New Canon 70-300 f4-5.6 L IS first impressions

[Chris Brennan]

I took delivery of the new Canon 70-300L IS lens last night. My first impressions are that it's going to a winner, at least for me. It's fairly compact and a little "fat" and not very heavy... it balances nicely on my 40D & 7D. The "white" finish of the lens is a little darker than previous ones; the focus and zoom mechanisms are silky smooth, and the focus is very fast. There is no focus limiter on this lens and the MFD is 1.2m which is a very nice feature. I went out shooting with it this morning and will post some samples later today.

The $64,000 question: is it worth $1599? I'm not sure yet. I wanted a mid-range telephoto for air shows and general photography and the 100-400 was becoming a little too ponderous for me, especially since I shoot with a 400 DO on my other body. I do however have to take Canon to task for charging $200 for the tripod ring.... the lens is pricey enough!

[Robert Amoruso]

$200 for the ring. That s*cks.

[Charles Scheffold]

Congrats on your new toy, Chris. I'm not sure I understand the tripod ring thing - from the description on B&H it seemed like the $1599 included the tripod collar. Does it not? Or is that just the cost for a replacement?

thanks
Charles

[Chris Brennan]

Congrats on your new toy, Chris. I'm not sure I understand the tripod ring thing - from the description on B&H it seemed like the $1599 included the tripod collar. Does it not? Or is that just the cost for a replacement?

thanks
Charles

Hey Charles -

Nice to see you on BPN. The lens does NOT come with the tripod collar! B&H's listing is incorrect. The Tripod collar is a $200 accessory. Given the relatively light weight of this lens, it's really not a necessity... but I bought one anyway for the few times a year I'd use it.

[Charles Scheffold]

Hrrrm wow that's a bit over the top. I'm sensing an aftermarket replacement is on the horizon :)

Anyway, looking forward to seeing some images from this lens. It's on my short list of "want to try" lenses.

Charles

[Ákos Lumnitzer]

That looks like a great lens; finally. While the cost of the collar sounds a bit steep, considering the lens quality (hopefully fabulous, since it is an L) then it's a small price to pay for that if you need it. :)

[Chris Brennan]

A sample from the 70-300L.... it's quite sharp with good color balance. I've added a page on my website with more samples.