Customer Reviews: Read 21 more reviews...
 Not Bad, But I'd Keep Looking October 27, 2008
I got a really good deal on this lens when I bought it more than a month ago. I read the reviews at the time and there were mixed reports. I was buying this lens to replace the kit 70-300 lens that came with my camera. I wanted the IS and the USM drive. I have used the lens quite a bit over the past month and lately, I am experiencing some strange problems with it. I was using it over the weekend to take some telephoto pictures of the Golden Gate Bridge. The lens would focus on the bridge and then immedately go out of focus. I would try it again and it would go out of focus. I said the heck with this, turned off the AF and used the manual focus instead. I don't know what the lens was trying to focus on, but it wasn't the bridge. There have been times also that the AF would make a lot of noise trying to focus and finally would focus on what I was trying to get a photo of. I am not sure if there is something wrong with my lens or this is just a characteristic of this lens. I am looking at another lens to replace my 18-55 lens and would probably look at the Sigma 18-200 lens to cover a larger range. If this Canon lens keeps up its current ways, I may have to get rid of it and reuse my original telephoto lens.
 Canon 75-300mm IS Lens - Excellent Stabilized Lens March 16, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I've had the opportunity to compare this lens to the newer 70-300mm IS, to Canon's fast focusing 100-300mm ring type USM lens and an L series lens.
These observations are based on use experience, not detailed testing. The 75-300mm IS lens is well made and the optics are better than many dealers admit. The optics and the IS stabilization produce photos that are excellent, when the lens is used properly. This lens is very effective at reducing the impact of camera shake on image stability. The lens is very sharp up past 200mm, and quite good all the way to 300mm.
There is some sharpness fall off at the edges of the lens in full zoom mode, wide open, but this is somewhat true on the excellent L series 70-200mm which does not extend to 300mm zooming. The lens has pretty good contrast.
The newer 70-300mm might have slightly better contrast in a few situations. Sharpness seems about the same at all settings with the 75-300mm. The newer lens does focus somewhat faster but both are much slower than ring style USM motor Canon lens such as the 100-300mm USM Canon lens and the L series lens. I found no difference in photos between the 100-300mm and the 75-300mm IS lens.
The new 70-300mm IS lens has a panning mode for the IS which improves the lens ability to stabilitize when you are sweeping the camera to track movement.
The L series lens is sharp, focuses very fast, has a stable front element that works well with polarizer filters. Note that this L series lens has less range the newer 70-300mm IS or my older 75-300mm IS lens.
Bottom line, if you own the 75-300mm IS lens, I would keep it. If you can buy the 75-300mm IS lens used at a reasonable discount from the newer lens, I would save my money, go with the 75-300mm IS and buy an excellent 50mm prime lens to use for portraits!
Buy the way, the 75-300mm IS was Canon's first commercial stabilized lens. The build quality of the lens reflects the importance of the product and their pride in offering it. Highly recommended for general use.
Very good picture quality, silent and fast. Unbeatable for the price. Image stabilization is awesome. June 10, 2006
14 out of 14 found this review helpful
First off, this lens works wonderfully with Canon's 20D, 30D and 5D. The image stabilization gives the photographer a serious edge. In my experience, when the IS is active, I'm able to shoot at a much lower speed, without having any blurring. Throughout the range of the lens, image sharpness is excellent, although a little soft when you zoom near 300. Otherwise, from 75 to 280 aprox. image quality is astonishing. I have shot at weddings, sport events, low-light conditions and very in cold climate conditions and the lens performed flawlessly. The ability of focussing manually is a plus. Automatic focus is always accurate. Just a few times in more than 3000 shots has the lens slowed a bit when focusing, but I must say that the objets were moving. The weight of the lens is ok, not too heavy, construction seems according to Canon standards. When shooting in particular situations, the silent USM mechanism is really a welcome feature. Overall, a very nice lens for the serious and amateur photographer.
 Get the new 70-300 IS instead! December 25, 2005
12 out of 19 found this review helpful
At 300mm this lens is VERY soft, it's hard to get a shot that looks like it's in focus. To do so, you need to shoot at about f/11, and then since there is little light available, you usually have to bump the ISO to 800 or 1600 just to get an acceptable shutter speed. Of course, the high ISO then introduces other artifacts. The focus is also dead slow and often doesn't lock on. This is a lens that I have constantly fought with. Don't upgrade to the new 70-300 IS either, as it's only marginally better.
Buy the 70-200 f/4L. It's a far superior lens!
 For the money it can't be beat October 7, 2005
61 out of 61 found this review helpful
I get frustrated by all the negative reviews this lens gets on the web. Yes, the AF is slow and the IS is first generation. Yes, it's not totally sharp and it's slow at the long end. But what other $440 (inc shipping) 300mm lenses with IS is there?
* The DO costs $1100 and is shorter but heavier and the optics are not much better.
* The 100-400L costs $1400, is much larger and just as slow.
* The 70-200/4L is 50% more expensive, only 200mm and lacks IS.
* The new 70-300 IS that replaces this lens will probably be a better lens than this version but it costs 50% more and currently (Oct 05) is still not available in the US.
The 75-300mm IS is my zoo lens so I don't use it nearly as much as my standard zoom for everyday photography. On my Digital Rebel with its 1.6x crop factor this lens is the equivalent of 120-480mm in 35mm terms, and with the image stabilization feature it makes for some exotic optics. Play to this lens' strengths (middle of the aperture range [don't be afraid of higher ISO settings to achieve this] and not the extreme long end) and your images will be able to be printed at 8x10 without an issue.
You're not going to be able to easily track a speeding cheetah with this lens but that is not what this lens is for. It's also unfair to compare this lens to L series alternatives - if you can afford L series lenses then use them but don't cut those of us down without your disposable income just for enjoying this lens. If you own this lens and you want to improve the quality of your images remember to always use a lens hood. Also, the IS is amazing but there are limits; a monopod will improve image sharpness no end. But both these tips apply equally to most lenses both cheaper and more expensive.
This lens has earned a permanent place in my camera bag. It's cheap enough and light enough to carry just in case you might need a strong telephoto. The IS really works and is really useful on a telephoto with this kind of zoom range. Don't be put off or intimidated by lens snobs and line counters. This lens also holds its value well; buy it, and use it, now while you're saving for your L dream telephoto and you will be able to sell it for not much less than you paid for it when the time comes to upgrade. When that time comes you just might decide that you want to keep the 75-300mm IS around as well. This lens is great value and very useable even if it is not a great lens.
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