Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras by Canon
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Digital camera reviews of Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras
Digital camera Review: A Telephoto zoom lens to begin your journey in DSLR photography
Summary: 5 Stars
For the price range of $150-200, this lens is the cheapest in the Telephoto zoom lens range Canon offers. The cheaper price is because this lens does not have a quiet-n-fast focusing Ultrasonic motor (USM) and neither does it have an in-built Image stabilizer (IS). Instead it has a comparatively noisier DC motor which is not quickest to focus. Also the lens exterior surface is mostly made up of plastic and appears little cheap compared to the USM version or the IS USM.
But in terms of picture quality this lens is not bad at all. In bright light with high shutter speed the lens performs at its best. The pictures come out sharp and clean (please check out the pictures I uploaded). In day light condition and at high shutter speed (1/100 sec and above), you can shoot really good pictures (even without a tripod). But I concede that in low light areas/overcast conditions/cloudy and evening light the lens shows its weakness. You will desperately miss the Image stabilizer function. But if you have a tripod then the lens works even in low light conditions and at shutter speed 1/30 sec or lower and an exposure of 1 sec to 15 sec.
Now for the whiner's who have been complaining: When you see a Canon Telephoto zoom lens displaying a price tag of $150-200, what outstanding features do you expect in it? As I said before, this lens does not have an IS or USM, then how can you expect it to focus quickly like the expensive ones. Apart from the picture quality and the zoom capacity, it's basically wrong to compare the features in this lens with other advanced & expensive Telephoto zoom lens. Given its DC motor and as a Non-IS lens of course this lens is not meant for Sports photography. If you're a sports photographer then why be stingy and then whine? Go for the Canon EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS USM Lens for Canon EOS Cameras or Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM Lens for Canon EOS SLR Cameras both lens are great for Sports photography. But keep in mind, those two lenses are comparatively heavy to carry around as they weigh 25.4 ounces and 25 ounces respectively. Compared to those the Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III weighs only 16.8 ounces.
So the bottom line is, if you're a photo enthusiast beginning DSLR photography, looking for low budget zoom lens, then this one will work best for you. For the given price and as a Telephoto zoom lens the Canon EF 75-300 f/4-5.6 III does what it's supposed to do.
Digital camera Review: A good lens when limits are understood
Summary: 3 Stars
I own several top quality Canon 'L' Lenses, so I am used to using the very best lenses.
The instructions for this lens state: 'Do not focus in MF [Manual Focusing] when the focus mode is set to AF [Auto Focus].'
The top of the line Canon Lenses allow you to tweak the focus Manually after the Auto Focus has done the best it can.
The Auto Focus is slower than that of 'L' lenses.
I captured a shot of the moon and the color aberrations on the on the edges of the moon were quite visible when the images where viewed at 100%.
This is not a professional quality lens which costs $1,000 more than this lens.
The lens at 300 mm f/5.6 is 6 stops slower than the f/2.8 lens, meaning the exposure time must be 6 times longer than the f/2.8 'L' lens.
This is not a lens to shoot Weddings in a dark Church where flash is not permitted. This is not a lens to capture car races.
Used outdoors in sunlight, this lens is quite acceptable. Do you want to take a photo of your child at bat in a day baseball game?
This lens will meet your needs at $1,000 less than an 'L' quality lens.
If you didn't understand what I mentioned about color aberration, and you don't use manual focus tweaking, and you don't want to 'freeze frame' fast motion, and you don't have a creative effect in mind that requires the lens open more than f5.6, this lens is a very cost effective lens.
As a final note, while I own other Canon lenses that cost about 10 times as much as this lens, I am keeping this lens with a complete understanding of the limits of when I may use the lens effectively.
It is a great value for the money!
Digital camera Review: A great purchase for the novice
Summary: 4 Stars
My husband bought this to expand a Canon T1i (dslr), that just had the kit lens. No, it doesn't have IS,(400 bucks for a Canon 250mm) no, it's not a (L) lens, (1,500 bucks). But for the price and the expandability it offers it was a good purchase. I kills me to see people pay 150 bucks for a lens, then bash it because it isn't a 1,500 dollar lens. We would all love to have one of those. This is a good lens for what it is, a manual focus on distant objects lens. One way to get around the "hunting" on auto focus, is to put the camera on spot metering. And if you want even quicker shooting, just flick the camera to auto, let it do the work. This allows the camera to pinpoint the focus on a single spot. It actually stays on the camera 80% of the time, with the lower 75mm rating on zoom, it's just a little closer than the 55mm kit lenses, but with the quick ability to go to 300mm. One of the reasons I chose the Canon was the ability to use older EF lenses thus saving money and expanding as I go. I still feel it was a great purchase and don't regret it at all.Digital camera Review: A little slow, but worth the money
Summary: 4 Stars
I purchased this lens with my minimalist budget in mind, and I must say that for the money, it isn't too bad. It lacks a fancy focus motor (i.e. USM), which makes it a bit slow and noisy, but you can't find a more inexpensive long distance telephoto lens. It is perfect for the amateur photographer without a lot of money.Digital camera Review: A well-rounded telephoto; a nice "next step" for beginners.
Summary: 4 Stars
I think this lens has gotten a bad rap simply because most people misunderstand its intended use. If you're looking to get this lens, chances are that you've just bought an entry-level Canon EOS kit (like a Rebel XS or something comparable) and are now looking to move to the next step. This is a good "next step" lens. No, this is not a top-of-the-line telephoto lens. However, if you just want a simple telephoto that is inexpensive but will get the job done, this is a good lens. It's a good lens for capturing faraway subjects (like birds and other animals) without having to get too close, but doing this takes practice (with ANY lens).
For the money you spend, this is a good, durable lens. It attaches easily to a Canon mount, and it returns good-quality images. One of the drawbacks to this lens is that the AF servos are a bit sluggish; since most people use this lens for photographing animals, this can be problematic. However, as with any SLR lens, this lens can be focused manually. Although this lens is considerably heavier than a typical 18-55mm lens, it is still lightweight compared to most telephotos. The zoom is very easy and quick to use, which will be helpful for bird photography. One use that I have found for this lens is that it is excellent for pet photography if you have outdoor pets.
If you're in the Amazon trying to photograph the ruby-throated, only-ten-left-in-the-entire-world hummingbird for National Geographic, then you'll probably want to go buy a more upscale lens. However, if you just want a simple and inexpensive lens that you can use to sit on your porch and take a picture of the gold finch sitting on your bird feeder, this is a good lens and a great value.