Excellent Value, Just Works
Pros:
Accurate autofocus, good balance between lens speed, IS and zoom range.
Cons:
Little heavy on lighter digital SLRs.
The Bottom Line:
Works like you'd expect it to for a price that is reasonable.
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
My Epinions Philosophy
When I make a purchase, epinions is one of my most valuable resources for non-biased experiences and information. When I come here to research a product I generally read reviews and the product specifications on other sites as well. You will find that my reviews try to focus on my personal experiences and research discoveries that I think are not easy to discover through pre-purchase research. I will also highlight any differences between actual product features and performance and what the vendor's marketing states or implies. This means that my review will not spend a lot of time on basic specifications, procedures or stock commentary that you can read in other places.
Vendor and Product Info Links
http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelInfoAct&fcategoryid=150&modelid=11922
http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EF-70-300mm-f-4-5.6-IS-USM-Lens-Review.aspx
http://www.bobatkins.com/photography/reviews/ef_70_300is_review.html
http://www.wlcastleman.com/equip/reviews/70-300IS/index.htm
My Relevant Product Background
This is some of the equipment I have worked with or currently own. I would describe myself as an avid amateur.
Canon AE-1 SLR (Film)
Pentax Super Program SLR (Film)
Canon G3 - 4 MP, High End Point and Shoot
Canon S410 - 4 MP, compact
Speedlite 420EX
Canon Digital Rebel 350D
What's To Like
One of the primary things I use this lens for is taking candid people shots at gatherings or parks. On a reasonably well lit day the lens really nails the autofocus and exposure well enough to be very brief and unnoticed when taking these types of pictures.
I have also used it for some children's sports photography and it did an admirable job balancing resolution, stop action and focal length.
I use this lens hand held 100% of the time and as long as I keep the lens capabilities in mind, it just works like a dream.
What I Don't Like
I have tried to take wild life pictures hand-held with image stabilization turned on and the detail is never quite there. It is rather ambitious to attempt this type of photography hand held, so I am not surprised at the results.
The lens is a little unbalanced on the Rebel series because the lens is long and fairly heavy while the Rebel was the lightest, smallest digital SLR when it debuted. However, I'm not going to upgrade the camera body just so it all feels balanced!
The lens is a respectable speed for a zoom of this length - but you are not going to be taking a lot of twilight pictures at medium to full zoom - bumping the ISO makes things quite grainy.
Hidden Gems and Tips
I was very surprised at how well this lens works with my Speedlight 420EX flash for stage type events. Despite the long distances, the two work very well together.
This lens is a huge value - it is edging on Canon's Professional lens quality (L Series) at a good price and excellent zoom range.
CircuitCity.com
