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Another lens dilemma - 300mm f/4 L IS USM
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For many moons now, I've had a yearning in my heart for the 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM.
Having recently sold my Sigma 28-300, however, I've come to realise that (a) I more often than not used it at the longest end, and (b) the 70-200 isn't going to give me the reach I want.
Time to re-think.
First off, I decided that rather than compromising with an OK zoom (e.g. 100-300 or 70-300) that I'd be better off with a couple of primes - one for portraits, one for distance.
My first purchase was therefore the Canon EF 135mm f/2 L USM - only picked it up last night (bought from HK, received within 2 days!) but early experiments show that it lives up to its drool-worthy status! :)
My first thought for the long end was for the Canon EF 300mm f/4 L IS USM - a good length, good quality, and with Image Stabilisation.
There's only a handful of pictures on Flickr that have been taken with this lens and the 5D, so I thought I'd solicit some opinions regarding the combination....
Originally posted at 5:41AM, 1 March 2007 PDT
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MarkAndMarina edited this topic 76 months ago.
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The EF 300mm f/4L IS USM is an awesome lens.
Here are what other people say about this lens at FredMiranda.com:
www.fredmiranda.com/reviews/showproduct.php?product=39&am...
Here are examples of photographs taken with this lens:
www.pbase.com/cameras/canon/ef_300_4is
Posted 76 months ago.
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Johnny - thanks for the links; I'm aware that the lens is rated highly in general, but there's very little stuff out there that is specific to the 5D. There's 300+ great photos here on Flickr (going by the link in the EF & EF-S lenses group), but most of them are with 1.6x crop cameras - which does change things slightly...
Posted 76 months ago.
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There are 30 photographs on Flickr where people have used the standardized lens tags for this lens on the 5D:
flickr.com/search/?q=CanonEF300mmf4LISUSM&cm=canon/eo...
Posted 76 months ago.
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I'm one of those people: I own a 5D and a 300mm f/4. The lens is stellar, one of the best around. Very fast and accurate AF, not too heavy, plenty of reach and works quite well with the 1.4x extender.
I too wanted and bought the 70-200 f/2.8 and it's a great lens, no doubt, but I found myself almost always at the long end of it and wanting a bit more. I have no regrets about selling it and going with the 300. I'm not a street photographer and use the 300 mostly on a tripod but it does have IS and is hand-holdable.
It's a truly great lens and if you got it you would not regret it.
By the way, it's good for many more things than distance shots of birds. Here are my shots with the lens (tagged as such):
Canon EF 300mm f/4L IS USM
Originally posted 76 months ago.
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Richard- edited this topic 76 months ago.
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I have been using the 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS Lens. I find that this lens is very sharp. I haven't had any problem with flare or funny bokeh as some have reported. Best of all it is light and small. Here is an example taken from a boat. Focus is on the boat driver. On the full size image you can easily make out his facial features.
Posted 76 months ago.
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Here is another that shows an inset of the focal point. There is NO sharpening or color correction applied. This is straight from the RAW import with default settings.
Originally posted 76 months ago.
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- drsteve - edited this topic 76 months ago.
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I'll add to the opinions here that the 300/4L IS is an excellent lens.
I own one too.
There is actually a group dedicated to this lens: Canon EF 300mm f/4L IS USM
I've personally taken quite a few photos with mine, and it pairs well with the 1.4x TC.
Some samples:
More here: www.flickr.com/photos/xenedis/tags/canonef300mmf4lisusm/
J.
Originally posted 76 months ago.
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Xenedis edited this topic 76 months ago.
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It's imporant to not forget that a long lens like this can produce some amazing compression and bokeh when used as either a portrait or closeup lens. Many of the images above demonstrate this quite well. Here's one more...
Posted 76 months ago.
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"As I approach the prime of my life I find my hands are beginning to suffer from "camera shake."" (adapted from a song lyric...haha!) So with a little trepidation, I let go of my trusted 400L f/5.6 (which I've used for bird shots for the longest time). I then bought the EF300L f/4 IS. And I haven't looked back since. I find it easier to tote (I've removed the tripod collar since with IS, I didn't need a tripod for most of my shots).
A bonus: mounted on my 5D, it even fits in my old Lowepro Toploader AW (which I used with a 70-200L f/4 -- another lens that I've sold and replaced with a 24-105L IS). So I didn't have to buy a new camera bag. Haha!
Here's a couple of "non-bird" shots taken with the 300L IS:
More here: www.flickr.com/photos/pinoyphotog/
Originally posted 76 months ago.
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pinoyphotog edited this topic 76 months ago.
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Guys (I'm assuming you're all male!) - thanks for the feedback; absolutely invaluable! I've already browsed all of the fully tagged-up photos, but having the confirmation that it's a good handheld lens, that the IS is useful, and that the f/4 max aperture isn't too limiting is invaluable information that cannot be gleaned from just ogling fantastic pictures :)
Steven - nice pictures, and useful information, thanks! I'd not actually thought of looking at a lens like that, probably some deep-seated subconscious L-snobbery :) The DO does seem to produce good crisp L-quality images, although I'm sure that the variable maximum aperture would bug me; I know that it used to do so with my Sigma lenses.
To bring this story to a nice close, I'll have to thank you again - as I've just completed the payment for the lens, plus the Canon 1.4x teleconverter. I've been saving up for a rainy day for a while now, and it's been *really* rainy recently! :)
Can't wait to play with it! *gleeful hand-rubbing*
Posted 76 months ago.
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Ive taken loads of shots with the 5D & 300mm f/4 IS L USM, and heres a few of them...
Posted 5 months ago.
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