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Canon EF 300mm f/2.8 L IS USM : Specifications and Opinions

Canon EF 300mm f/2.8 L IS USM

The Canon EF 300mm f/2.8 L IS USM is a supertele lens for FF and APS-C, manufactured from 1999 to 2011 (discontinued). The focus is done by Ultrasonic AF Motor (Ring-USM), it has image stabilization. The list price, when it was announced (1999) was 4300 €;

58 users have given it an average vote of 9.7 out of 10.

MOUNT

This lens is available with the following mounts:

Canon EF: this lens is compatible with reflex fullframe and APS-C Canon EF.

Specifications
Focal lenght	300 mm
Angle of view	8.3°
Format	FF, APS-C
Max. aperture	f/2.8
Aperture blades	8
Lenses/Groups	17 elements in 13 groups
Min. focus distance	2.50 meters
Reproduction ratio	0.13x
Features
Stabilization	Yes (built in lens)
Focus	Ultrasonic AF Motor (Ring-USM)
Internal Focus	Yes
Built and notes
Tripod ring	Yes
Extenders	Yes
Filters	52 mm
Lens hood	Yes, supplied
Weather sealing	Yes
Weight	2550 g
Dimensions	128 x 252 mm
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Reviews

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Jaccop

sent on January 03, 2016

Pros: Sharpest lens of canon and very usabel with 1.4 and 2.0 converter on every canon camera.

Cons: Sometimes weight.

Opinion: My best lens and most time on my 7d mark ii, the best of this lens is that you cane use it with de 1.4 and still is very sharp. With 2.0 in good licht and not to much distance also good usebel, i use then most of the time F7.1 ore more. In the netherlands i use it the most time for birds and than is 300 mm to short. Very usebel for dogs, very sharp at 2.8 and nice bokeh and nice far from the dog so he won't notice you so you cane make nice pictures.

The following opinions have been automatically translated with Google Translate.

Sara Stojkovic

sent on March 21, 2023

Pros: Af fast, accurate and reliable. Amazing sharpness and blur. Portability: I use it for wild photography by hand, without mono and tripod. Several hours of walking and always kept by hand or with the help of a harness. It gives a soft and engraved look at the same time. Minimum focusing distance.

Cons: Small tripod mount. I often use the rod to hold it during walking and it is too small, it grabs badly. A bit noisy but nothing striking.

Opinion: I bought this 300 to match my a9ii with sigma mc11 adapter. Not being able to buy the Sony 400 because of the price, and also evaluating the Canon 400 (too heavy for me and especially for the style of photography that I have without a monopod), this 300 was the most obvious choice and I'm not taking it. At the moment I use it smooth, but I will also test it with the dup 1.4 x iii. To this day I have nothing to complain about: fast, precise, gives beautiful emotions. Incredible blur and equally incredible sharpness. It makes a difference. Weight is not a problem for me. Very transportable, in case a good harness can be of help as a support. This Sony/Canon pairing is giving me some good emotions. I found some slight and for the moment insignificant weakness: stabilization is valid but sometimes it can give you some false positives let's say so. And some images in some critical situations of little light or faunal confusion, are a bit soft but on these last two points that I just wrote, I reserve for other tests and I will update the comment shortly. I usually shoot with the 200 600. And although compared to the latter it is much shorter, with some precautions we can also keep the 200 600 at home. The difference in image, especially in difficult situations, can be seen with the 300 winning hands down. As far as AF and accuracy are concerned, the Sony wins anyway.

Andre-3-89

sent on July 19, 2022

Pros: Quality materials and assembly, sharpness, usability, well multipliable, lightning FAST AF, well-thought-out limiter, stabilizer that makes the difference

Cons: Ridiculous kickstand hook

Opinion: I have been using this lens for some time on a 1DX mk 2, I had the opportunity to try it on an R5, 1Dxmk1, 5Dmk3 and the luck to mount it on an R3 and test everything well in a session of a couple of days in Slovenia. What can I say, in terms of sharpness, micro-contrasts, general image quality is really a superlative optics, alongside the little sister second version IS, in the field, there are no appreciable differences (then for sure in the laboratory you will see the technology of the second version, but if you shoot aviofauna at 20 thousand ISO in my opinion everything gets a little confused), the stabilizer does its job very well (who says it is noisy and poorly performing probably had a defective or bad copy tight, I can assure that in video with the microphone you do not hear the stabilizer, as you do not hear the AF), using it with the 2X (I recommend, always Canon and always third version) there are no appreciable decays with regard to the general quality and AF speed. If you use it smooth it sees us practically in the dark, if you multiply it 2x it becomes an f5.6 only as brightness, but you see that the architecture is f2.8, detaches the planes in a decisive but soft way (not like the Sony 200-600 that detaches the planes in a much more marked, almost artificial way). The size is perfect, for me. I had a local craftsman make a custom-made backpack where you can accommodate the 1Dx2 with the 2x and 300 with hood mounted in the working position (and therefore not upside down) in such a way as to be quick in the extraction and execution of the shot if, in nature, the opportunity should happen. The added value is that the backpack so composed has exactly the size of the cabin baggage of many airlines, top for photographic trips. The only note I make to Canon for this lens is the bracket for hooking to the tripod. Ridiculous, practically you can not hold it to carry around the material in itinerant hunting, you are obliged to mount an ark plate long enough to be able to hold, but in any case it will never have the grip of other optics, such as the 400 f2.8 or the 500 f4, which have a padded handle that facilitates the task. Here, after this dutiful annotation, I still remain of the idea that it is a really valuable optics. To you all the other considerations

Andrea Biagiolini

sent on April 21, 2022

Pros: General quality, detail also at TA, natural colors... everything, come on.

Cons: Perhaps, several years after the purchase, the weight: it is true, however, that a lot of time has passed.

Opinion: Purchased on occasion but practically new with top case in 1999, initially used in analog with EOS 1VHS gave pappina to the 300 f.2,8 Nikon contemporary, had and exchanged with this (for my use; Fanboys no comment ). Amazing detail at f.2.8 and improvable up to f.8-11, also used duplicated at 2x lost very little. Reflexes contained all in all but to be used with the hood, uncomfortable but effective. Excellent performance also in digital and the shots with the very old 6D testify to this ... Sold in 2011, at 60% of the price paid, and regret for quality and satisfaction obtained. Rating: 10 and 1/2.

Ericson

sent on November 13, 2021

Pros: Sharpness, color rendering, bokeh

Cons: Weight, noisy and poorly performing stabilizer

Opinion: I have owned this fantastic lens for some time now and I am very happy with the purchase. It manages to give very sharp images even when multiplied with the 1.4x III (I have not had the opportunity to multiply it with 2x III for the moment), but what I think is its strong point is the color rendering, the nuances and the blurred. Perfect for sports and nature photography (of course it is short for birdlife, but for mammals and maybe in Safari it becomes really perfect) It has its years, and consequently it also has its limits: that is a very noisy and poorly performing stabilizer compared to today's standards, and an important weight. Its 2.5 kg are not few if you plan to use it freehand also considering the fact that it must be combined with an important camera body and then you have to start thinking about carrying at least one monopod. The AF in my opinion is still very valid even if I must admit that with the multiplier sometimes I have to "help" it with the manual bezel, but this is perhaps a limit of my camera body (5DsR) In conclusion I think that nowadays this remains a very valid lens considering the quality / price ratio, (on the used market it is also found at 1400/1500 EUR) and I do not think you can find another lens capable of giving similar images in this band.

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Reviews » Lenses » Lenses Canon » Canon EF 300mm f/2.8 L IS USM

Canon EF 300mm f/2.8 L IS USM : Specifications and Opinions

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Reviews

What do you think about this lens?

Photos taken with Canon EF 300mm f/2.8 L IS USM