Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III

Price is often a major factor in determining the overall quality of a lens. But that should not be the photographer’s only basis in making the right choice since there are tons of different lenses in several categories ranging from the ordinary lenses to standard, wide-angle, and telephoto zooms. Some lenses only excel in certain functions to keep the prices low. Some of the best lenses available usually come out at over $1,000, which can be more than 5 times more expensive than other lenses that serve a more direct purpose. The Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III is an example of a telephoto lens that can be used on certain occasions when photographers find out the limitation of other kit lenses.

Design & Construction

Build quality is nowhere near the expensive lenses but the simple build makes the Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III very light in weight at around 2 pounds. This means that amateur photographers and enthusiast that are still learning the ropes of DSLR photography can conveniently hold their favorite DSLR body and enjoy the wide 75-300mm focal range without leaving behind other key budget lenses. The silver ring added to the design does not make the lens look cheap. Overall, the Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III is a great lens for frequent travelling. Taking good care of the lens is crucial to avoid unwanted damage from abuse or harsh elements.

Actual user review:
“I bought this lens about six months after replacing my 20 year old SLR with the Canon Rebel G. I didn’t think photography could get any better. It did. The first day I used this lens, I was shooting photos of a biplane plummeting at an airshow. Having been used to my older equipment, I thought, “No way can I hold 300mm still enough, but what the heck, film is cheap.” I was wrong. That photo was crystal clear, and instead of a tiny blur in the midst of sky, I have a very clear image of the plane filling the frame. The lens has been responsible for getting me up close in many places since, most recently capturing Al Gore and his entourage on the pilot house of the riverboat that travelled the Mississippi the day after the convention. If you are looking for a versatile lens that gives great results under many conditions, this is it. It really is hard to take a bad photo when using it.” – G.Calvetti (WI,USA)

 

Features & Specifications

The lens assist the body in taking average quality photos with mediocre sharpness levels. The corners are mainly at their softest at 75mm while the levels improve when moving to 300mm. Pincushioning is noticeable when using the telephoto setting. Although that may seem to put the Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III in a fairly limited state compared to the mid-range lenses, this particular lens is still good for wildlife photography, sports photography, and portrait photography.

The autofocus performance is average in most cases although some photographers may find it a bit inaccurate. However, the speed is better than other kit lenses. Those that want a quieter and faster autofocus performance may want to consider the USM model where it has a Micro USM to overcome these shortcomings. Nearly all of the other specifications are the same as the Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III and costs about $20 to $30 more.

Unsurprisingly, Chromatic Aberration is one of the main factors that affect the overall quality of the Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III. To avoid suffering from this issue, it is recommended not to use the lens in high contrast lighting. It is also important to know that 300mm settings require a lot of light or flash when stopping down due to the slow performance. But one of the problems that photographers won’t be suffering from is vignetting as it is controlled well.

Taking sports subjects can be a bit challenging with the Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III because the aperture is only limited to 5.6 when using the 300mm zoom range. This means that the shutter speed is slow and that can miss a few of those critical high speed action shots.

Bottom Line

Despite its mediocre image, the Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III is best recognized as one of the most affordable Canon lenses available being priced at around $200 or sometimes cheaper in certain online stores. Those that are more used to point and shoot cameras will actually find the image quality to be a substantial improvement even though it remains average compared to other lenses. When paired with a decent DSLR, the performance still outperforms the ordinary point and shoot cameras by a large margin so those making the leap to DSLR photography should still feel that the lens is a good upgrade. Those that already own kit lenses in the standard 18-55mm ranges will also like this upgrade as the overall results are just about equal or slightly lower than the kit lenses. The lens is a telephoto lens and the 4x zoom range still expands the horizons. Plus the 7-blade aperture is a nice addition for a lens under $300. The Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III is perhaps the best choice for people that cannot afford superior lenses like the Canon EF 70-200 f/4.

Average User Rating:
Actual User Reviews:

• “No complaints so far with this lens. Using it on my EOS 300. Great looking, sharp images at the lower zoom rates and completely acceptable and actually pretty darn good images at fullest zoom. With my testing so far it’s plenty fast as long as you use a tripod at the longest zoom lengths. No problem for me since I most always use a tripod while photographing. Have not experienced the lens extending out fully when aimed downward like others have. I’d even have to say mine feels “quite right” in terms of resistance on the zoom ring. Bottom line, this lens is great deal at this price!!!!! If you can spend more get the IS model or some L glass, I can’t!” – R.Mattick (WA,USA)

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• “I bought this lens for my Rebel 2000 camera and have been very pleased with the results. I never use autofocus, but the AF feature when I played with it was very fast and accurate. I got the best pictures by using an all-around 800 Max film with this lens.” – T.A.Rutter (IA,USA)

• “I see a lot of bad reviews on this lens. I honestly can’t see why. If I can capture a squirrel in tall grass 50 feet away, hand held, overcast and in the resulting image I can count the hairs on the squirrels face. The hairs are sub-pixel sized. In other words the lens out performed the sensor. There isn’t any thing wrong with the lens. The auto focus selected the subject of the image, not the grass and quickly focused it. Even at full zoom the aperture was sufficient to shoot hand held at ISO400, under cloudy skies. So it’s not image stabilized … Boo Hoo! It also doesn’t cost as much as a stabilized lens. You can buy a pretty nice tripod for the price difference between this lens and a stabilized one. Can you get better glass for less, maybe. You can also spend a lot more money and not do better. So unless you are a pro shooting in fast paced environments this lens will do fine. If you are a pro why are you looking at an entry level lens? Something else to consider is that the USM, IS version of this lens is really the same glass in a fancier can and three times the price. If you want the bells and whistles go for it. The best value is here in the cheap seats. “ – C.A.Taylor (CA,USA)

 

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