AndrewUber From United States of America, joined Jul 2003, 2528 posts, RR: 44 Reply 1, posted (8 years 2 months 1 week 1 day 23 hours ago) and read 3405 times:
I picked up a 75-300 F/4-5.6 IS USM when I bought my Digital Rebel, and I've been EXTREMELY happy with it. The quality is very good - I've not seen any problems or excessive chromatic aberration from it, and the IS allows me to get shots in conditions that would not be possible without it.
I would HIGHLY reccommend this lens. For the money, you can't beat it. I've reccommended it to friends, and they've purchased it - and been just as happy as I am.
Here are some examples of what this lens can do for you:
UA777222 From United States of America, joined Dec 2003, 3348 posts, RR: 13 Reply 2, posted (8 years 2 months 1 week 1 day 22 hours ago) and read 3398 times:
Do you have a steady hand? If so stick with the non-IS. Though it is non-IS and a bit cheaper it does produce what some would call soft images but I have uploaded 3 shots successfully with the Canon EF 75-300mm f4-5.6 III USM lens. I have produced a lot of photos that I like a lot with this lens. Check my profile for my photos for people get flamed too much for posting their own photos.
AndrewUber From United States of America, joined Jul 2003, 2528 posts, RR: 44 Reply 4, posted (8 years 2 months 1 week 1 day 21 hours ago) and read 3379 times:
I've been told to always use ISO 100, so lately that's what I've been doing. It's rare that I try ISO 200, and I never go beyond that (not on airliners.net shots, anyway) because of the grain. On slower shots I try to keep in the F8 through 10 range for depth of field, and I have slowed the shutter all the way down to 1/50th of a second while shooting arriving aircraft. The IS makes it possible to still get a clear shot, even while panning. Don't let anyone tell you that you cannot pan with an IS lens - you can - and the IS will keep the target perfectly still even if you're shaking a bit (which I often am while shooting in sub-zero temps in sunny Fort Wayne lol).
Here are some examples of slower shots that I have in the d/b:
This shot was taken at ISO 200, 1/60 at 170mm, exposure compensation of +2. It was one of my first uploads from my 300D - and frankly the quality probably wouldn't make it nowadays, but it's on here nonetheless:
Someone recently showed me how to deal with RAW photos - which I hated from day one - but now I shoot exclusively. RAW quality is much better then JPEG, but the best part is that you can actually adjust the exposure, white balance and even focus from a RAW photo. It's amazing what you can do, even with a "marginal" photograph in RAW! Spend some time working with it, you'll grow to love it as well.
Here is one of my first tries with RAW. This shot was taken in ISO 100, F5.6, 1/200th shutter, +1 exposure compensation (which I probably didn't need), at a focal length of 250mm. This is the end result:
Jderden777 From United States of America, joined Jan 2000, 1747 posts, RR: 33 Reply 5, posted (8 years 2 months 1 week 1 day 21 hours ago) and read 3370 times:
i used this 75-300 IS lens since may '03 and it was a fantastic investment. gave me good results (you can look up my photos on here) and there's not too much to complain about it. Drew's right you can pan with this lens you just gotta practice your technique. i have just recently upgraded my equipment but this lens was well worth the money spent, and has a nice range to it although it can be a little soft at the 300mm end....i usually shot in aperture priority (at f8) with this lens as it seemed to be its "sweet spot" so to speak - where the lens is sharpest. the IS really helped me out a lot in low light situations....the AF is a bit slow to focus though on the 75-300, but my new lens has lightning fast AF
well worth the investment although a step up would be the 70-200 f/4 which i've heard is a fantastic value as well.
Andrewuber From United States of America, joined Jul 2003, 2528 posts, RR: 44 Reply 6, posted (8 years 2 months 1 week 1 day 20 hours ago) and read 3370 times:
Jonathan-
Which lens do you have that has lightning fast focus? I'm looking for new glass currently as well, and was considering the 70-200 F4 L. I have been saving my pennies for some L glass for a while now, and plan to add several lenses in the near future. One lens that I will be picking up in April is the 100-400 IS. I can't wait to have 400mm of zoom, WITH IS. Imagine the possibilities!
There is one small issue with the 75-300 IS - the focus will run out to infinity sometimes, especially when shooting an airplane in flight. The key to dealing with this is to be prepared for it. Try to keep the image you're shooting right in the center of the viewfinder, and be ready to drop the view to the horizon if the focus starts to run away on you. It only takes a second to get the focus back.
Even though I'm shopping for L glass, don't think that I'm not happy with my 75-300 IS. It's a great lens for the money. Even if I do buy the 70-200 F4 L, I'll be losing 100mm of zoom... that's one thing that's been bugging me about dropping $600 on that lens!
And by the way, if you'd like FULL resolution example from the 75-300, in TIFF format, e-mail me - I'll get you some of the shots I did for an airline. In 3072x2024 TIFF, there is amazing detail.
Psych From United Kingdom, joined Nov 2004, 2968 posts, RR: 60 Reply 9, posted (8 years 2 months 1 week 1 day 18 hours ago) and read 3354 times:
I agree with all the comments above.
When I bought mine I was keen to get IS at an affordable price, because I had lost a number of shots at 300mm to hand shake, even though I would say I have a steady hand. This is because you do need to stop down the lens somewhat - especially at the long end - due to softness and, of course, this places limits on the shutter speed available to you.
Generally I have been very pleased with the results. All the photos here are taken with this lens (from last November). Just a couple of examples that show what can be achieved are:
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