FYI: This is a great lens, BUT, it is not covered by Canon for service or parts any longer. Unless you have a local shop that can help you service, has parts for repairs for this lens, you are stuck, like me. They do have a Mark 2 model of this lens for 6K, but it is never in stock. And now you may want to consider the brand new Sony 300 f2.8 GM that came out today for 6K. Today Sony has shocked the world with the A9lll with the global sensor to add their new 300.
I recently got this. Only thing I can say about the 300 2.8 IS is that it has prompted me to look for a 500 4 to completely replace my third-party zoom lens with canon primes.
It seems there is a renaissance of older lenses underway. Perhaps driven by sub $20K prices for a single new super-zoom. Or perhaps driven by the processing capability of software and 50mb resolution sensors. Regardless, I feel no need to upgrade any lens I own. Three years ago I was all set to sell my first gen 100-400 because it was 'soft' compared to newer glass. Then I tried it on a new (used) 5DSr. Quite surprising what a bit of post can achieve. Is it as good as anything current? .. No. But I bought it over a decade ago and I'm not trying to sell images for a living. It does the job asked. My 'second favorite' lens is a 45mm TS-E. It is virtually as sharp as my 100mm L macro. The date on the TS-E is November 1981.
I was waiting for somebody to say this! I knew I had misspoken and even titled the Flickr upload "Great Cormorant". Pretty annoyed with myself for that, but it shows how novice I am.
I have this lens since maybe 2007 brand new and i never sold it, now the tripod collar is damaged and i can't find a replacement, so i want something to hold the lens so i can put or on tripod or even i add dovetail so i can use this lens for astrophotography.
Great review, but I agree that it's a very specialty lens. I can't imagine getting locked into such a specific focal length at that distance. Only a bit more than my 70-200, but not the full super telephoto range.
Prime lenses of any length are generally specialized for whatever job you need it for. A 35mm portrait lens isn't going to do very much for you for a trip to the ballfield, for example. I shoot concerts, and when I'm shooting from a soundboard in a large arena or stadium, I use the 300mm for close(er) shots and my 70-200 as my wide. I also have a 17-50mm to use for crowd/ambiance shots, too, but that one gets minimal use. Prime lenses are absolutely outstanding for the jobs they're designed to do. And that's kind of the point of them.
Just picked up a used copy of this to use with my R3 for indoor dog sports. Glad to see a contemporary review showing this glass still holds up. Sure it won't snap to focus like my RF 70-200 but it should be just great! I found your review while trying to find out what the darn buttons at the front end are for, so I had to laugh when you said you didn't know either. Thanks for the edit comment with that info!
I'm with you! I have no doubt that in a side-by-side comparison the latest generation of lenses, with dual or even quad linear motors, would absolutely destroy this lens. But that doesn't make this one bad! Glad you got a chuckle out of my cluelessness. :) Hope you enjoy the lens with the R3!
Hi Alex, Thank you for the awesome review!!! I just got this lens and I am looking forward to using it for wildlife photography (mainly birds). I plan on using it with the R7 and a 1.4 extender lll giving me an equivalent of around 670mm at f4. Do you think this will give good results? I am hoping the lens has enough resolving power for the R7 both with and without the extender. Thank you again this is by far the best review of this lens!
The R7 has insane pixel density so I wouldn't be surprised if the lens doesn't resolve a true ~32 MP of resolution (in lp/mm) but it will surely not suck and you'll still get sharp photos. The R7 sensor is incredibly demanding and you would probably be barely scraping by with even the new RF 100-300 mm f/2.8, so I wouldn't count that as a knock against the lens per se. The 32.5 MP sensor has the same pixel density as an ~83 MP full frame sensor after all :)
Hi there. I just purchased a used one. Dumb question about the IS switch: which is the "On" position - the dash or the circle? The newer versions of this lens simply say "on" or "off", but not this one. Also, is there a way to tell if the IS is working?? I just got it and really have no way of knowing if the IS is even working....
The "on" position is when the switch is pushed left / towards the front element! The IS makes a gentle click when it turns on and off; and whirrs when working. It isn't as quiet as newer models but you might need to put your ear up to it to hear it!
Canon don't offer one for EF/RF but they do exist, and I fumbled that part by not clarifying that they're third party only. I didn't mean to say "THE 1.4x, 1.7x...". Apologies for that.
@@KasunWaduge-p2oI’m using the eBay sold listing settings. I’ve seen them go from $1500 in rough shape to $2000 near mint (list price). The seller will only get about 85% list price after fees. Hope this helps.
