It has been a while between posts, as I was very busy at the end of the year and also I decided to sell my beloved 300/2.8 in order to help fund the purchase of the new Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM. However, Canon has delayed its release until April, so I was “lensless” with respect to wildlife photography. So I decided to buy the EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM to use firstly as a substitute for the 300/2.8 and later as a back-up lens on a separate body (perhaps this 7D if a 7D MkII becomes available later in 2012!).

EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM

I thought long and hard about which lens to buy for this purpose. I was basically only considering the 100-400/4.5-5.6L IS or the 70-200/2.8L IS II initially, as it never really entered my mind that a 70-300mm could meet my IQ expectations. However I started hearing good reviews about this lens, so I dug a bit further. By and large, the majority of users rated this lens highly – almost on a par with the 70-200/2.8 but with an extra 100mm of reach. Although the 70-200/2.8 will perform well with a 1.4x TC and get you out to 280mm, I wanted a long native focal length as I didn’t want to have to buy two 1.4x TCs (1 for the main lens and 1 for the back-up). Although the 70-300 is f/5.6 at 300mm, this only concerned me as to the speed and accuracy of the AF rather than the loss of potentially 2 stops. I normally shoot at f/5.6 or f/8 (or f/7.1) anyway, no matter if I have the capability of opening up to f/4 or f/2.8. This is because, for birds and wildlife, f/5.6 is what is needed to get enough DOF to get enough of the subject in focus to make it interesting and recognisable. An additional point in favour of the 70-300 was its price – about 50% cheaper than the 70-200/2.8! However, there were a couple of reviews from respected photographers that gave the lens a poor rating, so I when I finally got my hands on the lens last Sunday I was a little unsure exactly what to expect!

First impressions upon opening the box were that this lens is built very well – no problems there. I got the Canon 67mm protector filter, which aside from protecting the front element also completely weather-seals the lens. So after checking that everything was as it should be, I headed to Isahaya for some test shooting! Using the lens in the field soon confirmed what most people had said – the focus ring position is not where you would expect or want it, as it is right where you would normally hold the lens. If the lens had its tripod collar on, you could hold onto that instead but it comes at an substantial extra cost. However, because I use the 7D with the vertical grip, I can arrange the fingers and palm of my left hand so that I clear the focus ring and still get a comfortable, sturdy grip – with a bit of practice this way of gripping the lens should become habit. Other than that, no complaints about the lens ergonomics.

So, on to operation. One of my concerns was AF speed and accuracy – could f/5.6 at 300mm really be fast and not hunt when shooting birds in flight? No worries! The AF is very fast and quiet, and was a delight to use. Indeed, it autofocused almost as well as my 300/2.8 + 1.4x TC, so I was very satisfied. I followed a Northern Goshawk as it swooped low through thick reeds and along a small creek and the AF kept lock on it very well – no hunting around. The 4-stop IS also works very well, although I usually shoot at high shutter speeds to stop birds in flight so IS is not as much an issue with me as it might be for other photographers. But in any case, it works as advertised.

So what about the IQ? Excellent, from what I can see. Although it is not in the same class as the 300/2.8, nevertheless the lens is very sharp even wide open, and has negligible CA. Contrast and resolution are excellent. Anyway, you can judge for yourselves from the images below! Needless to say, the two respected photographers who gave negative reviews about this lens either had bad copies or need to get out of the lens review game…for the money, this lens delivers.

Northern Goshawk (juvenile)

Northern Goshawk (juvenile)

Black-eared Kite

Black-eared Kite

Black-eared Kite

Eurasian Kestrel (female)

Great White Egret

Hen Harrier (female)

Peregrine Falcon

Saunder's Gull (1st Winter)

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 31st, 2012 at 3:36 am and is filed under Japan Birds, Photography Equipment Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.