Customer reviews from usa.canon.com
Canon - EF 300mm f/4L IS USM Telephoto Lens - White
Average customer rating
4.5
(24 Reviews)
Rating breakdown 24 reviews
5 Stars
17
4 Stars
3
3 Stars
3
2 Stars
0
1 Star
1
90%of customers recommend this product.
(
19 out of
21)
Customer Reviews for Canon - EF 300mm f/4L IS USM Telephoto Lens - White
Customer Rating
5
An Awesome Lens
on October 6, 2009
Posted by: DT
from Huntington Beach, CA
I've been using this lens for 4 years now to photograph surfing, air shows, wildlife, etc. It is tack sharp and contrasty wide open at f/4. I can and often do crop the center half out of images shot with this lens and the resulting prints are still sharp. I've gone so far as to crop the center 1/4th out of some air show shots and, as best as I can tell, the limitation is not the lens sharpness, but the sensor resolution in my DSLR.
IS works amazingly well, in my experience better than the 2 stops Canon claims. Trust me when I say that IS helps after a long day of shooting when tired arms would otherwise compromise even normally safe shutter speeds.
Bokeh and color are excellent, as is the build quality. My only complaint is that Canon did not weather seal this model, though it's certainly more resistant to weather than the typical 'telescoping' consumer zoom. AF is not quite as fast as my 70-200, but fast enough for every subject I've put it against.
I can't say enough good things about this lens. It is one of my most productive lenses.
Pros: Super-sharp images, Superior build quality, Fast auto-focus, image stabilization, built in lens hood, size and weight
Cons: not weather sealed
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
5
Best Close Range Telephoto for the Buck
on August 27, 2009
Posted by: camphoneguy
from Corvallis, OR
I purchased the 300mm f4 L over a year ago as it was between the 400mm f5.6 L and this lens to fit my budget. It has performed very well- and I love the fact that I can shoot a dragonfly at my feet or a bird off in the distance with the same lens. On the 40d this lens works out to 480mm lens- so a fair amount of reach and if that's not enough you can add the 1.4 extender (672mm f5.6) and still have autofocus. After this lens (except for the f400mm 5.6 L) you'd better have deep pockets as they're four or more times as much- and with this lens you have one you can carry all day. The 500mm and up are really tripod lenses (best used with a Wimberly gimbal head and high end tripod, add $1000 to your budget!)- and take some time to get used to. And they're best for the pro bodies due to their weight. Full frame and almost full frame bodies will reduce the reach of the lens but that would make it easier to find a 'bird in flight'. They are great lenses, don't get me wrong, with the price to match.
Another advantage to this lens is that it can focus to less than five feet! I've shot pictures of dragonflies at my feet (being over six foot). Just be sure to switch to the closer focus position on the lens.
Yes, I wish it had a little more reach for some birds but for the price, it's hard to beat. I'm feeding my piggy bank to hopefully add the 500mm f4 L to my list of lenses but I'm glad I started with this one.
Another advantage to this lens is that it can focus to less than five feet! I've shot pictures of dragonflies at my feet (being over six foot). Just be sure to switch to the closer focus position on the lens.
Yes, I wish it had a little more reach for some birds but for the price, it's hard to beat. I'm feeding my piggy bank to hopefully add the 500mm f4 L to my list of lenses but I'm glad I started with this one.
Pros: Superior build quality, Fast auto-focus, focuses very close-no tubes needed, light weight, built-in lens hood, can use standard filters
Cons: wish canon had a 400 f4 in this price point
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
4
Pretty nice lens.
on June 1, 2011
Posted by: willp2
from South Texas
I have used this lens for a year now and am generally happy with its performance. I moved to this lens from a EF 100 - 400mm IS because I had heard that prime lenses give better image quality. I think the autofocus is a bit slower and there is a very annoying "clunk" that is well documented with the IS of this lens. I shoot whitetailed deer and usually can get a couple of frames shot before they hear the lens and dart off. The image quality is very good and image stabilization really helps shoot while on foot. Overall I think this is a great lens if your subjects aren't too spooked by noise.
Pros: good image quality
Cons: loud noise with is, slower auto-focus
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
5
Lots of fun!!
on May 21, 2011
Posted by: Natureguy
from Albion, IN
I have been using this lens for a year, and really appreciate the quality images I am able to capture with it. The lens is solid and reliable, and is everything I expected from Canon. The 300mm f/4l is usm lens produces tack sharp images under all types of lighting. Don't let the f/4 aperture deter you from buying this lens; some of my most spectacular shots have been on cloudy or overcast days.
I must admit, I have only been shooting with an SLR camera system for just over a year (I use an EOS 7D body), and have found the learning curve to be a very pleasant experience. I shoot animals/wildlife almost 100%, and the Canon gear has not let me down. Bird-in-flight shots are a breeze, and any image shot of a stationary subject using a tripod are sharp enough to cut you! Hand held shots are great as well, even at shutter speeds below 1/100 sec. I would buy this lens again, but I expect I won't need to; the quality and contruction are are top-notch, and I look forward to many years of happy shooting with my Canon 300mm f/4l is usm lens. Join the club of Canon L-prime lenses, you will not be disappointed!
Pros: Superior build quality, Super-sharp images
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
5
Super L quality
on July 31, 2013
Posted by: Gjbpro1
from Utah
This is the second L lens I own, the first is the 70-200mm f4 L IS. After the first L, I just had to get another. The amazing quality that I've never had in any other lens, sets the L lens apart from all others. Smooth mechanism, great build and unbelievable sharpness! This lens is worth every penny I paid. The first time I saw an image at 100% on my monitor, I knew i had something special. Spot on auto focus, edge to edge sharpness...wide open. You can't go wrong with one if you need a long lens in this range! This prime won't disappoint!
Pros: Fast auto-focus, Superior build quality, Super-sharp images
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
3
A bit of a disappointment for me
on December 11, 2011
Posted by: Woodgrain
from Central Pennsylvania
I recently sold my 2011 300mm f4 IS lens after about six months of ownership. It was the perfect size and weight for a 300mm prime, and the short minimum focus distance was ideal for a variety of subjects. It had an excellent sliding lens hood and a nice soft case was supplied at no additional cost. I really wanted to like the 300mm f4, but at the end of the day image quality is all that really matters, and in this regard the lens was a disappointment for me. I use a 40D, and if I was careful to shoot stopped down to at least f5.6 this lens could produce pretty good images, but not significantly better than the 70-300 consumer (non-L) zoom stopped down to f8 that I used to own. I bought the 300mm f4 planning to use it with a 1.4x teleconverter, but this degraded the image noticeably, even stopped down to f8. In addition, the IS on the 300mm f4 was only good for one or two stops max with no tripod-sensing feature, and the AF was not consistently accurate and was too slow to follow birds in flight when using a 1.4x teleconverter. Downloading images at the end of a day shooting with the 300mm f4 was often frustrating – too many missed shots that were either slightly out of focus or simply too soft for my expectations.
I traded my 300mm f4 for a used 2009 300mm f2.8 IS. The difference between these two 300mm lenses is like night and day. The image quality from the f2.8 lens is amazingly sharp and brilliant. The outrageously fast and accurate AF and tripod-sensing IS combined with the very bright viewfinder image make the lens a joy to use. It can be shot wide open with confidence and accepts a 1.4x teleconverter with virtually no image quality loss. With the converter the 300mm f2.8 still focuses faster and more accurately than the bare 300mm f4 lens. Yes, the 300mm f2.8 is bigger and heavier, but it is still quite portable and I routinely hand-hold it with no problems. Many people are happy with the 300mm f4, but if, like me, you expect a little more from an L-series prime lens, rent the f2.8 version and try it for yourself. Is a used 300mm f2.8 worth three times the price of a new 300mm f4? For me, the answer is absolutely yes.
Cons: ordinary image quality
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
5
Great lens!
on February 11, 2014
Posted by: Sportsphotog
I've had this lens for about 6 months now and I absolutely love it! Great buy! Even better price!
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
4
Great as a close-up lens
on June 29, 2014
Posted by: QuietSoloPursuits
from Grand Rapids, MI
This is my second L series lens, and I've had the same problem with both of them, neither auto-focuses accurately on one of the 60 D bodies that I own. The problem may be with the one body, but all my other lenses, Canon or other brands, work well with that body.
This is a great lens to use for near macro photography,for somewhat larger subjects such as butterflies, dragonflies, and larger flowers. It is extremely sharp, the colors are dead on, and it is much better than any of my other lenses in low light conditions when I shoot at higher ISO settings. This lens makes my 60 D body look good.
However, for photos shot between 20 and 50 feet, the sharpness falls off, I believe that to be due to the auto-focus not being accurate in part. By stopping the lens down, I can get usable photos in that distance range, but I have another brand of telephoto zoom lens that does better.
Past 50 feet or so, the sharpness returns, I've shot some super sharp photos of raptors and other large birds in flight using this lens. The auto-focus is relatively fast and quiet.
The auto-focus has no problem keeping up with larger birds in flight, but it isn't fast enough for smaller songbirds.
The Image stabilization works very well, but it is loud, and seems to drain my camera's battery much faster than any of my other lenses.
I would tell any one looking for a lens for taking close-ups of flowers and insects that this lens is great. However, I wouldn't recommend it to any one looking for a lens for birding, there are better choices available for birding. I knew that when I purchased it from the other reviews that I read before making the purchase.
Pros: Superior build quality
Cons: Slow auto-focus
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com