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 enlarge | Brand: Canon
Category: Photography
Buy New: Too low to display
New (44) Used (4) Refurbished (2)
Avg. Customer Rating:  135 reviews
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Batteries Included: No
Optical Zoom: 4.3
Maximum Focal Length: 300
Minimum Focal Length: 70
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.4
Dimensions (in): 7.8 x 4.7 x 4.5
Legal Disclaimer: Warranty does not cover misuse of product.
MPN: 0345B002
Model: 0345B002
UPC: 013803050851
EAN: 0013803050851
ASIN: B0007Y794O
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Reasonably sharp pictures - especially for the price January 27, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
At 300mm, this lens produced much sharper images for me than the EF 100-300mm zoom lens. The image stabilizer (IS) allowed good handheld photos at much slower shutter speeds - had to use 1/800sec previously. With IS, I can now use 1/200sec.
Would like to have full time manual focus override but so far only needed it once when the autofocus was temporarily confused because I had not pointed at a contrasty area before pressing the shutter button.
Using it on a 1.6 crop factor camera with very satisfactory results.
A Powerful, Versatile Lens for Consumer Grade Digital SLR Cameras January 25, 2008
17 out of 18 found this review helpful
When purchasing my new Canon EOS 40D I wanted to get an additional lens that would add an extended zoom range from the 28-135mm lens that came in the kit. I had a budget of $2,500.00 for a digital SLR camera, hot shoe flash, additional lens, memory card, and a large gadget bag. I wanted to purchase the best quality camera that I could get, so I had decided to purchase the EOS 40D by Canon (kit with 28-135mm lens), but that meant that I would have to sacrifice money spent on the other accessories. I purchased a 4GB Sandisk Extreme III CompactFlash card, and the Canon Speedlite 580EX II flash with the camera, so that meant I had roughly $675.00 for another lens and a nice camera/gadget bag. I researched the Canon EF lenses extensively and decided that I had to have a lens with image stabilization. I wanted a Canon lens and wanted it to have a large zoom range. All reviews I read pointed to the Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM lens as a solid choice.
I ordered this lens from Amazon and got a great price, and with free shipping. The first thing I noticed is that this lens is lightweight and feels very well made. The light weight did concern me a little, because I typically process the thought of lightweight electronics gear with cheap build quality. Well I am convinced that this Canon lens does NOT suffer from cheap build quality. The lens feel solid, and the focus and zoom rings are not sloppy at all. The auto focus is fairly fast (although it can be a little slower in the highest zoom range), and the image stabilization works great. As others have pointed out, this lens produces a somewhat softer looking image above the 200mm range. However, the contrast and color remains sharp, even at maximum zoom. If you don't mind giving up some depth of field by adjusting the aperture, you can get very clear images at the full 300mm.
My biggest complaints with this lens are as follows:
- The end of the lens rotates when focusing, which causes the constant need to adjust my circular polarizer.
- The zoom changes the length of the lens.
- If you tip the camera at a sharp verticle angle, the zoom adjustment of the lens will retract on its own.
- Auto focus becomes slower at higher zoom setting.
- Having the lens set to AF prevents you from fine tuning the focus manually (there seems to me a mechanical, gear-type lock of the focus ring when AF is engaged)
Overall I am extremely happy with this lens, even with the few shortcomings mentioned above. The auto focus is accurate and fairly fast, the IS feature is rock solid, and the light weight of this lens makes it very good for handheld shots and does not cause balance issues when using a monopod or tripod. Although I have noticed some minor softness in photos above 200 or 250mm, my pictures always look clear and contain excellent contrast and color. I'm sure you could get better results from a Canon professional lens, which would cost you well over a grand for this kind of zoom range, but for the average hobby photographer I think this lens is about as good as you can get; and it can be had for under $600. I am confident that this Canon EF 70-300mm lens will last for many years to come, and I would definately buy it again. I hesitate to recommend this lens for a professional photographer, but for everyone else it is an excellent choice.
 Great performing lens as a good pricepoint January 14, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
So, this certainly isn't an L lens, however given the pricepoint and image quality, you can't go wrong. I've used this lens at a number of motorsports events where the image stabilization is a must have. Before using this lens, images were blurry and just as many were bad as good. With the IS turned on, things look great. Additionally, being able to shoot in lower light has allowed me to take some shots that might have otherwise gotten away. I'd buy again, though this time I'd add the lens hood to it.
Great lens January 13, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
First off, I am not a professional photographer. I am a newbie with limited digital SLR experience. The main reason I bought this lens was for landscapes and action photos. As a landscape lens, it is not good. As an action lens, it is great. When I was in Vermont over Christmas, I took great sledding action photos. The lens pretty much sucks for any subject less then 20 feet away. It is good for indoor shots; I used it at my sister's graduation and was able to get great up close shots from about 25 rows back. THIS LENS IS BIG, AND HEAVY. It is about twice as heavy and bulky as the non-image stabilized 70-300 lens. It is a great lens, and Amazon had the best legitimate price I could find.
Excellent January 4, 2008
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
I have had this lens for about a year now and am very happy with it. Sharp images, and great with IS at the far end. I have taken some nice wildlife photos with this lens.
You can spend more money on a longer lens which would be better for sports or wildlife, but for the price this is a good starter telephoto. It would be nice if it were a bit faster, but a faster lens in this range would me much more money.
Great lens for the price.
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