Canon EF 100-300mm f/5.6L 35mm Zoom
Canon EF 100-300mm f/5.6L 35mm Zoom
USER REVIEWS
[Jan 10, 2001]
Dave Kuzdrall
Beginner
Strength:
affordable, sharp pictures, solid feel.
Weakness:
5.6 a bit slow, autofocus very slow and noisy. The push pull zoom can slip a bit when the camera is mounted in a near vertical position. Despite its weekness this is an excellent lens. The image quality is well worth dealing with the weaknesses. At 100mm it makes a great portrait lens. Over all an excellent deal. Customer Service not needed yet Similar Products Used: none |
[Feb 25, 2001]
Yaron Kidron
Intermediate
Strength:
Great sharpness!
Weakness:
Phew... AF is terrible. If you had any experience with USM, you'd have a tough time adjusting to this garbage disposer. It slips when you hold it vertically, so you got to hold it tight all the time. There's no way you could get a better zoom/telephoto then this model; Why? because you can find these old juggernauts at Ebay, often for under $300, and they outperform ANYTHING that is out there (Zoom/Tele) for under $600 (It easily bests my Sigma 135-400). Yes, it's darn slow. It screeches and mumbles and talks to itself as it autofocuses, and it is DARN SHARP. Customer Service No need, I fix them on my own. Similar Products Used: Sigma 135-400 |
[Mar 05, 2001]
Kaushik Pal
Casual
Strength:
Sharpness
Weakness:
Slow f/5.6 This lens is pathetically slow. It feels clumsy. The technology is a decade old. It's front element rotates during focusing. It makes a noise like no other while it does so. Because of the slow speed, I find that I have to use the tripod very often because the situation demands slow shutter speeds at f/5.6. And this is where I have the biggest complaint. There's no tripod mount on this 1.5lb lens. On an Elan7, I'm always a little nervous when it's unsupported on a tripod. Similar Products Used: 80-200/4.5-5.6 |
[Mar 04, 2001]
Lenny Gumm
Intermediate
Strength:
Great image clarity, light (great for hiking)
Weakness:
push/pull zoom, autofocus This lens is a bit of a throwback. No USM, an autofocus that has a tough time in difficult situations (low light, horizons), and a push/pull zoom which sometimes requires a holding hand. SO WHAT! The point of a good lens is to capture a crisp and accurate image. This lens does it very well at all lengths. An "L" lens at $400 bucks or less? Snap one up while you can. Customer Service N/A Similar Products Used: Sigma 70-210 |
[Apr 26, 2001]
Stan Buttles
Intermediate
Strength:
Extremely sharp lens even wide open. Good color representation. Excellent price.
Weakness:
Slow 5.6 aperture lens. Slow and easily confused autofocus. A little cumbersome to hold and operate. Buy this lens unless you can afford newer or other "L" glass lenses that cover these mm lengths. Produces better pictures than all other tele zooms I've used. Don't expect to follow focus on fast moving subjects; get a more current and faster focusing lens for those and either live with the lower quality or pay the big bucks. No better tele zoom made for the price. Customer Service Used twice for other Canon products - once for medium tele USM lens and once for camera body. Prompt and good, but repaired product did not work quite as good as new. Similar Products Used: AF Zoom Nikkor 75-300 |
[Aug 12, 2001]
George Bernabe
Intermediate
Strength:
Sharp. I didn't find the lack of a tripod mount to be a problem as the lens is not that heavy.
Weakness:
Maximum aperture is 5.6. Slow and noisy autofocus. Manual focus ring is too narrow and function is not smooth. I wanted a quality xxx-300mm zoom lens and after using it for the first time today, I'd have to say it was a good purchase, particularly at $269 from BH Photo. Customer Service Haven't used yet. Similar Products Used: Sigma 70-300mm DL |
[Aug 21, 2001]
John Burnham
Intermediate
Strength:
Sharp... light... limiter... inexpensive.
Weakness:
A little warm, little slow, build feels okay, AFD!!! This is a good lense period. Agreeing with others image wise, that is producers better pictures over other 100-300 (Friend has USM v.) Works great when you have enough light! Customer Service Non required (1 year so far) Similar Products Used: Non autofocus FD Vivitar 80-200 3.8 (100-300 good change) |
[Aug 21, 2001]
Matthew Machlis
Intermediate
Strength:
Very sharp
Weakness:
Slow/noisy autofocus If you're looking for a telephoto zoom for a Canon body, and sharpness is important to you, and you're willing to spend the money, I think the only real options are either this lens, or the Canon 75-300 IS (image stabilized). I've also used the 75-300 a bit, and while the optics are less sharp, the IS helps a lot in some situations. Customer Service None needed Similar Products Used: Canon 100-300 USM (in store) |
[Oct 04, 1999]
Al Roka
Intermediate
Model Reviewed:
EF 100-300mm f/5.6L
Strength:
Sharp Photos. Cheap for an L lens.
Weakness:
Slow focusing compared to other current L lenses. Good value. Similar Products Used: None |