One from Today. Not satisfied.

[Cody Covey]

Using a friends lens 75-300 IS USM. It actually seems to have more trouble focusing then my 75-300 (old version no IS no USM). Not sure what I'm doing wrong lol. These are the best ones I could pull from today. What do you guys think?
Camera Maker: Canon
Camera Model: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: EF75-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM
Image Date: 2011-03-17 17:04:23 -0700
Focal Length: 255.0mm
Aperture: f/5.6
Exposure Time: 0.0013 s (1/800)
ISO equiv: 800
Exposure Bias: +1.00 EV
Metering Mode: Matrix
Exposure: aperture priority (semi-auto)
White Balance: Auto
Flash Fired: No (enforced)
GPS Coordinate: undefined, undefined
Photographer: Cody Covey

[Ian Cassell]

Hey Cody. I don't think the lens is focusing incorrectly. With the f/5.6 aperture, you have a very narrow DOF so your choice of focal point is critical. I think you're focused on the front wing rather than the eye. You might try looking in DPP to see where your focal point was. You might want to stop down a little bit for this. Also, the head mostly in shadow. A bit of fill-flash might have helped here. Your composition and colors look nice. I think a little CCW rotation is also in order (look at the ripples around the duck -- they are at an angle).

[Cody Covey]

Sorry I should've explained more...once it gets there it is fine but holy crap does it take a long time to focus. Quite a bit more than my non-USM lens. Isn't USM supposed to make it faster?

[Kerry Perkins]

Cody, this lens is not known for its image quality or focus speed. In fact, it is typically reviewed as "so-so". There are two types of USM focus motors and this lens uses the first-generation "Micro USM", which is much slower and clunkier than the later (and more expensive) "Ring USM" motored lenses.

Here is a quote from a very credible reviewer at thedigitalpicture-dot-com:

"If you care about excellent quality, sharp photos, the Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM Lens is not for you. And Photoshop cannot enhance details that are not there. If your needs are not demanding, you might be very happy with a 75-300 IS."

So it's not unusual to get disappointing results with this one and bird photography is about as demanding as it gets. As for this image, I'm trying to determine where the sun is. Was it a cloudy day? I would definitely boost the blacks in the image, and the suggestion to use fill flash is a good one in this situation. A bit more light would help to bring out details and color, as a mallard's head can be surprisingly dark in lower light situations.

[Cody Covey]

I know it is reviewed poorly but I was comparing it to my non IS or USM lens and it just seems at best the exact same speed but more likely slower. Maybe it could just be the lens or how the lens plays with my camera, not sure. It was cloudy off and on but I don't think it was for this image. I think he was just in a spot where he was kind of shaded by a tree. I bumped it up to +1 EV still a little dark though I suppose. At 255mm (I don't recall exact distance) I doubt my on board flash would've done much. I may need to get a flash soon and learn to use it. I'm saving up for to hopefully get a 300mm F4 L or a 400mm F5.6 L in the near future to hopefully get rid of my slow focus issue and then I can worry about other things :) You are right I should've been up more towards F8 or so and maybe changed my focus point up to upper left corner to be able to get good comp and focus on eye.

Thanks for advice so far guys!

[Kerry Perkins]

Cody, the 300 and 400 are both nice lenses and will focus much faster than the zoom. I use the 400mm f/5.6 and I think it is the best medium tele prime for hand holding. It is light weight and focuses so fast it will make your head spin, not to mention sharp as a razor.

[Julie Brown]

Hi Cody,

I have both the 300mm f4L IS and the 400mm 5.6L and love them. Once you try an L lens, you will see how much better the IQ is. I first used the 300 f4 on my 40D for butterflies and saw an immediate improvement. I got the 400 f5.6 to shoot BIF.

[Arthur Morris]

Cody, I wrote this just for you: Which is the Best Under-$1500 Canon Intermediate Telephoto Lens for Me. Also see the next days post.

[Cody Covey]

Cody, I wrote this just for you: Which is the Best Under-$1500 Canon Intermediate Telephoto Lens for Me. Also see the next days post.

I made a post in the Gear forum asking between three lenses and someone linked me that blog post. Thank you for taking the time to write it out. I will take a look at the next days post as well!