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

First off I should state that I am more of an average joe then a serious photographer but I love this lens. Like anything there are some trade offs but for what I was looking for this fit the bill and more.

Like everyone else I was debating between this lens and the 70/200L. I wanted a telephoto lens and the 200 is just plain too short to be affective at taking photos of wildlife in my opinion. To me the 300mm was still a bit short so I added the Tamaron 1.4 teleconverter and have been pleasantly surprised at the speed and quality of the shots. I will say you need plenty of light with the teleconverter or it will hunt, the darker it gets the more it hunts.

My brother has the 70/200L and last weekend at my nieces graduation ceremony he was unable to come close to capturing the shots I was able to get.

clarity and results of this lens are exceptional.i can stand in the bleachers and get excellent close-up shots of my son on the ball field. as he ran..still very clear.when i downloaded my shots onto the pc, they could be blown up with incredible detail, so i can zoom and crop away. i have not tried this for indoor sports yet, so i cannot attest to those circumstances.sale price is worth investment. i wanted the l lens, but went with this due to smaller size, they are both incredible lens.

I had the 70-200 L F/4 usm without the IS, I returned that lens. Without IS it was not worth keeping for me, to many blurry pictures(must be on a tripod) So I exchanged it for this 70-300 IS USM about the same price too. Love it!! Made it all worth while. It's pretty good at up close, not a macro lens. Great with 300mm, Clear and sharp at all ranges. nice walk around lens for me. Very Happy with this purchase.

Great lens for the price. Range is good, and focus is quick - although sometimes the 300 is a bit short for wildlife...but at less than half the price of the 100-400 this is certainly a good option....very sharp and fast - not quite an L but can't be beaten for the price. 70-200L would also be an option, but 200 would be a little short for wildlife.

The EF 70-300mm 4-5.6 IS USM lens (not DO) is the best midrange lens for price and image quality. It is a good choice for the advanced amateur, and the only comparable quality lenses available would be in the expensive L series.