Versatility, clarity, sharpness, AF speed, Image Stabilization, build quality

Weight, price, MF/AF button in a bad place.

A great all in one lens. It excels at the longer end, and is very good when you go wide. The push-pull zoom took about 20 seconds to get used to. It focuses quickly and accurately and the image stabilization is fantastic. Outdoor photos of birds and beasts really show off the quality of the lens. The feathers and fur are very sharp, and the color contrast and saturation are excellent. Indoors, the IS starts to shine. I took a series of photos in St. Patrick's Cathedral in NYC handheld at F4 - 1/10s that were tack sharp, even at the edges. I was debating a long time between this lens and the combination of the 70-200 F2.8L IS and 17-40 F4L lenses. If I have to carry the two lenses, they would be about 1.5lbs heavier, and give me 17-200 range with a gap. The 28-300 covers a great range and is useful in a wide variety of situations. The deciding factors were cost and weight. The two lenses together were about the same price, and the 28-300 was lighter to carry in the bag. My only complaint about the 28-300 is the placement of the MF/AF button. It's at the 9 o'clock position as you look at the back lens cap. It catches on the bag as I lift the camera out, and I've hit it accidently with my thumb while handling the camera in normal use. It's a very mild complaint.

Similar Products Used:

Canon EF 28-135 F3.5-5.6 USM IS Canon EF 75-300 F4-5.6 USM IS