| Customer Reviews Collected from usa.canon.com |
Canon - EF 70300mm f/45.6L IS USM Telephoto Zoom Lens - White
Average Customer Rating:
4.5
Rating breakdown 74 reviews
5 Stars
51
4 Stars
12
3 Stars
9
2 Stars
2
1 Star
0
84%of customers recommend this product.
(
58 out of
69)
Customer Reviews for Canon - EF 70300mm f/45.6L IS USM Telephoto Zoom Lens - White
Customer Rating
5
Practical telephoto zoom
on August 10, 2012
Posted by: Oliver
from Washington, DC
Though obviously not as fast as any of Canon's 70-200 L lenses, the 70-300L is in some ways a more practical, versatile lens for every day use.
The biggest advantage is size: Though still a big heavy lens by most measures, by telephoto zoom standards, the 70-300L is *relatively* small and light. It isn't that much bigger than the 24-105L. And its about an inch shorter than the 70-200 f4, and about 2 inches shorter than the 70-200 f2.8, so it fits more easily in a camera bag. It is considerably lighter than the 70-200 f2.8L. I have borrowed my friend's 70-200 f4, a great lens as well, but the 70-300 is just more pleasant to carry around. If you are a lazy photographer like me, you may find that you are more likely to bring the 70-300L with you because the other lenses are too much trouble.
Another advantage obviously is reach - you get another 100mm without having to use a teleconverter. You may not need it, but its is very nice to have in a lot of situations.
The biggest con for me is that the zoom and focus rings are reversed from every other Canon lens I have used: on this lens, the zoom ring is out on the end of the lens, and the manual focus ring is the one closer to the body.
Presumably there was some engineering reason why they had to do it this way, but it takes getting used to, especially when switching between lenses. And I just find it easier when the more frequently used zoom ring is the one closer to the body. This is the main thing I wish I could change about the lens.
Another con is that even if you don't need to shoot at a wide aperture, because this is an f5.6 lens (at the long end), not all of the autofocus points are available on the 5D3. There are still plenty of points in the center column, and the autofocus is still very fast and accurate, but just remember that you won't have all the points on the side areas like with most of your lenses.
Some people complain that Canon doesn't include a tripod ring, but I don't find it that big a deal because this is a lens that is meant to be hand-held. It also doesn't have a fancy zippered case like 70-200 f2.8, just the simpler cloth bag like other L lenses, but that doesn't matter either because you will tend to keep this lens in your camera bag or on the camera - you aren't going to want a separate case for it.
All the zoom lenses involve a tradeoff between size, weight, maximum aperture, and price. The 70-300L might not be ideal for portraits, or for shooting indoor sports, or for other low-light applications. But for general outdoor applications, including sports and nature photography, I find it is a very practical, user-frendly lens.
The biggest advantage is size: Though still a big heavy lens by most measures, by telephoto zoom standards, the 70-300L is *relatively* small and light. It isn't that much bigger than the 24-105L. And its about an inch shorter than the 70-200 f4, and about 2 inches shorter than the 70-200 f2.8, so it fits more easily in a camera bag. It is considerably lighter than the 70-200 f2.8L. I have borrowed my friend's 70-200 f4, a great lens as well, but the 70-300 is just more pleasant to carry around. If you are a lazy photographer like me, you may find that you are more likely to bring the 70-300L with you because the other lenses are too much trouble.
Another advantage obviously is reach - you get another 100mm without having to use a teleconverter. You may not need it, but its is very nice to have in a lot of situations.
The biggest con for me is that the zoom and focus rings are reversed from every other Canon lens I have used: on this lens, the zoom ring is out on the end of the lens, and the manual focus ring is the one closer to the body.
Presumably there was some engineering reason why they had to do it this way, but it takes getting used to, especially when switching between lenses. And I just find it easier when the more frequently used zoom ring is the one closer to the body. This is the main thing I wish I could change about the lens.
Another con is that even if you don't need to shoot at a wide aperture, because this is an f5.6 lens (at the long end), not all of the autofocus points are available on the 5D3. There are still plenty of points in the center column, and the autofocus is still very fast and accurate, but just remember that you won't have all the points on the side areas like with most of your lenses.
Some people complain that Canon doesn't include a tripod ring, but I don't find it that big a deal because this is a lens that is meant to be hand-held. It also doesn't have a fancy zippered case like 70-200 f2.8, just the simpler cloth bag like other L lenses, but that doesn't matter either because you will tend to keep this lens in your camera bag or on the camera - you aren't going to want a separate case for it.
All the zoom lenses involve a tradeoff between size, weight, maximum aperture, and price. The 70-300L might not be ideal for portraits, or for shooting indoor sports, or for other low-light applications. But for general outdoor applications, including sports and nature photography, I find it is a very practical, user-frendly lens.
Pros: Fast auto-focus, Superior build quality, relatively small and light (for a tele zoom)
Cons: reversed focus and zoom ring layout
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
4
Optically awesome, needs tripod mount
on February 20, 2011
Posted by: Mike C
from San Francisco
Summary: Light, short, long reach, excellent image quality, excellent built quality, no tripod collar, and the focus ring can get in the way.
This is my forth L lens, and its intended use is to replace having to use an extender on my 70-200 2.8 IS. Some folks have questioned the need for this lens because of near close “on paper” results using extenders with the 70-200, but it fits a need for me well. This afternoon was my first real use of the lens -- I went from landscape, to zoom, to landscape to shooting planes in a matter of a minute (exactly what I wanted it to do). I was really looking forward to this lens and optically, it did not disappoint and exceeded my expectations. The autofocus speed is considerably better than the 70-200 2.8 IS L + 1.4 extender. I was really amazed at how sharp this lens is, even when intentionally adding vibration to test the IS. That said, it really needs to come standard with the optional tripod collar. Adding the tripod collar would go a long way with providing a different grip point as to not interfere with the focusing ring, and their marketing department really needs to think about the current price on this “accessory”.
Pros: Fast auto-focus, Superior build quality, Super-sharp images, short physical length @ 70mm
Cons: focus ring position, because of focus ring position no tripod mount
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
4
Nice Lens But Not The Sharpest
on January 26, 2010
Posted by: FotoFreak
from Honolulu, Hawaii
This lens is great if you don't want everybody to know you're shooting them. The pics come out pretty sharp but not the sharpest I've seen. No doubt this lens flares I guess because of all the optics that Canon had to use to keep the size down. The lens balances nicely on the camera body. The range is nice (70-300mm but because of the factor of 1.6 you actually get 112-480mm) and can zoom in from amazing distances. I use it to shoot action sports, people at the beach, scenery, sunsets and sunrises. I have had some great results and I am very happy with the portability of this lens (very short although the focal length is long.) Great for all round shooting while just wandering the earth. Combined with a say a 15-85mm (crop factor being 24-136mm) lens it's all you need to cover the entire shooting range. Only one extra lens to carry around what a concept ! This would be my combination for a trip around the world !
Pros: Fast auto-focus, great portability for such focal lengths
Cons: could be sharper.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
4
Small yet sharp and practical
on June 2, 2009
Posted by: pro photographer
from Bristol, NH
I have used this for newspaper concert coverage in very low light situations and for freelance work for winter sports and it has performed well even at 20 below zero. The size of the lense is an added plus while photographing concerts in varying light conditions. Not as sharp as fixed lenses, but for newspaper coverage and sports photography the quality of the images is excellent. A very useful lense. The autofocus has performed well for alpine ski racing in very harsh conditions. I have used a tripod with a 2 second delay for low light concert photography with very good results.
Pros: Superior build quality, the size and weight
Cons: price
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
5
Hard Choice but glad I made it
on January 7, 2011
Posted by: Softie
from Rochester, NY
I use the 24 to 105mm as a standard lens. When I need longer reach I also have the 300mm f/4 prime. I love that lens but I needed some thing in between. I tested the new 70 to 200mm L IS II with a 1.4 X II on it (1.4x200mm = 280mm which is close to 300mm) and it failed to give anything close to what my 300 prime would do . The 70 to 300mm is outstanding for IQ at 300mm. Equal to my 300 prime so I just sold it. The 70 to 300mm fails slightly at the other end (70 to 105) where my 24 to 105 excels.
Be nice if it had the same filter size as my other lenses (77MM). More importantly I wish it would take an extender. Now w/o my 300 prime I'm lacking the ability to add an extender for a little further reach. When I travel I try to keep the weight down as much as possible and that 1.4 extender with my 300 mm prime was a lifesaver shooting nature in Alaska.
Hard getting used to external zoom focus ring. And for some reason it feels heavier than my 300 prime on the camera even though Canon specs claim it is lighter. Not happy it doesn't come with a tripod mount. Store advertised that it did but when I opened the box it wasn't there.
The quality feel is awesome. So far I'm happy with my decision. Now I just have to find a way to get longer reach. I have longer lenses but they are too big and heavy for traveling.
Pros: Superior build quality, Super-sharp images
Cons: no tripod mount, can't adust polarizer with the hood on., can't add extender.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
5
Fast & accurate
on December 21, 2015
Posted by: Dennis33
from Minneapolis, MN, United States
I bought this in 2012, replacing my EF 70-200mm F/4L IS w/1.4 extender.
It covers the range most useful to me without adding and removing the extender. Focus speed, image stability and clarity are exceptional, used mostly for birds and wildlife. My daughter loves it so much she is now taking it on an African safari with her family, willing to deal with its size and weight on a complex trip.
It covers the range most useful to me without adding and removing the extender. Focus speed, image stability and clarity are exceptional, used mostly for birds and wildlife. My daughter loves it so much she is now taking it on an African safari with her family, willing to deal with its size and weight on a complex trip.
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
5
Fully satisfied with it's result
on December 9, 2013
Posted by: Juss
This is my first Lseries lens. I got it yesterday and tried it in my garden and came up with very very satisfying results. The focus is fast & noiseless and the picture very sharp! Light to carry in the field. I am sure it will give me some amazing photos. I thought a lot before buying this lens but now I am very glad that I made this choice.
Pros: Fast auto-focus, Superior build quality, Super-sharp images
Cons: notripod connection, no hard case for the lens
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
5
Great Zoom Lens (almost)
on June 16, 2011
Posted by: Anonymous
from Northern lower Michigan
I purchased the EF 70-300mm F4-5.6L telephoto zoom last winter, and it is a wonderful piece of equipment. It replaced an older Canon 70-300 F4-5.6 USM that I had owned for 18 years. What I like the most about it is the wonderfully sharp images that can be obtained hand-held at high magnification in relatively low-light situations with the Image Stabilizer active in Mode 1 (I haven't used it yet in Mode 2). It's extra weight compared to my previous 70-300mm lens actually makes it easier to hand-hold steadily. When locked into place at the 70mm focal length, it is nice and compact to carry and the lens doesn't self-extend while I walk around. The construction is very rugged and the lens is beautifully finished. It also makes a very nice portrait lens on my T2i with the 1.6 crop factor. The only criticisms I have are that it is quite expensive (I feel that Canon charges extra for the L series lenses just because of their fine reputation, not because they actually cost that much more to manufacture), and that it is incompatible with the EF 1.4 and 2.0 extenders (other L series telephoto zooms ARE compatible). Having said this, I am still very pleased with this product and proud to be the lucky owner of such a great piece of photographic equipment.
Pros: Superior build quality, Super-sharp images, rugged construction, high-quality finish
Cons: price, incompatible with extenders
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com