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

Reviewed By: Luke on 11/20/2006

Tech Level: somewhat high - Ownership: more than 1 year

Pros: Cheap. Decent lens when starting out with photography or if you want a cheap telephoto.

Cons: Images are often soft and color is very very faded.

Other Thoughts: This was a good lens for me when I started out with photography. Now that I have a better lens(yes they are much more expensive but the difference is immediatley noticeable) I can see how soft and faded the colors from this lens are. If you want a cheap telephoto and dont care much about sharpness or color quality than this could be the lens for you.

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Great for beginners

Reviewed By: brian1cj on 6/23/2006

Tech Level: somewhat high - Ownership: 1 day to 1 week

Pros: Lightweight, cheap, beginners won't know that it is considered an entry level lens.

Cons: Makes poor use of light. Optics are not the best. Plastic body. With the camera and lens fully extended, it is a foot long! Sometimes the focus can be way off the rocker. I sometimes have to focus in segments as I am zooming into my subject.

Other Thoughts: This lens is as cheap as they come for the amount of zoom you get. Those that are new to photography won't have a problem with it though. This makes a good "sunny day" lens shooting at low ISOs only. If you are planning on shooting indoors without a flash at 300mm, forget it. You will get dark, blurry, grainy photos. This lens just doesnt make use of low light levels. You honestly get what you pay for and this lens does have a purpose for existance, it just isnt for shooting in low light.

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For beginners only

Reviewed By: Nick on 7/22/2009

Tech Level: high - Ownership: 1 month to 1 year

This user purchased this item from Newegg

Pros: -Price

-Great zoom range- especially when paired with a cropped sensor camera like one of the rebels

-The EF lens mount means it will work with every one of Canon's digital SLR's (though I cannot imagine anyone putting one of these on a 5d mark II)

Cons: -No built-in image stabilization

-Relatively poor build quality

-Slow, imprecise auto focus (no USM)

-Front of lens rotates when zooming or focusing- a nightmare if you use circular polarizers.

Other Thoughts: This lens may not be the best, but it is better to have one of these than to not have a telephoto lens at all. If you can justify the cost, buy the image-stabilized USM version (around $500), or even better, get one of the white L lenses.

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Reviewed By: on 7/14/2010

Tech Level: somewhat high - Ownership: 1 week to 1 month

This user purchased this item from Newegg

Pros: Great lens for what it is. It does not have IS or USM, but this is clearly indicated. If you need these features, this lens is not for you.

Cons: None, for a lens of this price and specifications.

Other Thoughts: Ok guys, with this lens, what you see is what you get. No, there is no USM, no IS, and no other sorts of bells and whistles, and this is clearly indicated. It's ignorant to list the lack of these features as cons. What this lens provides is very good zoom for relatively cheap. To me, the picture quality is excellent in daylight, and I am comparing it to my friend's much more expensive, non-Canon lens. I honestly can't see any difference in picture quality, but his lens is better specification-wise. Of course, because there is no IS, you need bright light or a very stable platform to get a sharp shot at the longer zoom ranges, but this is the case with all zoom lenses. IS helps, but it can only do so much. Autofocus is slow, but keep in mind that this lens magnifies your image much more than the stock lens, yet uses the same focusing technology. If you need fast autofocus, you need a USM lens. All in all, this is an excellent lens for what it is.

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Good Addition

Reviewed By: Johnnie on 6/27/2010

Tech Level: high - Ownership: 1 week to 1 month

This user purchased this item from Newegg

Pros: Wide range, good price

Cons: None

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Reviewed By: on 5/3/2010

Tech Level: average - Ownership: 1 week to 1 month

This user purchased this item from Newegg

Pros: nice zoom, autofocus

Cons: HEAVY, no IS

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