Canon EF 70 mm - 300 mm F/4.5-5.6 DO IS USM Lens

This zoom lens is the size of a regular lens except that it is a little chunky in circumference but it easy to carry around. I did some quick test shots and it appears to focus very quickly and the pictures at full zoom seem to be pretty sharp. At 200mm the lens is excellent so I would reccommend this as a great all around lens to use when you need telephoto pics. As in other reviews I read the zoom adjustment is a little stiff and the ring is a little too close to the camera body which is true but I have no real issue with it. The quality of pictures is what I expect from the better Canon lens line and the size of the lens for the range (70-300mm) is just great. I will be taking more test shots over the next few days to get a better feel for its performance and my learning curve in obtaining the best I can from this lens.

This lens is a great travel and landscape lens for two reasons: 1. its compact size makes people think you're not shooting their picture with a 300mm lens and 2. 70-300 is the sweet spot when it comes to telephoto work.

This lens is also one of Canon's best built non-L (professional line)lenses. The USM ring motor is quite fast. So it's got the edge over similar lenses. And it has Canon's more advanced image stabilization system built in.

The only area that reviewers have faulted the lens is that it isn't as sharp as Canon's L lenses. But those lenses generally cost far more for a similar zoom range and if they include image stabilization (IS). If you can get one of these lenses for under $900, it's worth it.

I really love this lens. You can buy Canon 70-300mm lens from $200.to $2000. or more and none are close to the features and sharpness of this lens.In fairness I would say a two grand lens would be as sharp if you don't mind carrying a ton of weight and bulk.That brings me to the DO zoom/macro lens which is compact and easily manageable.It could be a "walk around lens" due to the focusing as close as 54". The weight is slightly higher than lets say a Canon 28-135mm kit lens ( about 3oz.more) but is the same length.
The diameter is slightly larger to house the 300mm capability. The best part is the sharpness of the pictures hand held at 300mm.You will notice no loss of sharpness when cropping these photo's. I live in Arizona and love to take telephoto pictures of distant mountains and rock formations. I have had other 70-300mm lens,but this one is head and shoulders above them all. Built with great quality,small in size, light weight,and very sharp photo's at all zoom positions. It is priced higher than most everyday 70-300 lens, but worth the difference.

I read many reviews about this particular lens and it stands out as one of Canon's innovative lenses considering its focal length and size. It is small, focuses fast and has image stabilization. I am very happy with the images from it- they are surprising sharp, the colors are vibrant and its performance is better than I expected. A new lens would cost $1250, I bought this mint copy for $650 and I am very happy with it!

An excellent lens for field use. Very light weight and a most useful range of focal lengths. Lens is a bit "slow" with respect to aperture compared to L series equivalents, but with ability to increase gain on digital cameras and post processing removal of noise, not a problem. The lens is compact and works great on my 5DMkII and on my 7D canons. This is a diffraction (fresnel) based lens which permits reduction in size and weight. A very innovative and unusual lens and well worth the money.

rgr