your ISO up to at least 800, otherwise the shutter is way to slow and everything is blurred. It makes the camera a little heavy if you have to carry it around your neck for very long, but other than that, I absolutely love it. It was well worth the money.
