Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM Lens for Canon EOS SLR Cameras

Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM Lens for Canon EOS SLR Camera
New condition

Overview:
The Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM Lens is a versatile telephoto zoom lens designed for Canon EOS DSLR cameras. It offers a useful focal length range, image stabilization, and decent optical performance. Here are the key points:

1. Focal Length Range:

   • The lens covers a focal length range from 70mm to 300mm, making it suitable for various scenarios such as wildlife, sports, and travel photography.
   • On a full-frame camera, it provides a nice telephoto reach, while on APS-C sensor cameras, the effective focal length becomes approximately 112-480mm due to the crop factor.

2. Image Stabilization (IS):

   • The 70-300mm IS features a 3rd generation image stabilizer.
   • It compensates for camera shake, allowing you to shoot handheld at slower shutter speeds.
   • The gyro sensors detect vibrations and adjust the lens elements to maintain stability.
   • You can expect up to 3 f-stops of stabilization improvement, which is quite impressive.

3. Aperture:

   • The lens has variable maximum apertures: f/4 at 70mm and f/5.6 at 300mm.
   • While not exceptionally fast, these apertures are typical for consumer telephoto zoom lenses.
   • The 8-blade circular aperture contributes to pleasing bokeh (the quality of out-of-focus areas).

4. Build and Handling:

   • The lens is relatively compact and lightweight, making it easy to carry around.
   • It features a metal lens mount for durability.
   • The zoom ring operates smoothly, but there's a slight risk of zoom creep (where the lens extends unintentionally) at longer focal lengths. Thankfully, there's a zoom lock at 70mm to prevent this.

5. Autofocus:

   • The ultrasonic motor (USM) ensures fast and quiet autofocus.
   • It's suitable for capturing both still subjects and moving action.

6. Image Quality:

   • While not an L-series lens, the image quality is generally good.
   • Sharpness is decent across the zoom range, especially when stopped down a bit.
   • Chromatic aberration and distortion are well-controlled.
   • The lens coatings help reduce flare and ghosting.

7. Comparison with Other Canon Lenses:

   • Compared to the Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS Lens (for APS-C cameras), the 70-300mm IS offers a longer reach and better build quality.
   • It's also an improvement over the older Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 IS in terms of image stabilization and overall performance.