Canon 70-300mm f4-5.6 IS USM is a Variable aperture Auto Focus (AF)
Telephoto Zoom lens with Optical Image stabilization and 35mm FF max sensor coverage, and it is designed to be used with
EF Mount cameras.
What type of photography is the Canon 70-300mm f4-5.6 IS USM lens good for?
The type of photography that you are planning to use the Canon 70-300mm f4-5.6 IS USM is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated its suitability to various photography scenarios:
Lenses in Canon EF Mount with Same Focal and Aperture Range
Reasons to Buy Canon EF 70-300mm f4-5.6 IS USM Lens
Here we've included a summary of the advantages and disadvantages of the Canon EF 70-300mm f4-5.6 IS USM lens in a list form to help you determine whether it offers the features you need.
| Optical Image Stabilization |
| Autofocus |
| Zoom Lock |
| Covers Full-Frame Sensor |
| 8 Diaphragm Blades for Smooth Bokeh |
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| No Weather Sealing |
| Hood is not supplied |
| Lens Extents while zooming |
| Slow Aperture at Tele end |
| Variable Aperture |
Lens Mount
Canon 70-300mm f4-5.6 IS USM is compatible with cameras that have a Canon EF lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Canon EF lenses are Canon 1D X III, Canon 6D MII and Canon 5D MIV.
Size, Weight and Filter Thread
Size and weight is a very important decision factor when searching for your next lens. Canon 70-300mm f4-5.6 IS USM has a maximum diameter of 77mm and total length of 143mm when not extended. It weighs 630g / 22.2 oz.
Canon 70-300mm f4-5.6 IS USM has a filter thread of 58mm. Below are links to the filters that we recommend you to consider for your Canon 70-300mm f4-5.6 IS USM:
Focal Range
Canon 70-300mm f4-5.6 IS USM has a focal range of 70-300mm and 4.3X zoom ratio. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.6x crop, it provides an 35mm (FF) equivalent of 112 - 480mm.
Optical Image Stabilization
The Canon 70-300mm f4-5.6 IS USM features an optical image stabilization system which helps to reduce the blur that occurs due to shaking during hand-held shooting.
Zoom Method
Canon 70-300mm f4-5.6 IS USM features Rotary (extending) zoom method where the length of the lens changes as you zoom in or out. This makes it possible to design the lens with a smaller minimum length ( generally when it is zoomed out) compared to internal zoom lenses. The disadvantages of this design are being harder to seal against dust and moisture, weight balance shifting while zooming and zoom creep in certain lenses.
Zoom Lock
Canon 70-300mm f4-5.6 IS USM has a Zoom lock feature which eliminates Zoom creep where focal length of the lens changes with gravity when it's held downwards or upwards.
Maximum Magnification Ratio
Canon 70-300mm f4-5.6 IS USM has a Max Magnification Ratio of 0.26x and has a minimum focusing distance of 1.5m. For a non-macro lens, the 0.26x is considered a high magnification and will come handy for close-up shots.
Below are the 3 Telephoto Zoom type Canon12 mount lens alternatives with highest max magnification ratios:
Aperture
Canon 70-300mm f4-5.6 IS USM is a variable aperture lens with a max aperture of f4 and a minimum aperture of f32 at 70mm, and a max aperture of f5.6 and minimum aperture of f45 at 300mm .
| Focal Length |
Max Aperture |
Min Aperture |
|
70mm
|
F4 |
F32 |
|
300mm
|
F5.6 |
F45 |
Optical Formula
Canon 70-300mm f4-5.6 IS USM's optical formula consists of 15 elements in 10 groups . Special elements used in this design is 1 UD glass element.
Lens Hood
Canon 70-300mm f4-5.6 IS USM doesn't come with a lens hood. You have to order the hood separately and the model number of the hood is ET-65B.
Popular Comparisons of Canon 70-300mm f4-5.6 IS USM
Here are the eight most popular comparisons of the Canon 70-300mm f4-5.6 IS USM amongst Camera Decision readers.
Top Alternatives of Canon 70-300mm f4-5.6 IS USM Lens
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