Lens HELP!

[Tony Dorian]

Hi there. I own a Canon digital rebel (300D), and I hope someone could recommend a good telephoto lens to go with it.I want sharp images, ease of use -engronmics-, and something that would serve me for years.I was looking at the following...so, which one is better? I'd probably be using the telezoom for airshows, birds, and candids of people, and would like something affordable.


-Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM

(I read this lens gets soft towards the end, and the AF speed is slow, any comments? complains? or problems with it?)

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

-Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 APO Macro Super

For Macro, I read a lot of pleasing reviews about the Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX Macro. What do you think?

Any other thoughts would be appreciated, thanks all!

[Peter_AUS]

Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM, I have this lens and basically hate it, because it is slow to focus and in low light it is a pain.

Can't help with the others, but you could try reading the review section on the lenses as well.

What are you wanting this lens range for ??

[mjs1973]

I just took my Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro out for the first time today. I shot over 140 pics in about an hour or so of just driving around. I love it!!! It feels great and is very sharp. If telephoto is all you want I would highly recomend it, and it's macro ability seems great also. By looking at what you have listed you want something with zoom capabilities so this lens may not be exactly what your looking for tho... A great lens for a pretty fair price as far as I'm concerned.

[another view]

Most lenses like this are soft at the long end and can be slow to focus. Problem is that f5.6 is (for most cameras) the slowest maximum aperture that autofocus will work at, at least consistently. When you get into low light you'll need every bit of speed you can get even if you don't shoot the lens wide open. In low light, an 85 f1.8 is probably a better lens to use - with practice you might be able to handhold it at 1/60 too. Try a 300 at 1/60 and see what you think!

[Michael Fanelli]

I own the 75-300 IS lens. Although not L quality, it certainly returns sharp photos at a reasonable price. I have used it heavily and it actually replaced a 100-400 L IS lens that was just too big and heavy to carry around.

Phots taken with this lens are available at

http://www.barchoc.com/AntarcticaPhotoMain.htm

Almost all of these were taken with the 75-300 IS lens.

[PhotoGimp]

I tried a sigma 70-300 APO and wasn't very pleased with it, and returned it after 10 rolls of film, and any 70-300 range zoom will be equivently soft at the long rage(the last 100mm usually) so I splurged and got the 100-400IS, noticably MUCH better quality, and I've carried it around the Toronto Zoo for 6 hours and was still able to get extremely sharp pictures at 400mm handheld after a full day of lugging around. The push/pull can be a pain, but it is a small trade off for the benifits and versatility. Maybe look at the sigma 80-400OS if canon is not you thing.

[Ryguyinlj]

If you've got the cash I would highly reccomend the canon 70-200 f/4 USM L series lens. A friend owns it and I am jealous.

[PhotoGimp]

If you've got the cash I would highly reccomend the canon 70-200 f/4 USM L series lens. A friend owns it and I am jealous.

yah, I've got that one too and it is probably my favorite, great lens