Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I shot a roll of a film with a newly purchased 75-300 IS and returned it shortly afterwards. I was satisfied with the image quality (although it could be sharper at the 300mm end), however I found the performance of the lens to be unacceptable. The focusing speed is WAY too slow. For those of you who don't already know, there are TWO kinds of USM motors. One of them is very fast and allows focus override, one of them is very slow and does not allow for focus override. This lens has the latter. This lens flaunts the fact that it has a USM motor, but believe me, in terms of focusing speed, you will not be able to detect any difference between this lens and the non-USM 75-300 lens. The fact that the lens is a slow, dark f/5.6 at 300mm doesn't help things either. The image stabilizer does work well, but the focusing motor is just too slow. This is the first lens Canon made with IS and therefore contains the older USM motor (as far as I know, none of the other IS lenses contain this type of motor). Canon should really update this lens and put a better focusing motor in it. If they were to do that, this would be a KILLER lens.
During the event I shot using the 75-300 IS USM, I lost many good shots because the lens kept hunting instead of locking onto my subject. At one point I actually ended up throwing it into manual focus because it was just easier that way. Unfortunately, if you want a long telephoto zoom that focuses quickly, you have to throw out a lot more money and buy something like the 100-400 IS USM (which contains the GOOD USM motor) or the 70-200 USM (also containing the good focusing motor).
I'll close by saying that this lens will *probably* work well for you if you know you'll always be shooting places where there is VERY sufficient light (aka outside). Otherwise, I'd stay away from this lens.

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Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras

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Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX DG Medium Telephoto Macro Lens for Canon SLR Cameras Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)When I first started looking for a mid-level macro lens, a few weeks ago, I was naturally drawn first to the Canon 60mm, as I have already have 2 Canon bodies.
But then I started looking around, reading reviews (mostly on Fred Miranda's site), and comparing prices. The more research I did, the more appealing this lens became. And finally, I decided to go with it.
Here's why:
- The price is similar to the Canon 60mm.
- I already own a Sigma EX-series lens (17-35mm), and really like it. I like the matte finish, and the glass is excellent.
- For some reason I cannot fathom, Canon doesn't include lens hoods with any of the mid-range lenses I looked at. Sigma does.
- The greater focal length means I can stay farther from the subject - minimum focus distance is about 30cm (12in). This is almost always a benefit.
This lens isn't perfect, however, and here's a few caveats you may want to consider before making a purchase:
- In low light (ie, most macro photography), this lens likes to hunt. Which can be a slow process considering its length when fully extended. Personally, I don't mind manual focus all that much, so this doesn't bother me.
- This is a not an HSM (Sigma's version of USM) lens. It is motor-driven. This might bother you, but I barely even notice it.
- Switching to/from manual/autofocus mode is a 2 step process. Beside the switch on the side of the barrel, the focus ring requires a push-pull motion which is sometimes a bit tricky. With a little practice, this becomes less and less of an issue - and if you leave it on manual most of the time (as I do), you seldom have to worry about it.
- The lens hood is a screw-in, not a twist- or clip-on model. This is, however, offset by the rather deep recession of the glass in the lens tube. (If you want to use the lens hood and leave it on, a 77mm lens cap will fit it.)
Despite these (in my opinion, very minor) problems, I'm very happy with this lens, and would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a mid-level macro lens

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This high performance medium telephoto macro lens is optimized for Canon digital SLR cameras. Sigma s macro 105mm F2.8 EX DG allows greater working distance between the lens and subject. The Super Multi Coating reduces flare and ghosting that tends to occur when using digital SLR cameras.

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Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM Super Telephoto Lens for Canon SLR Cameras Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)After noting the captions of exceptional photographs that appeared in nature and photography magazines were often shot with this lens, I began to read the reviews. Based on the uniformly excellent reviews, I bought this lens and spent two weeks this January in the Florida Everglades taking pictures of birds. Based upon my experience with the lens, I would rate this as second in sharpness and contrast only to the 300 mm f2.8 Canon L series lens. The lens is handholdable for short periods to shoot birds in flight, but it is best suited for use on a solid tripod with a Wimberley tripod head to allow tracking of birds in flight.
Jerry Reed
Giclée Maker
http://www.newlightimages.com/

Click Here to see more reviews about: Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM Super Telephoto Lens for Canon SLR Cameras

Next-generation super telephoto L-series lens with an Image Stabilizer, it's one of the world's best lenses for wildlife and nature photography. The optical system is newly designed with a maximum aperture of f/4. One fluorite element and two UD-glass elements effectively correct aberrations resulting in sharp and excellent delineation. Sample Image

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