Canon EF 70300mm f/4.55.6 DO IS USM Lens

great lens
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I originally owned the first 70-300 is lens. I took some wonderful pictures with it. The major difference between that lens and the new one is the size. The older lens was a monster. I have always been impressed with Canon lenses. I like the fact that you do not have to lug a tripod around. The image stabilization is a wonderful thing.

careful , less sharpness , compact but very heavy
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
careful , less sharpness , compact but very heavy

not recommended for pro users , nice for prorate and user how want to won tow lenses only

Great pictures, but not perfect
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I use the 70-300 with a Digital Rebel, giving a maxium equivalent focal length of a 480mm lens on a 35mm film camera body. I thought about buying one of Canon’s 70-200L series, but they are huge, white, and heavy. I am not a professional photographer and decided I didn’t want to look like a geek trying to masquerade as one. Besides, I like to take my camera with me, like tucked under my ski jacket, so there is an upper limit to practicality.
So far, photos have mainly been of kids playing baseball. I’ve shot roughly 1000 pictures in the few weeks I’ve had it. From the outfield fence, I’ve been able to take some great pictures of the batters. At maximum focal length, tracking movement of players takes some skill, which I am still trying to master. From the baselines, I have to zoom out to keep the action in the frame. I haven’t had a need yet to use the IS since I use a fast shutter speed for sports.
Picture quality is very good. Photos are crisp across the field. I assume the magazines will test this lens eventually under lab conditions, but I can’t see any imperfections with real world photos.
My only complaint is with the zoom control. The lens has a lock to hold it in the shortest focal length because the lens will move by itself when pointed up or down. The rotating ring for the zoom control is a little too hard to rotate when the camera is level, and especially when going against gravity. It is fine for still subjects, but it is a challenge for quick focal length changes with sports. Gearing for a more rotation with less force would have made this lens ideal.

Excellent Lens
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I love this lens. I’d like to compare it to the canon 70-200 f/2.8 L, because I own that too. I originally bought the 70-200 because I really like the L series glass, having previously purchased other L lenses. I am a small woman and I found it to be very cumbersome and often left it at home (though it is an excellent lens on it’s own) because of it’s size. My husband suggested the 70-300 f/4-5.6 DO IS as an alternative. I am SO pleased with the lens. I recently shot over 250 photos at a zoo. All hand held, something I could NOT do with the 70-200, and many at the extreme 300mm. The IS is amazing, the weight of the lens very manageable. It was a cloudy, sometimes rainy day and yet the colors were true and the focus, even in low light situations, very accurate. I used no flash, even indoors. The photos through glass and mesh were so clear, you’d never know either were there. On a sunny day practice shoot, I had no trouble with lens flare, even without using a hood. (I was trying to get flare, just because it was mentioned in other reviews.) So, if you do not wish to haul a heavy lens around and you want all the benefits of an L series photo, I would recommend this lens.

this lens kicks butt
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
i used this lens for high level aerial photography – 7500 ft as opposed to the 500 ft level i usually shoot

with a standard lens – the pix were fantastic – i worried about jiggle moving 60 mph in a fixed wing

aircraft shooting things close up over a mile away – with the image stabilizer on both settings 1 and 2

i got fantastics results – just make sure that the sun is shining bright and the lens does the rest

Light,very compact high quality lens
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I have owned this lens for several years and although I have upgraded to almost all L professional lens,( the 35L, 135L, 70-200 f2.8 IS L , 300L, etc) I always bring this lens when travelling. Over the years I have taken many “keeper” photos with it, including shots taken at children’s soccer games where I can shoot without being so conspicuous (try that when shooting with the big “white” lens), at dog shows, street shots, foreign countries where it really is impossible to use the big lens and still enjoy daily walks, etc.

The sheer compact size is enough to keep it in my bag but also the lens has excellent optics and with the sharpening techniques today I can easily sharpen up if the image is slightly soft, at the end of the range occasionally. I have a few shots on the computer where I thought I had used the 300L when going though due to the great color and richness.

As a note to any who don’t know, this lens does not work well with filters which can cause loss of quality. The only exception is the polarizer. If I had to keep only 2 lens, this would be one of them. You will read bad reviews of this lens but I have not had any of the problems and lens go in and out of fashion as you will find if you get involved in the photo community. Very highly recommend.

Stopped my wife from complaining … seriously!!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I bought this for my wife for our safari in Tanzania and I couldn’t be happier. She shoots with a 20D and previously used a EF 70-200 F4 L lens which she found too heavy. She used to get blurry pictures because she couldn’t keep that lens still while shooting, but with the EF 70-300 DO she gets consistently better pictures, less fatigue, and I’m happier because she’s happier She got several pictures that I missed because I left my even bigger and heavier EF 100-400mm lens in the truck while we were walking around, but she brought her camera and got the shot.

Other than her being happy, I like this lens because it’s not as bold as the white lenses, which makes it easier to snap some candids of people without them noticing.

I don’t really like the zoom ring, it’s a little too stiff and I found myself struggling to get the zoom I wanted. Maybe this is because it’s new, but I’d prefer it to be a little bit looser.

I wish it was just a little bit faster. F4.5-5.6 is okay, but it would be perfect if it was a stop faster (of course it would be twice as expensive too).

I feel like I got a fair deal for the lens. Of course I would have loved to buy it for less, but I feel like I got good value for my money. This lens for a happy wife is probably worth it

Great backpacking lens
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Since I use a Canon Rebel with a 1.6x crop this lens becomes (in effect) like a 112mm – 480mm zoom. I considered the “standard” 70-300mm IS zoom and the 100-400 IS-L zoom and selected this because of it’s size and weight. The DO has not been an issue and the pictures are sharp and clear. I did discover that the Canon 1.4x extender does not work with this lens and neither does the 2x glass I bought for the front.

I have been especially surprised (and pleased) at the macro possibilities. A butterfly at four feet nearly fills the frame!

Another 100mm would be nice, but this lens fits nicely with my 17-85mm IS to give me a nice complete range for field trips.

Awesome Results
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Before purchasing Canon EF 70-300 DO IS USM Lens, I was using 75-200 Canon lens which was without image stabiliser. So, without tripod, I was unable to take good pictures. When I bought this lens and used it at different locations, I got awesome results of the lens. I do not use tripod. Its a worth buying. You can see some of the pictures taken by me on this page. Thanks to amazon.

Great telephoto for outdoor shooting.
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R1LY6FU6TXCFXV Canon EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS USM Lens for Canon EOS Cameras

Why this lens vs. the regular 70-300mm?
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Judging by Amazon customer buying behavior, it’s a toss-up between this lens and the Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM (AKA non DO 70-300mm). So why would you pay twice the price for the Diffractive Optics (DO) lens?

1. Image quality

2. Weight and Length

I have used both lenses, and the 70-300mm DO IS is the one that I purchased.

The DO lens produces sharp, contrasty, aesthetically pleasing images. It is ever so slightly soft at exactly 300mm, but this can easily be fixed with mild sharpening. The non-DO lens is softer, shows distortion towards the edge of the frame, and produces “flatter” (lower contrast) images. I had to sharpen, correct and tweak the contrast of every single image from the non-DO lens.

This lens weighs 720g (1.6lb) and is less than 100mm (3.93in) long when closed. The non-DO lens is 630g (1.4lb) but 144mm (5.6in) long when closed. The DO lens is slightly heavier, but not by much — about the weight of a “candy bar” mobile phone — but far shorter. This makes it more practical for travel and other work outside a studio.

I’d make the same choice again in a heartbeat. I have now taken many thousands of shots with the 70-300mm DO IS, and couldn’t be happier — sharp, strong images that don’t require a lot of post-processing.

Criminally bum rapped.
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I spent weeks in forums reading up on this lens, and always seemed to come across a mixed bag of comments about it. I’ve had it for about a month, and I have taken a good amount of pictures with it. It does take great pictures, all the way up to 300mm. There is a touch of softness at 300mm, but this can all be taken care of using an unsharp mask in Photoshop/Paint Shop Pro/etc….. As a matter of fact, this lens seems particularly receptive to sharpening. People swear by L lenses, but if it’s between this lens and say the 70-200mm IS you’re talking about a minimal difference in sharpness out of the camera, and the 70-200mm IS costs more with less of a range. The DO is also black, and the DO technology enables it to be much smaller than you’d expect. At full zoom it is smaller than the 70-200mm IS or non-IS!! I took this lens to a NY Mets baseball game, and did not stick out like a sore thumb. YOU CAN TAKE THIS LENS ANYWHERE!!! The image stabilization is great, and has 2 modes you can use.

I am very satisfied with this lens. Don’t let the L snobs sway you away.

I bought this for 1169.95 and it’s $30 drop to 1139.95 was refunded to me by Amazon. I wouldn’t shop anywhere else.

great lens, great place to buy.

Love this lens
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Just returned from a long trip. I bought the lens just before I left so had not had a chance to try it out. Most of trip was covering a sporting event (Rowing regatta) so lots of use. Many different conditions and lighting conditions. Now over 1000 images later the lens performed wonderfully. The images crisp sharp and compared favorably with pictures taken by professionals with the bigger Cannon lenses. Perfect for web use even good enough for print use all hand held braced. The size made it so easy to use.

A very well designed telephoto lens with more accessories
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I like the DO (Diffractive Optics) of this lens. It’s great to take pictures from a distance without using a long, bulky lens that makes me stand out like a sore thumb. Even though it is heavy, the IS (Image Stabilizer) compensates well for the shaking as I line up my shots. The dual IS switch for either full IS or panning shots (think following running players on a field) is a very nice feature.

Oh, this is a kit that includes an ET-65B Lens Hood and a LP1116 Soft Lens Pouch. Too bad I didn’t know before I ordered the hood separately.

The lens fits nicely in a standard camera bag. And I can store the lens hood reversed on the lens and on the camera although I can’t adjust the lens with the hood in this position because of the long length of the hood. And because of the hood’s length, an external flash is recommended if you need a flash shot.

Because the 70-300 DO uses 58mm filter threading, I found a better use for my UV filter than being on my original Canon kit lens.

This lens is a keeper.

Amazing
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I purchased this lens because I do a lot of candids and 200mm is just not good enough. I also recently purchased a 5D MkII, so any praise I may have for the lens may be partly due to this camera. When I read some reviews of this lens, I was worried that it was weird. I will mostly address these issues. Is it heavy? No. I use a monopod and hand carry a 100-400 lens without problems. This lens is only 52 mm at the front,so it has amazing reach for its size. Does the zoom feel heavy? No. The zoom needs some resistance, since the front of the lens would extend by itself if it was too light on the zoom control. This is the same issue you have with the Sigma 18-200, another great all purpose lens for candid shots. Both lenses have a lock button that keeps the lens from extending when you not taking pictures.

Lastly and most importantly does the diffraction type lens cause any problems? No. I have literaly seen no problems with lack of sharpness or unusual flare. I think you would have to shoot tripod test scenes to reveal this. Using a monopod in real life conditions,the issue does not appear to exist. Admitedly with back ligthting you can get some fogginess and flare,but this is just like other lenses. I think some ot the reviwers who are critical spend too much time bench testing. When I am doing candid,or travel photography,especially with a full frame camera,this may become my main lens.

So glad I got this one
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I may have done this incorrectly as I included a fews comments about this lens in my review of the 10-22 Canon. Anyway, I spent way too much time worrying if this was going to be the lens I needed. I was planning to get the 70-300 IS Canon last summer before a trip to Africa. But when I went to buy it there was not one to be had. All I could find was the DO lens but at a substantially increase in price. It actualluy worked out for the best. Yes, it was more expensive but the smaller size and ease of use more that made up for it. I never used a tripod and was able to get truly outstranding wildlife pictures. I’d get it in a heart beat if I had to do it again.

A thrilling experience in a zoom lens!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I’ve had this lens for several weeks now and have taken nearly 100 photos with it. It is phenomenal for outdoor photography. Some of the criticism of this lens is that it’s not very fast. But why would anyone want a 70-300 lens for indoor, night or low light use?

I’m quickly becoming a nature photographer with it. I can zoom in on wildlife from a safe distance and, even hand-held, it delivers clear shots that often have a shallow depth of field that nicely focuses attention on the subject. This lens has more than enough clarity for me. With so much glass built into a relatively small space, the lens feels substantial. The lock it has on the extension tube is great. It keeps it from extending when you don’t want it to while walking with the camera over your shoulder.

Some examples of what this lens can do can be seen on a Flickr group I’ve created for this lens: [...]

Excellent lens – caution: the lens hood comes with it
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Excellent quality and fast lens.

Heavier than I expected.

Note, when ordering this lens DON’T also order the Canon ET-65B Lens Hood because it comes with the lens.

Fantastic
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I have used this lens for some 6 months on a range of subjects from flying hawks out of moving trains to perching dragonflies. It has worked very well and the IS feature is truly excellent.

worth every penny
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
When I got my Rebel XT I was initially disappointed by the image quality. It did not take long to realize that the kit lens is the weak link. Over the next several months I kept going back and forth between different reviews and finally decided to splurge on this lens. It is at least twice as expensive as what I had initially budgeted but I have been very happy with it. The lens itself is very sharp and the IS technology allows you to shoot up to 3 f-stops slower. It has a very solid feel. I sell many of my pictures through an amateur photography site and since I started shooting with the IS lens, the reviews have been very positive.

The lens has a 58mm diameter — same as the kit lens. Any filter you may have purchased for the kit lens will work on this one as well. It comes with a hood. Unfortunately, when not in use, the hood masks to zoom lock so you need to remove the hood in order to unlock the lens. That’s a minor nit and it is essentially the only one I have come up with in several months of use.

I am so sold on the IS technology that I have just ordered the 17-85mm lens as well. I plan to get rid of the kit lens alltogether.

Great travel lens: light and small for a quality 70-300mm zoom
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I bought this to have a good zoom to pair with my Rebel XT (350D) on backpacking trips. It weighs far less than the other options at the same size (particularly the L glass). Additionally, it is physically small for such a high power zoom. This combined with its being black makes it a fun lens to “walk around with” for candid shots since it doesn’t draw much attention. As for backpacking, it is fabulous: light, small, and gives me a reasonable amount of reach for wildlife and nature shots. I’ve not yet paired it with a teleconverter, but, I intend to do so.

I think that the optics of the lens have caused glass snobs to scoff at it and look for *any* possible flaw, with the biggest complaint in reviews being about bokeh. In real life, I can only recall about three shots out of several thousand where I have seen the negative effects mentioned — you need to have background light hitting the lens at just the right angle. In one of the cases I liked the results, in the other I moved slightly. photoshop could easily rectify the output, too.

I’ve found the focus on this lens to be much faster than the kit lens from the 350D and somewhat faster than my 50mm prime. The stabilization is pretty good, too. I’ve handheld 1/5sec shots of waterfalls with it to good result; just remember that it doesn’t hold your subject still so it won’t help as much for sports or wildlife.

I didn’t like the little bag that came to hold the lens when it isn’t being used. If you plan on taking this lens with you backpacking/hiking/etc, I’d seriously consider using a purpose built camera bag with lens holders or a hard container.

One other thing to keep in mind is that this is not the fastest lens (f/4.5-f/5.6), if you do a lot of low light or high speed photography, you’ll either be shooting at higher ISO settings or slower lens speeds than with the L series lenses.

The Ultimate Travel Telephoto Lens by Canon
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Every lens has its advantages and disadvantages.

This lens is tailored for shutterbugs seeking a travel-friendly, telephoto zoom that can deliver nearly the same image quality as a large L telephoto zoom lens (emphasis on “zoom” versus “prime”). My copy of this lens is as sharp as my copy of the Canon 100-400 L at all focal lengths. However the 100-400 delivers a slightly richer image because it can capture a greater range of hues (Although software can improve the DO’s images.) The DO is vastly more portable due to its compact design; even with the lens fully extended, it’s shorter than the 100-400 fully retracted.

When traveling or when I don’t want to carry a big lens, the DO is my telephoto zoom of choice.

WOW, What a Lens!!!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This lens is all that and a bag of chips. The image stabilization works beautifully at 70mm as well as 300mm. IS mode 2 for panning also worked very nicely. When people see this lens it hard for them to believe it’s a 70mm-300mm. The ability to manually fucus even in full auto mode is another great feature. The price was more than I wanted to spend, but I’m glad I did, the lens is worth the price.

Awesome lens if you take the time…
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
*Update* A reviewer recommended DxO software (dxo.com) for this lens, so I tried out the demo first with these raw files from the zoo. Unreal results. Just amazing. Prints are simply beautiful. You have to try to believe.

What a great zoom lens. I prefer primes and really wanted a 100/2.0 to go along with my 50/1.4 for my 5D. However, I got a great deal on the DO zoom so jumped on it because of its versatility.

It has to be one of Canon’s most controversial/misunderstood zoom lens. The price is one factor and softness the other. The 70-200/2.8 IS takes better pictures (out the box) with less computer work needed later. However, this lens is heavy and white and needs a tripod. But it has terrific quality.

It takes time to appreciate this DO lens. I got so many blurry images in the beginning that I almost took it back. But I decided to take pictures all day to figure it out before my daughter’s kindergarten class went to the zoo. This is what I discovered:

-best sharpness between 70-200 is f/5.6.

-between 200-300 is f/11 and f/16

-Image Stabilization is amazing

-auto focus is lighting quick and accurate

-size and weight are amazing for this focal range

Needless to say, the pictures I took at the zoo were terrific hand held. Because it was a sunny day, shutter speeds were high and the images were blurry free. Shot in RAW and WOW when I opened them up. This was “L” class all the way. Now, I understood the price/performance advantage of this lens. After five hours at the zoo and double checking that my group of kids were still with me, I realized it was never obtrusive. There is no way in hell one could have used the 70-200/2.8 IS for that long around their neck and shoulder!

Kudos to Canon for making this technological wonder. Just shoot RAW and the softness goes away and the images are “L” quality. This lens will be with you all the time ready to go. That’s priceless in my book!

Black, Compact , it is very Sharp too.
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This is a great addition to my small collection It completes the range after the Sigma 12-24 and the 24-70. On my XT it takes me very far and with great results.

Its go-anywhere compactness and black color are the reasons I, like most of the other reviewers, choose it over the Big, White, (and Loud), L lenses of the same quality and reach . This is why I give it a 5.

I highly recommed it to anyone looking for a telophoto lens that can be taken anywhere and provide photos that rival any L’s.

LPG

zoom creep
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
I’m very disappointed with the lens creep on this lens. I realize this is typical of a longer zoom lens, but was hoping that Canon would have addressed this problem with a lens of this expense. The zoom had almost too much resistance for the first few shootings, but now it is impossible to shoot upward or downward and stay in focus. (I’ve only had the lens a few months.)

Superb Lens Canon 70-300 USM DO IS
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I have a Canon 300 f/2.8 IS and a 600 f/4 IS for wildlife photography; I also had a 300 70-300 USM (non DO) version for shooting while walking around and did not like it or the images it created. I was put off by the negative reviews the DO got and (unfortunately) waited to buy one. I have been shooting it six months now; and love it for its bright colors and portability and the IS works great for me. Feels like an “L” lens.

Must have for traveling
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I’m very new to photography but I bought this on the recommendation of a friend who takes a lot of pictures. I took this lens on safari in Africa. It was awesome. The trip and the lens. The size is nice as I could fit the camera with the lens on into a normal carrying case so I was always ready. The image stabilizer worked perfectly. Since I was zoomed all the way out for most pictures, I wouldn’t have gotten any good shots since I couldn’t use a tripod in the range rover. I highly recommend it if you can afford it.

Outstanding Lens for your 40D or your Rebel xti
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I have used this lens for 2 years on my rebel, 20 D and now on my 40D. It is an excellent lens and has never dissappointed me. There are technical reviews that talk about some image softness, but I have not found this to be true. It is the best lens you can carry around without a tripod and get a high zoom range. For sports photos it isn’t a very fast lens, but you can just turn the ISO up to 800 or 1600 and get great shots ( lbiet with some noise that you can photoshop filter. It is especially and easy lens to travel with and I have taken it all over the world. The lens is supported by DXO optics software that you simply must own if you own a canon body and this lens 9 it takes care of all the lens optic imperfections automaticaly when you porcess the image. It costs a lot but you will be using it a long time. There is no comparason with the L series lens that are much larger and heavier.

Great Lens, but telephoto zoom is stiff
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I found this lens to be superb. Fast focus, very good image stablizer, sharp images. However, I also found the zooming of this lens to be stiff and not very smooth. I was told this was due to the design of the lens with the weight of the glass toward the filter side of the lens.

The solution I came across is to use a collapsable, rubber glare hood which I attached to the front of the lens. When the hood is collapsed, I can grasp the lens barrel by this rubber hood and zoom in and out with great ease. The collapseable hood, when fully extended, also serves to prevent glare spots that others report. Sure, this shouldn’t be the case for such an expensive lens, but this is a very simple and functional solution that makes this lens’ zoom characteristics much smoother.

A excellent lens, compact, good traveler
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I bought this lens at the same time I bought the 20D — when the camera was first sold. It’s not the lightest lens around, but it’s compact, quick focusing and has few if any discernible faults. It doesn’t stick out in a crowd, at least until you rack it out with the hood on.

It was one of the early choices when I decided to move up to SLR Digital from other types — and the old reliable 35mm SLRs.

I’d buy it again and I plan to use it on a 5D when it arrives, for a trip with me and the 20D, This is core travel lens for me. As for quality, it’s very good. I own some Ls, but this dances in the same league. I was a professional who cut his teeth on Nikon Fs (and used other cameras up to 8×10). I’ve used optics from Leica to Nikon to Goerz. If your images aren’t sharp, consider that it may be user error.

I mostly use autofocus, but frequently switch to manual and it fits the hand well either way. The balance is good.

I don’t see the softness at 300mm others refer to, but typically there are sweet spots of f stop and focal length with zooms. Every lens has some inherent compromise — fast or slow, fat or slim. I don’t observe any softness, but I shoot only in RAW and do image processing outside the camera. JPGs are useful or unavoidable in places, but pointless if RAW is available.I do large prints 13×19 or larger and the image holds together as well as anything else I’ve used.

FWIW, in the first few days I owned this lens, I shot a long series on sea birds feeding — and the images contained details I couldn’t see clearly while shooting (more common than admitted). But the smooth zoom and auto focus made composition on moving objects easy. The camera lens combination was perfect. Better equipment does not makes you a better photographer, but it can help a good one. The image stablization is very good. It’s great for sports photography, but remember that autofocus is sometimes not the answer (and sometimes the only rational answer).

It has a hood and bag supplied. I sometimes use a rollup rubber hood that fits across several lenses. The hood self-packs nicely in an event.

On the 20D (and others with the same sized sensor), this provides an equivalent to 112-480mm. If you intend to use a teleconverter, don’t even consider the Canon unless they have a new one. It doesn’t fit. I have a 1.4x and it works well with exposure and autofocus and extends the reach to 672mm. I’m not a big fan of this, but FWIW.

I typically travel with this lens, a 10-22mm EFS zoom (which won’t fit the 5d), a Tamron 18-200, the 100mm macro, and a 35mm f/2 as a base lens. At some point, for travel at least, I’ll sub the 24-70mm. Add two bodies, some computer junk. I won’t decide on the kit for the 5D 20D combo for a while, but this one stays.

Weight. For some people, this is a bigger deal than they know. A camera bag weighs nothing for the first 20 minus. This lens and camera can get heavy. I don’t find it a problem, but some might prefer a less compact design with the DO.

Great lens for walk-About +++++
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I use this lens on a Canon XTi. On that camera it’s in effect a 98mm – about 480mm lens. I also use a Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM Lens for Canon EOS SLR Cameras. They rate about the same. Both have excellent image Stabilization and great optics. I’m generally torn between the two on which to leave on the camera. This lens is a tiny bit soft at 300 (480 on my XTi) but it has never been an issue. I thought about buying one of Canon’s 70-200L series, but they are huge, white, and heavy. Besides I have the 400mm `L’ series lens and $$$ goes just so far.

December 22, 2007 – Still a great lens. It’s been in use for 4 months and not a flaw. Highly recommend. Not the 70-200 IS “L” series but only in that the 70-200 is f-2.8. But the IM makes up for most of that.

You will be happy with this lens, try it.

February 2008 Update

Santa brought a Canon 40d to which this lens is attached most of the time. The lens quality on the 40d is even better. Has the actual quality changed? No, but on the 40d it’s more usable do to high usable ISO settings. The XTi now carries the Sigma 10-20mm full time. [Note: The Sigma 10-20 super wide is a GREAT lens as well] No lens changing in the field. I have a choice of 10 Canon and Sigma lenses, what does using this lens almost full time tell you? Right, you’ll be happy with it to.

May 1, 2008 Update. Now the most used lens on the 40d. Visiting Yosemite National park and at 300mm the shots across the valley of Yosemite’s Upper, Middle and lower waterfalls (all one set of falls) are breathtaking with this lens. This is a location where the only way to view all three falls in one picture, is to shoot across the valley. Worth the $$$.

May 2009 – Graduated to the Canon 5D mark II – this is a great lens on a full frame camera body as well.

Excellent lens with a 40D
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Paired this lens up with a 40D. After several months of heavy use:

Highs:

Solid feel, well built. Works very well – even at 12000ft+ and well below freezing, always ready for use straight out of the bag on long hikes.

Easy to focus precisely.

Zoom stays in place even when pointed vertically – up or down – without the lock button. I may be lucky and have a good build of the lens.

Excellent resolution in shots.

Small – easy to pack and take on hiking trips. Got many shots would otherwise have missed.

Can focus in auto mode as ring is decoupled from actual motor.

Comments:

Found it very hard to reproduce the artifacts mentioned in reviews – basically had to point it through grills close to the lens with aperture wide open.

Tried pointing into the sun (WITHOUT looking in viewfinder) and glare was not apparent.

Lows/tips:

Contrast not as good as a fixed lens or 70-200L .

Most shots Good to Excellent but some had to be Photoshopped to recover contrast.

Recommend shooting raw in dusty/cloudy conditions with lot of ambient light around, or when lens wide open.

f4.5 aperture could be wider for my ideal lens. The f4 of the non DO model makes some difference.

Costs a lot.

I agonized over the cost, but after trying it and it’s lower cost non DO rival I chose this as I do a lot of traveling. Both packing down and solid build are important. Apart from contrast, the look of the resulting photos is good to excellent, and shooting in raw for challenging hazy environments brings out the best. The resolution/sharpness is excellent – can leave it at f5.6 and shoot without caring – good to capture those spontaneous moments.

A 70-300 DO and a 40D make for an excellent travel set.

Wonderful long length travel lens
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I purchased this lens for use as a lighter carry and travel alternative to the 100-400. I’ve had the 100-400L for a while and really like it for wildlife and other long telephoto work; however, it is a bit large for travel and general carry. This little gem works great for that purpose as it is much smaller and still offers IS and a nice length. The image quality is very good, and while not quite up to par with the 100-400L the smaller size makes it usable for trips when space is tight. Highly recommended travel and carry lens!

Great Lens!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I originally purchased the other (non-DO) Canon 70-300mm zoom lens but found so many annoyances with it that I returned it. I find this DO lens to be much, much nicer and worth the extra cost. The issues I had with the non-DO lens were: it’s big and noisy (focus and IS); slow to focus; if pointed down, the lens violently pops-out to full zoom, thus requiring use of the zoom lock whenever not in use; the filter ring rotates during zoom, making use of a polarizing filter difficult; you cannot manually focus if the lens is in AF mode; chromatic aberrations were noticable.

The DO lens has none of these issues: it is compact (about the same size as the Canon EFS 17-85), quiet, and fast focusing. The lens holds its focal length if pointed up or down. The filter ring does not rotate during zoom, and you can manually focus whether in AF or MF mode. I’ve seen no chromatic aberrations with this lens. Shots are clear and crisp throughout the entire range.

I didn’t consider the highly-rated L series lenses because I knew that I wouldn’t regularly carry such a large and obtrusive lens. I can literally carry this DO lens in my jacket pocket wherever I go, and not attract a lot of attention when it’s mounted on my camera. Your needs may vary.

It’s also a pleasure to own what I consider to be a technological marvel. With excellent image stabilization and autofocus, and being one of only two SLR lenses in the world to use diffractive optics (the other one costs over $5k), this lens defines state of the art.

One of my favorite lenses… and that’s saying something!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
The most important thing I expect of a premium camera lens is for it to capture images with striking sharpness and color. The Canon 70-300mm DO IS has delivered this for me over and over. I own a number of other Canon lenses some of which are “L series” and I can honestly rank the 70-300mm DO right near the top.

Of course, this isn’t a “Swiss Army knife” type of lens and there are times when it’s not the best lens to put on the camera. The f4.5/5.6 means it’s not going to let in a great deal of light even wide-open, so it’s not the best choice for stopping fast action in low light situations, but that shouldn’t be a surprise. What this lens does best is daytime nature photography. I’ve been able to get incredibly sharp and vibrant wildlife photos with the 70-300 DO IS. Many of these images are among the best I’ve taken. The Image Stabilization feature is wonderful and seems more useful on this lens than any other I own. It also does a nice job of portraits and landscapes (as long as you don’t require wide angles).

As mentioned elsewhere the lens tends to soften slightly as it nears the 300mm end, but in-camera or computer processing will sharpen them nicely without adding noise, so it’s not an issue to me. While slightly heavy it’s not objectionably so and I have no qualms about putting it on my Canon XT 350d for a walkabout lens. An added benefit is its stealthiness. Closed up it’s not much bigger in length than the kit lens which makes it less a target for thieves and lets you get “candid” shots of people who aren’t aware you have a long-lens. At $1100+ this isn’t a cheap lens and it seems like many people figure they’re not going to spend that much on something that isn’t even a “L” series, but to me if it takes “L series” quality photos (which mine does), then it’s doing all I need it to do.

Overall, I’d say the Canon EF 70-300mm DO IS one of the best lens values going and I expect to own it a long time.

I like it but…
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
All the praise that I’d heard for DO optics makes it sound almost too good to be true. Granted, it’s a fantastic lens and I’ve taken some pretty astoundingly good pictures, but it’s a little heavier and a little bigger than I expected. Mind you, it’s still small for 70-300, but it doesn’t really feel that much lighter. Also, you really need to lock the lens or else its weight when it’s over your shoulder, causes it to extend. Would I buy it again? Yes. Is it a wonder-lens that replaces everything in your camera bag? No.

A truly superb and versatile lens!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I bought this lens to use on my 20D and was very pleased with its image quality, color, and bokeh. I just upgraded to a 5D and this lens is amazing with that camera. The autofocus is extremely fast and accurate, and the image quality is fantastic. I really love short DOF to make the subject stand out and this lens makes it easy. The sharpness, color, and bokeh are spectacular and rival my 24-105 L, and the extra reach in a relatively light-weight lens comes in very handy. A superb walk-around lens that does everything except wide-angle and low light (although on a 5D the low light is less of a problem). I highly recommend it! Image quality is first rate!

The BEST lens in my bag… Do not let the nay-sayers scare you off!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I bought this lens when it was first released back in 2006. After three and a half years of use, I find it consistently the most used lens in my camera bag. Quite importantly, I haven’t personally experienced any of the negatives I’ve read in other reviews. Not once. The pictures I am able to capture with this lens are nothing less than superb in quality. The lens is very well built and feels totally solid – built like a truck. Of course, the size of this lens is clearly the most amazing feature. Even fully extended, the zoom is quite significantly shorter than a 200mm standard zoom lens, therefore calling very little attention to itself. The images I’ve been able to get with this lens are amazing. It’s feels well balanced on the front of my 30D. Easy to handle, and easy to swap out if you need a shorter focal length. Think about all of the pictures you can capture when you can have 300mm worth of zoom on your camera without lugging around a huge, sometimes inappropriate feeling lens. Though certainly quite a significant investment, this lens has been worth every penny I spent on it. If you’re in the market for a premium zoom lens and this baby fits in your budget, I highly recommend this lens. You’ll absolutely love it.

Lens is great
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I was concerned before buying the lens that it would be too bulky and hard to keep from extending without warning. I have found it to be a very fine lens, and have no complaints. I will use the lens much more while travelling, which is why I bought it. It fits into a small lens pouch that I can wear attached to my belt, and be easily accessible. I just don’t think I would want to have a bigger tele out there on the go. Yeah, it’s spendy, but worth it for my needs. It’s only money!

Canon EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS USM Lens
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I am still in the process of learning with the lens. My most recent captures were some humming birds near our feeder by our kitchen window. There were some good shots and a lot of blurred ones, but the few good shots made it worth while. I also like having the ability to sneek up on our grandchildren with the telephoto lens and take shots of them, and they don’t even know it. I purchases the Canon Rebel XT and this lens for an up and coming cruise to Hawaii. I am still learning and practicing with the camera and lens. The nice thing about digial photography is the ability to delete a bad shot. This allows you to try, try again.

Look anywhere
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I am an amateur photographer and have recently switched to Canon. I bought this and various other lenses recommended by wise friends of mine. Delighted! Have used it to “enter” areas out of bounds to civilian mortals and achieved sharp and close results. Very light in weight, easy to use.

Initially, my order went astray, whereupon I mentioned this (not complained) to Amazon and the lens was replaced immediately. Go Amazon!

Excellent results for size and weight, but zoom is a problem
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
This lens gives good results except for two weaknesses. First, the diffractive optics causes little “donut” hot spots in images when areas are exceptionally bright i.e. reflection off a lake. They look a bit like the donuts of a telephoto mirror lens. Second, the zoom ring is very hard to turn. It doesn’t have the fluid smoothness of their other zoom lenses. It’s acceptable in use, but barely. You have to put so much force on turning the zoom ring that you have to take the camera away from your eye to do it. Very inconvenient, since you could miss an important moment. These negatives a countered by the lens’ small size and weight. With it, and Canon’s 17-85 zoom, you can cover nearly every shooting situation. Given its weaknesses, however, it should sell for less.

Exceptional Lens
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Highly recommend this lens for anyone looking for a medium to long telephoto. Takes great pictures, sharp throughout the range. A little heavier than I expected, but the weight actually helped in holding the camera steady. Before buying the lens, based on other reviews, I was concerned that the zoom would be stiff and difficult to use, but it works fine; zooms smoothly and I had no problem holding it up to my eye while doing so. To hand hold in very low light conditions, setting the camera to 200 or 400 iso setting helped bring the shutter speed up to an acceptable level with very little picture quality degradation.