Is the Canon 70 300 IS Lens worth the price?

 

Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM Telephoto Zoom Lens – 0345B002

Surprise – 70-300mm Canon Lens is Much Better Than Expected
By Wayne Rasku

I love surprises, especially if they are like finding a golden nugget where you thought there was junk.

The 70-300mm Canon lens (not the DO model) is just such a surprise.

In fact, it could be the best kept secret among photographers. You rarely hear anyone proclaiming the greatness of this little lens. The lens is too unassuming and ordinary. And yet, when you look deep, you see the subtle praises.

Maybe it's because the lens is not impressive to look at, and "real" photographers want an attention-getter on the front of their prized digital SLR.

Maybe it's because it isn't all that expensive, coming in at about $550.

No matter the reason, the 70-300mm Canon lens is well worth taking a look at.

Image quality is ranked by some well respected photographers right up there with the L lens, and that is impressive.

What you will generally see on blogs and forums is how unpretentious the lens actually is. Comments like, "I thought it was a toy," express the first impressions of many first-time users.

However, the first impressions are not lasting ones with this lens. Once they shoot a few frames, their opinion changes. After all, the lens sports IS (image stabilization) and USM (ultrasonic motor), along with the great image quality already mentioned. Those who disdain the use of a tripod will like these two features.

My favorite story about the 70-300mm Canon lens comes from a guy who found his lens at a garage sale. Picking it up, he figured he would buy it for a young relative who was just getting started in photography. The seller knew nothing about the performance of the lens. So, the photographer buys the lens.

Just to see if it even works, he puts it on his Canon 5D to take a few shots. The relative never got the lens. This buyer was so impressed with its performance, he stated that it was too good of a lens to waste on someone else.

Ken Rockwell had this to say about the Canon 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM lens, "When I first picked it up I thought it was a toy – but when I saw the great heavyweight image quality, the toy-like lightness became a huge benefit."

Surprises are great when they come like this. You know the old saying, "Don't judge a book by its cover." True of many things, including camera gear.

Happy Shooting!

I was very impressed by the stories of photographers in all stages of ability, from beginners to pros, in their praises of the Canon 70-300mm f/4-5.6.

Compared favorably even to the Canon 70-200 L lenses, most of which cost much more. And you get an extra 100mm of focal length. How can you miss? Visit http://www.canoneoslenses.org for more.

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Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras (CANEF75-300MM)

If you find the Canon 70-300 IS Lens a little too spendy for your budget, there is a cheaper alternative.  Canon also makes a 75-300 lens that comes in at a much lower price.  As a matter of fact, you will pay less than one third of the price for this lens.  But don't think you will be getting almost the same lens for so much less.  For the lesser amount of money, you also will not get the IS technology, which is important to some, and not so much to others.

The IS in the Canon 70-300 IS Lens stands for image stabilization.  And if you are not using a tripod for those zoomed in shots, it could be that you will never be able to achieve that crisp, clear, shot you are after.  If you are using a tripod, the IS technology may not be as important to you, and you may be able to get by with the 75-300 lens

 

Sigma 70-300mm F4-5.6 APO DG MACRO Lens for Canon SLR Cameras – (085126508272)

As an alternative to a Canon Lens, you may want to have a look at the same lens made by Sigma.  Sigma is a well known brand of lenses, they typically make lenses for high end cameras at a lower price.  Reviews are that the Sigma lenses are as good as, or better than, the manufacturer lens.