Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III Lens

Classic design with good results

The Canon 75-300mm lens has seen many versions and is an old design but it is still going after these years. Why? Well, it offers decent image quality in a relatively light and compact form, has a metal mount, is well constructed and is surprisingly cheap, especially second hand. Of course if you compare it to more recent, more expensive zooms with fancy lens elements, it will not seem as good. But if this bothers you, you will either have the money to buy them, or sigh and admit that this old budget lens is the best option available.

All older designs of the 75-300 or 70-300 tend to be less sharp at 300mm, and this Canon lens is no exception. But I got perfectly good shots of a robin singing in a tree at 300mm. No doubt a better lens would have given me a touch more clarity. But...the price/quality ratio of this lens is just fine. The main down for it is it has no image stabilisation. I will let you into a secret; if you want to freeze the movement of say a bird, what you need is a really fast shutter speed. If you shoot a bird with your IS lens at 1/125th of a second, it won't be sharp because the subject will have moved during the exposure. IS does not make the world stand still. So the claims for the importance of IS are overstated. If you want a lens with IS on a budget the Canon 55-250 is just the job; it does not go to 300mm however, it has a plastic lens mount and is entirely made of cheap plastic. So I would rather have this venerable 75-300mm lens which is in my comfort zone financially and which usually delivers excellent results. Read full review

Verified purchase:  Yes • Condition: pre-owned • Sold by: illuminate15

Good value but you will want to upgrade

Not the best lens, but good value for the money as a starter option. Not for serious users but a good tool to learn on. Better than spending 4 times as much on some serious kit if you are unsure about your wish to get hooked on this hobbyRead full review

Verified purchase:  Yes • Condition: new • Sold by: shi-di

Excellent Zoom lens

Totally pleased with the lens, works as it should and a "must have" for any photographer. Quick change and easy to clean. Learn to use it manually too for those custom effects shots. AF is fast and accurate. Nice addition to my trio (18-75mm and 500mm mirror plus filters).
Look after it and it will perform spot on.
Cheers.Read full review

Verified purchase:  Yes • Condition: pre-owned • Sold by: if4h-uosrmm@Del...

Fast and quiet AF

Lovely lens, focuses smoothly, swiftly and silently. Compatible even with my 99-00s ELAN 7S.

Verified purchase:  Yes • Condition: pre-owned • Sold by: danzig_is_king

Decent lens

The 75-300 gets some bad press and generally it is down to the lack of IS. The lens has AF which on my model needed a bit of encouragement coming back to life but now works fast and relatively quiet, though nowhere near silent.

I can produce great photos easily upto 200mm but beyond that this lens would benefit from the missing IS to compensate for movement, however increasing the shutter speed compensates well.

I recommend this lens for anyone looking for 200mm+ on a budget, it is a great entry telephoto lens. Read full review

Verified purchase:  Yes • Condition: pre-owned • Sold by: drs1491

Liberated by the family!

So good I no longer have it, my granddaughter has found a home for it. Not rated particularly highly but for the average to middling photographer it's a good basic lens no no obvious distortions etc. I will probably get another one.Read full review

Brilliant purchase

Won this bargain and it came well packed and brand new.. took the lens out for a test drive and it's really good quality and can't find fault.
Would recommend both supplier and item to anyone!

Verified purchase:  Yes • Condition: pre-owned • Sold by: newbie41171

Very good sharp pics

Zoom is very good works as should needs a tripod for use to get really sharp pictures

Verified purchase:  Yes • Condition: pre-owned • Sold by: sol9933

Excellence!

It was still in the box and looking brand new so l was delighted with the lens. It took sharp pics on auto focus so l'm very happy

Verified purchase:  Yes • Condition: pre-owned • Sold by: drsortitout

Excellent product at a competitive price.

Perfect - very good image quality for the price and a very useful focal length range that will nicely complement most general purpose zoom lenses.

Verified purchase:  Yes • Condition: new • Sold by: wilsondeals_uk

Great item even for a novice like me

An excellent lens without paying a fortune. The zoom is superb and I have taken some great photos with my Canon EOS 750d. Easy to use and not too heavy so no real need for a tripod.
When you buy a Canon you know its going to work.Read full review

Verified purchase:  Yes • Condition: pre-owned • Sold by: anthonys2289