In September of 1995, Canon introduced a revolutionary new lens, the EF 75-300/4-5.6 IS USM. The revolutionary aspect of this lens was the incorporation of an optical image stabilizer system which allowed the lens to be hand held at shutter speeds two stops slower than could be done with a...

At £432 the Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM lens should come with a lens hood, but it doesn't. However, it does come with a soft case to protect against scuffs and scrapes and features an Ultra-low dispersion (UD) element and Super Spectra coatings to help reduce fringeing, ghosting and flare.

The lens is amazing. The image stabilizer definatly helps clean up your shots. Also the lens can be locked at 70mm to prevent from sliding out. I was debating between this lens, and the 28-135 IS lens, but i choose this lens over it mainly for the longer zoom.

Image stabilizer; Long range; USM

Have to stand at least 5 feet away from subject to focus

One of the better Canon glass . Vastly reduces any camera shake and the pictures come out awesome due to negligable shake induced blur.. Tremendous in low light conditions and I have taken some fantasic pictures using this lens..

I took this lens with me to the zoo. Took photos and video with it. Fantastic output. I read a ton of reviews and was reluctant to buy it. Lot of reviews stating blurry focus and bad bokeh. You have to know how to adjust the settings for this lens. My photos came out sharp.

Consistent Output; Fast / accurate auto-focus; Strong Construction

Heavy; Lens Creep

Canon offers five different 70-300mm zoom lenses in its product lineup. Why so many? They obviously think this is a popular and practical focal length range and I happen to agree. I even own one of them myself-the EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM-but the EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM tested is the mac daddy...

Canon announced the EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM, on 26 August, 2010 in the lead-in to September's Photokina Trade Show. Targeted at professionals and advanced amateur photographers it's surprisingly compact for its specifications and usable with all of the company's DLSR cameras.

Great all around high quality L Series Canon lens. Excellent image quality from wide to higher zoom. Rapid, quiet, accurate focus. Comparatively lightweight and compact for quality of lens and wide zoom range.[...] I have several other L series lenses; this one is up to the high standards of Canon.

Relatively Lightweight; Superb optics; Wide zoom range

None noted

We went to the Morton Arboretum near Chicago and "played" with the new lens. We are thrilled with it. First time out and we can't be happier, except for the weight and our own inexperience, the lens performed admirably. We also want to say that it is good for both outdoors and portrait shots.

Consistent Output; Easily Interchangeable; Rugged; Strong Construction

Blurry Focus; Heavy; Slow Focus

This medium telephoto zoom is one of a number of lenses that Canon make in the 70–200, 300mm range. It is middling in price and performance, ideal for anyone looking for a good lens for occasional use.

This is a sweet and smooth lens in use; Auto focus is fast enough and the feel of zoom and focus controls is good; It is light enough to carry around without getting a pain in the neck, yet not so light that there are worries about durability

There is slight barrel distortion at the wide end – nothing to worry about in field use – and slightly more pincushion at the 300mm end; It is easy enough to correct in Photoshop