Canon EF 70-300/4-5.6 IS USM Lens Review

I’ve been looking quite a while at the 70-300 but because I didn’t had the money back then I’ve bought the 55-250. It was ok for a while but it has its restrictions since I’m mainly interested nature photography.

So today I’ve bought the 70-300, in my opinion this is the best one I can afford. I can take it with me, a tripod isn’t necessary, 2 stabilzer modes, 70-300 range,… The Canon EF 70-300mm f4-5.6 IS USM telephoto zoom lens replaces the 75-300mm. It offers now up to three – as opposed to two – apertures in image stabilizing mode, as well as slightly wider focal length.

A ‘Popular Photography’ issue has a fine test report on this lens, showing that it is capable of excellent contrast and resolution in the range from 70mm to 200mm; at 300mm, both contrast and resolution decline slightly to very good, but still an excellent result for a zoom lens in this class.

It is also fully compatible with Canon’s digital SLR cameras (112-480mm equivalent), with improved lens coatings optimised for digital sensors. Without question this is an excellent lens for the Canon photographer interested in excellent nature and landscape photography, without resorting to a sturdy tripod to hold both the camera and lens; thus it is also quite suitable for handhold panning shots at most outdoor sporting events held under good weather conditions.

Do I recommend this? Yes! Don’t buy a cheap lens, go for the best. Buy Canon, not Sigma, Tamron, etc… Example pictures are following next week!