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

This is a good quality, entry-level camera lens which provides a wide zoom range. I purchased it along with my EOS 10D, and after shelling out the $$$ for the camera, my budget limited me to lower-priced lenses to begin with.
The lens has produced some nice, sharp images under well lit conditions. It has no image stabilization feature, so if you're planning on taking pictures at the full 300mm zoom, it is recommended that you use a tripod to prevent jittery pictures.
However, I tried taking some night pictures with a long shutter speed (6-30 secs), and even mounted on a tripod, the pictures turned out blurred due to a slight wind buffeting the camera. So if you're planning on using extended shutter times, I'd recommend getting a lens with image stabilization.
Auto focusing works well when you have enough light, but in dark situations, it is almost useless as it goes back and forth trying to focus. Under such circumstances, you need to switch to manual focus and do your best to find the optimum focal setting.