Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM Review

A telephoto lens is essential for bringing the background and other subjects much closer. One of the most common focal lengths is the 70mm to 300mm setting and many sports photographers use these types of lenses to take close up shots of the action. However, many of the best telephoto zoom lenses by Canon are on the pricey side with noticeable models starting at $700 and can go all the way up to $2,700. Even the newly released EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM is unreachable in terms of price. Those that have the budget for these lenses may also find these extensive lenses to be too heavy. These photographers may consider the Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM telephoto lens which is both cheap and lightweight.

Design & Construction

Low priced lenses often sacrifice on the quality side and unfortunately that is the case with the Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM. It simply does not have the quality materials that make up some of the more expensive lenses but many that are looking for a cheap telephoto lens won’t mind because it is lightweight and works best with lightweight bodies. Owners of heavier DSLR bodies can also mount these lenses without significant weight penalties. This makes the lens ideal for traveling and the photographer can still carry an additional kit lens since these lenses are lightweight as well. Although the build quality does not impress overall, the design is still good and the silver ring provides a nice touch.

Actual user review:
“I bought this lens as a replacement for the earlier 75-300mm IS lens. I was generally happy with that lens, but it had definite limitations – I needed to shoot at f8 or f11 and bump up the ISO to get a decent shutter speed. This new version seems sharp at full zoom even wide open, allowing me to use a lower ISO setting. Size is similar to older version, but the IS seems more effective – looking through the lens when it kicks in you can actually see the image become more stable and less shaky. I got this over the Canon 70-200 f4 L because of the extra reach, smaller size (slightly) and the images I’ve seen from both are very similar.” – K.F.Giannini (PA,USA)

Features & Specifications

Sharpness and image quality is more or less average which is understandable for a lens that is far cheaper than even the least expensive mid-range model. Expect to see soft corners when using the minimal 70mm range although that can partially be fixed when zooming in. Zooming in may lead to some pincushioning.

One important thing to note is the presence of chromatic aberration which is noticeable when some fringes of color are present around the edges. This often occurs when taking subjects under high contrast lighting and should be avoided unless another lens is available. On the upside, vignetting is handled rather well and the 7-blade aperture is a welcome addition for a low-end lens.

Since this lens is likely to be purchased for 300mm telephoto photography, new owners should take note of the limitations compared to other telephoto lenses. First, a lot of light is needed when stopping down because the slow performance. This slow performance is because the aperture has a 5.6 limitation. Using a flash can compensate for the lack of lighting, but it may not be enough to take critical action shots during high-speed sports sessions.

Autofocus performance is one of the better highlights and although it is not perfectly accurate, the Ultrasonic motor or Micro USM allows the autofocus to function quietly and quickly putting it in the family of other lenses that use this technology. This is a feature that is missing in the Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III which is the cheapest telephoto zoom lens available.

With these minimal features and mediocre specs, the Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM is not the telephoto lens that is best for all occasions, but still serves as a decent lens for wildlife and portrait photography. Skilled photographers may find some use in sports photography as well. Compared to kit lenses, there are hardly any game breaking disadvantages.

Bottom Line

This is why the Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM is still a good value overall and the more than reasonable price tag really shows. Careful research may even lead to better deals in online and local stores. When mounted to a good Canon EOS model, the overall performance is still far better than the high-end point-and-shoot cameras. The 75-300mm focal range still makes it more flexible than the typical 18-55mm ranges present in the kit lenses. When it comes to alternatives, the Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L USM is far better but it costs $700 making the Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM a good buy for those that cannot save up for the pricier models. As long as the photographer takes great care of the delicate lens, the portability and functionality combine into one great value package.

Average User Rating:

Actual User Reviews:

• “The Canon EF 70-300mm f4-5.6 IS USM telephoto zoom lens replaces the first Image Stabilizer lens of its kind, the Canon 75-300mm f4-5.6 telephoto zoom lens. It offers now up to three – as opposed to two – apertures in image stabilizing mode, as well as slightly wider focal length. The current June 2006 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.” – J.Kwok (NY,USA)

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• “I have used a different brand 70-300mm zoom before which worked well, but it was noisy and slow to focus. The Canon 70-300mm is absolutely silent and extremely fast in focusing, and produces absolutely outstanding photos. So good in fact, that I have posted a few of the images under this lens for you to judge yourself. Photos that I took at the Atlanta Zoo, under all types of lighting conditions. The lens produced incredible photos. All were hand-held shots, most of which were at the full 300mm range. And the IS is incredible. I had one photo which was taken in the shade and I was shooting with aperture priority and wide open. I did not realize how well the IS stabilized my photo till I looked at the exif data on my Flickr site – the shutter speed was 1/10th of a second, hand-held, and at 275mm. What more can you say about a lens, to obtain sharp photos like that. This lens is an absolute winner for me! For a sharp, fast, quiet lens with a tremendous zoom range, this is the next lens you want to buy!” – Frank R. (USA)

• “I bought this lens to replace an EF 100-300mm (USM) that we had from my wife’s film shooting days. That older lens produced some surprisingly good pictures (quite sharp), but handheld shots were hard to get right at long focal lengths. The image stabilization feature of this lens works remarkably well, but it’s quite a bit noisier than that of the EF-S 17-85mm IS. The sharpness is quite good. I was surprised by how much faster I can acquire focus with this lens, even though reviews suggested that it still falls short of L-series lenses. If you want to shoot hand-held at 150mm+, I don’t think this lens has much competition under $1000 for Canon EOS users.” – D.Vandevoorde (USA)

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