Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM UD Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon EOS SLR Cameras

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I have owned the 70-200 L IS f4 for a number of years and used it with the 1.4 extender. This is a light weight travel combination with good results. Not having to put on and take off the extender was appealing, so I ordered the 70-300 L IS. It is slightly heavier than the 70-200 plus extender, but not by much. Using a Canon 5DIII, shooting RAW, I compared the results on both lenses at 70, 120, 200, and 300 (280) mm. The photos were of our CF numbers on our boat, which are very crisp. In aperture, without editing, they were viewed on my Apple display cropped at 200%. The results were very similar, however, the 70-300 was slightly sharper with a slight edge in saturation and contrast. Other reviewers have noted a little bit of softness at 70mm, but I couldnt see it. All in all, this is a high quality lens with superb build. I highly recommend it!

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I wont comment on the technical aspects of this lens because I believe other reviewers have covered this area adequately. I will say Ive owned the 24-105L and the 70-200 F/4L and this lens is equal or superior to either of them. It is a fantastic lens--worth every penny I paid for it. I dont agree with the opinion of those who say a tripod collar isnt necessary for this lens--for me it is very desirable so much so that I no longer use the lens on a tripod on a regular basis because of the stress to the camera and the excessive drop I mention below. It is almost always used handheld. If I had the collar Id use the lens with a tripod a lot more. Ill also mention that I have been unable to find the Canon collar--apparently Canon has not started shipping yet--after almost a year, and I dont believe the cheap versions of the collar one can get from China are worth it in the long run. They just arent as tough as the Canon collars. I use this lens with two cameras, a Canon t3i and a Cannon 7D. I use the lens on those two cameras with two different tripods: A Manfrotto 190CXPRO3 and a Manfrotto 3021 BPRO. I use it with three tripod heads: A Manfrotto 322RC2, 324RC2, and a 460MG. In all of the possible combinations of tripods/heads it is extremely hard to point the camera where one wants to with this lens on the camera and it is all due to the excessive torque placed on the system by the heavily forward center of gravity. I have to make a guess where the lens will point after I release the grip on the RCs or tighten the knobs on the MG. The lens always drops a few degrees. After a few attempts I can come pretty close to having the drop settle the lens where I want it to, but it would be so much easier if the center of balance were near the mounting point--as it would be in the collar--than it is with the mounting point on the camera. There is also the problem that with as much downward torque as mounting camera to tripod causes it is easy to lose control of the lens if one isnt very careful in handling the system. Others have mentioned that the lens does not work with Canon Teleconverters. It does, however, work with Kenko teleconverters. I have both the 1.4X and the 2X Kenko PRO 300 teleconverters and they are so good that Ive sold my Canon 1.4x--I didnt see a reason to have two 1.4x teleconverters that were virtually identical in performance and since the Kenko works on all of my lenses I kept it. The Kenkos can be found on Amazon, look for: Kenko 1.4X PRO 300 Teleconverter DGX for Canon EOS Digital SLRs and/or Kenko 2.0X PRO 300 Teleconverter DGX for Canon EOS Digital SLRs As I said I am extremely happy with this lens, but Id be much happier with the system if Canon would start shipping the collar. One further note...Ive heard a lot of good things about the Induro BHL3 Low Profile Ball Head and I may acquire one of these. It may relieve some of the drop I currently experience. If I do and it does Ill update this review to reflect that. UPDATE: Heres the update I promised WRT BHL3. The BHL3 is one fantastic tripod head. It removed a lot of the droop I experienced. The remaining droop, very little, is the result of a slight flexing in the tripod legs because of how far the center of gravity is from the camera mount. However, I also decided to take a chance on a third party collar for the lens. After reading a few reviews I ordered one from China. Perhaps I was just lucky but the one I received is very good in fit and finish. With the collar and the BHL3 the combination this lens and my 7D is rock solid.

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Fantastic optics, excellent sharpness. Lock is convenient to keep lens from sliding out to fully extended position when carrying from shoulder strap. For the price it should include the tripod ring which you have to buy separately. Canon puts a ring on the 70-200 f 2.8 so why not this one? The lens is still heavy, and in my mind too heavy for most travel, unless you are specifically going on a wildlife expedition or perhaps a sports event. I got it to be more compact than my 70-200 2.8L which I had been using with a 1.4x or 2x extender, which it is, but you dont save much in weight.

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Just wanted to set the record straight--this thing comes with a lens hood. A few reviews said it didnt, and Amazon helpfully (?) pointed out that many people buy the lens hood with this. Not necessary. Comes with the excellent Canon ET-73B in the box. The reviewers are correct, however, in pointing out theres no tripod mounting ring. I just got it so I dont have nearly the insight youll find in other reviews; posted this mostly because Im annoyed to have ordered lens hood. First impressions: love how much smaller and lighter it is than the 70-200. Placement of focusing ring and zoom are indeed weird and backwards and are sure to drive me nuts, but Im still glad I have it. Bokeh looks great for a subject at 10 feet or so and another 30 feet behind to the background--comparable to the 70-200. I bought this for travel and sure, its a compromise but I think itll be a good one.

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I had the 28-300L but I ultimately took it back due to its weight. I read the review and thought I could muscle it out...well I couldnt after a bit of lugging around. The image quality with this lens is actually noticeably better. The one big downside is the range. Youll miss the 28-70 range so may have to change lenses a bit. I was hoping not to have to do that but Im ok with it considering its approx 1/2 the weight of the 28-300 and its about 2" shorter too. Uses a 67mm filter vs 77 so a bit skinnier as well. I really like it and think I will enjoy it on my camera better as well due to the weight. Also the 28-300 when around your neck fully extends due to the slide focus vs spiral one. This has a lock as well which is nice. I read quite a few reviews with the disappointment about no tripod mount. Save your money re that as the lens is almost too small to have on a tripod. Its about the same weight as my 24-70L.

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Im strictly a hobbyist when it comes to digital photography. However, Im always interested in learning all that I can when I try something new, and in using the best equipment I can afford. After serious consideration, I made the decision to upgrade from my kit lens and a lower-end zoom lens to a more serious "L" lens. I wanted something with a decent enough range to fulfill most of my shooting needs, while still being "hand-holdable" and serving as a good walk-around lens. I did months of research when I stumbled across this lens. I immediately liked the range that it offered, but I was a bit hesitant since the lens hadnt been around very long. (At the time I was thinking about purchasing it, earlier this year, I believe there were only 2 or 3 reviews. And although they were positive, that wasnt enough to persuade me at the time.) Fortunately, there were plenty of other reviews from various resources out on the Web and I was encouraged by what I read. I decided to take the plunge. When I received the lens and opened the box, I lifted the lens up and was immediately pleased to see that it wasnt as heavy as I thought it would be. Dont get me wrong, this is a solid piece of equipment, built like a tank. I attached it to my camera body (a Canon T2i) and started shooting away. It felt good - I cant explain it but it just felt "right" to me. Some previous reviewers, both here and at other sites, have complained about the position of the focus and zoom rings. Now, I havent had anything to compare with respect to this, but after using this strictly as a hand-held lens consistently for over 2 months, the position of the rings hasnt bothered me at all. I dont even notice it. And for a woman, I have fairly large hands. As for picture quality - absolutely amazing. Ive been shooting primarily wildlife and landscape, and the quality of my shots is fantastic. Im not familiar enough with all the photography jargon to tell you exactly why, but all I know is that my level of picture-taking has increased. (Of course some of that has to do with the fact that Ive been reading up on exposure, and shooting in manual mode - I wont let the lens take all the credit lol.) If youre on the fence about this lens, I heartily recommend giving it a try. If I enjoyed photography before this purchase, I see it becoming a passion now.

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I have only used for a small number of shots. This is the first Canon L lens I have and it certainly lives up to its reputation. The USM auto focus is very fast, ideal for shooting something moving or for catching the moment. I first used to shoot some birds at far distance (used up to 300mm). To my horror, the outcome was not as sharp as I expected. I would not pay this price for a fuzzy lens. It turned out that I was shooting through my glass window, which produced two additional interface reflection signals (one from each side of the glass) for the optical path. Once I moved outside with the direct shot, it was sharp and crisp! The lens came with the hood and a pouch which is nice to have. The lens is certainly very heavy and is hard to hold it steadily for extended period of time. So I have to crank up the ISO a bit to use the faster shutter speed. I am pretty sure that the Image Stabilization also helped. I dont have the tripod ring yet so I have not used this on the tripod. The only thing is that I wish the aperture can be wider so I can blur out the background more. I know, I know, wider aperture lenses are much much more expensive. This is in the spec and not a defect so I should not complain about it. Update 2/8/2012 After more than six months of use, I truly like this lens. It is fast to focus and sharp. I was able to create spectacular shots for birds (in motion), dragonflies, and moon faces. The only gripe about it is that it does NOT come with the tripod ring collar which is also not available. I just can not figure why Cannon does this for the L lens. Having a ring collar is a no-brainer and it does not require rocket science to do this.

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The Canon EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM UD Telephoto lens is so good I ended up selling my high-quality but heavier and bulkier 70-200 USM II in favor of this lens - less weight, easier handling and added reach make this a easy to carry lens that has become my favorite lens for birding and nature photography on hikes. It also works well also with the Kenko 1.4x and 2x add-on teleconverters for a total reach of 420mm and 600mm respectively. AF and IS works well with both teleconverters which is a great bonus. An amazing lens that I recommended highly.

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As an amateur photographer with a great desire to take amazing photos, I chose this lens after three years of debate and research. Part of my delay was because I had rented the 70-200mm 2.8l IS USM lens and found it to be too heavy and awkward to work with. It wasnt easy for me to justify spending this kind of money when the possibility was great that I wouldnt get the quality I wanted simply due to the fact I wasnt educated in HOW to use such complicated equipment. But I decided to take the chance, especially since Amazon offered a return option, if it didnt work out. First, I must say that I paid the extra shipping fee to get the lens fast... and fast it was!!!! The lens (along with a monopod I purchased, assuming it would be heavy like the 200mm 2.8L) arrived, and my first thought was, Wow... not so heavy and long! As soon as I put it on my Canon 50d, I started shooting (handheld), taking photos of flowers and birds, then off to the football game to test the zoom (which I had read in several reviews, wasnt the best) and monopod. Well... my photos turned out AMAZING! Almost all photos were shot at 300m. I was pleasantly surprised at the bokeh (which I also read wasnt so great). The images were crisp, clear and all of them could be cropped without losing a bit of detail. This lens is wonderful in every way. While I havent tried it indoors or in low light, Im confident itll perform well with an external flash. Not one regret making this purchase. Its an amazing lens that I will use most of the time because of the quality and ease of use.

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As a working professional photographer I bought this lens with some hesitation as I already own Canon 70-200L f/4 (non IS) and 100-400L f/4.5-5.6 lenses which cover much of the same range and have proven to both be fine lenses in their own right. I discovered over the past year or so that my 100-400 lens while quite satisfying on my full frame bodies, struggles a bit on my 7D body which is where I now use it the most for wildlife and bird photography. So when the new 70-300 lens was announced it piqued my interest. Certainly it does not have the reach that a 400 mm lens has and for small birds, 400 is often not even enough. Yet the reviews and anecdotes kept filtering in about the quality and sharpness of this new lens and so I decided Id give it a try myself all the while knowing that I could probably re-sell it easily enough if it was not for me. Well, upon receiving the lens, I must admit I was nearly won over before I had even mounted the thing on a camera. Its simply a gorgeous piece of engineering. The size and heft are substantial without being too much. The zoom and focus rings work with a wonderful smoothness and precision. The latest generation IS does an amazing job allowing hand held shots at 300 mm to be accomplished at very slow shutter speeds while retaining sharpness as long as your subject itself is stationary. I have found that it makes an excellent portrait lens...something I did not originally purchase it for. The focus seems much more sure and precise than my 100-400 does on my 7D body. The size and balance is ideal on the 7D with a battery grip. I have yet to use it on either of my 1D series bodies, but I am quite certain it will feel great on them as well. Optically the lens is very similar to my 70-200 mm f/4L...which is to say it does not get much better than this! There is a certain look...a crispness of detail and clarity that causes the images to just have that something special. I can shoot wide open and know that the shots will be sharp. With a bit of planning, you can get nicely defocused backgrounds in portraits. For photographing birds, if you are able to get reasonably close (shooting from a blind, car, etc.) the lens has decent reach and if you are using a high megapixel "crop-sensor" camera you can usually get even closer with post-processing cropping. So is this lens for you? That I cannot say. I think it will appeal to lots of professional and amateur shooters, however, and if it meets your needs for range and type of shooting I doubt many will find much fault with it. As the owner of six Canon "L" lenses, I have to say that this new 70-300 may quickly become my overall favorite!

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