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

Canon EF 300mm f/2.8 L USM

The Canon EF 300mm f/2.8 L USM is a supertele lens for FF and APS-C, manufactured from 1987 to 1999 (discontinued). The focus is done by Ultrasonic AF Motor (Ring-USM), it does not have image stabilization. The average price was 2000 €;

29 users have given it an average vote of 9.4 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	10 elements in 8 groups
Min. focus distance	3.00 meters
Reproduction ratio	0.11x
Features
Stabilization	No
Focus	Ultrasonic AF Motor (Ring-USM)
Internal Focus	Yes
Built and notes
Tripod ring	Yes
Extenders	Yes
Filters	48 mm
Lens hood	Yes, supplied
Weather sealing	No
Weight	2855 g
Dimensions	125 x 253 mm
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Reviews

What do you think about this lens?

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Jaccop

sent on January 24, 2016

Pros: sharpness, good for almost everything

Cons: just to short for birds

Opinion: A very good telephoto lens with an average circulation of high F2.8 brightness . Those with extenders and crop factoor body 's above average telephoto reach fetches a good image quality . Suitable for virtually all work areas when it comes to capturing details. Consider sport, portrait, landscape and wildlife . Also easy to handle despite its weight with a shoulder strap you can walk the whole day .the sharpest lens I ever had.. With 1.4 converter still sharp , with just under 2.0 but still usable .

The following opinions have been automatically translated with Google Translate.

Andrea Muti

sent on December 19, 2024

Pros: Image quality, brightness,

Cons: Weight

Opinion: Optical always and in any case highly performing. I've been using it for a lifetime and would never change it for a stabilized model. The weight is overcome with the use of a monopod. Coupled with the 1.4x it becomes a 420/4, maintaining the quality and speed of focusing. My use is purely in sports photography and, if I don't use a monopod, I carry it on my shoulder with the inseparable BlackRapid R1. To counterbalance it another body with the 70-200/2.8. He too is not IS.

Hbd

sent on December 19, 2024

Pros: image quality, f2.8 aperture, focus preset, manual focus with multiple options for

Cons: No stabilization, old-fashioned autofocus, lack of service support and spare parts

Opinion: The EF 300mm f/2.8L usm was the first L-series supertelephoto lens with an EF mount, released in 1987. For the time it was an excellent lens, in terms of image quality and autofocus performance, which for the time was something still in its infancy (the first EOS 1, from 1989, had only one focus point). Today, of course, it gets better: the only reason to prefer the EF 300mm f2.8L usm to the IS and IS II versions is the lower price. That said, the optics still have merits. The image quality, for example, is still more than satisfactory with digital cameras, even at the maximum aperture of the diaphragm: clearly the microcontrast levels do not reach those of the IS and IS II versions, but at the time there were also different standards, with film SLRs. The f2.8 aperture, together with the 300mm focal length, is the main attraction. With the addition of extenders, especially the 2x, there is a fairly noticeable drop, but the result is still acceptable, and you have a 600mm f5.6 equivalent on your hands. As for the autofocus, it is a system from 37 years ago: the focusing speed is not very high (a 100-400 II is much faster) and, with the addition of extenders, it drops further. The electronics are also of old conception, so even coupled with a camera with high-performance autofocus, the optics can be the bottleneck, as far as autofocus is concerned. Not surprisingly, one of the improvements of the IS and, above all, IS II versions is the autofocus. The lens has an electronically controlled manual focusing system: it is possible to vary the travel of the ring, i.e. the ratio between the angle of rotation of the ring and that of the usm motor. This makes it interesting for video applications. In addition to the usual focus distance limiters, there is also a useful focus preset: this function allows you to memorize a focus distance, and to make the lens return to that position: this is very useful if you photograph subjects at a great distance, and want to avoid unnecessary focusing. This feature is not usable with Canon mirrorless cameras (M or R), however. The dimensions are completely similar to those of a 300mm f2.8 today. As for the weight, there is a difference between this and the ef 300mm f2.8 L II usm there is about 500g of difference. The handling is good, although the weight (and the imbalance towards the front) is noticeable. Personally, I use a pistol grip connected to the tripod mount, to have greater stability in the management of the optics. Last but not least, there is the question of assistance. The lens has been out of the market since 1999, and Canon has not supplied spare parts for decades (except perhaps for a few screws): the example I bought had a worn coupling flange, which caused excessive play and consequent errors on the camera side, but the component was nowhere to be found. On the contrary, Canon modified the internal part of the coupling flange, during production, so there was also the problem of finding the correct spare part: fortunately the seller saved me, who had another ef 300mm f2.8 L usm, from which he took the coupling flange (worn, but less than mine). This, with all due respect to those who claim that L-series optics are eternal or similar amenities. All it takes is the wear of a relatively trivial component to find yourself with a problem that cannot be solved, if spare parts are not found. Personally, I knew what I was up against, and I took the risk, but personally I wouldn't use such a perspective on a professional level. In other words, if you need it for work, I think it's better to aim for something newer.

Nicoli Giuliano

sent on January 01, 2023

Pros: Sharpness, Brightness, Price, Colors

Cons: Tropicalization and weight

Opinion: I recently bought this beautiful lens kept in a maniacal way, it has no sign anywhere. The price is very interesting for an optic, yes old, with a sharpness and a speed of AF excellent( it is clear that the newer models are better but this does its duty perfectly). I use it for sports and nature photography, attached to my 1DX makes very good. Good with canon 1x4 II multipliers while slightly losing sharpness with canon 2x III but the AF speed is always very good. Even without IS does not create major inconvenience because it is very stable as a structure and you can use safety times without too many problems, I did the test of 9 photographing a game of Rugby under 17 in the evening and with the lights of the field almost non-existent, open everything to 2.8 and used smooth has produced excellent images taking into account that I had to take most of the photos above 10,000 ISO for the lack of light, a bit of grain is clear but in those conditions he gave his best.

Ruggio

sent on October 22, 2020

Pros: Sharpness, price

Cons: Weight, spare parts, not stabilized

Opinion: I use it with the Sony A7RIII via adapter so the AF side doesn't guarantee me the same performance as a canon body, however the AF is reliable and fast enough. Sharp side solves the 42 megapixels already at TA well to become very sharp already at F3.2. An excellent optics. Weight is important and the age of the project makes it difficult to find spare parts. The lack of stabilizer makes it difficult to get under certain shooting speeds by penalising situations with little light. Obviously if you buy such an optics today it is because of the affordable price despite the performance from F2.8 line L. Still a valid choice.

There are 7 more reviews. Show all »

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

Sparrowhawk to the bathroom

by Marco50
163 comments, 20663 views

Untitled Photo

by Andrea Settesoldi
67 comments, 11199 views [editors pick]

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64 comments, 8028 views

An unforgettable day

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111 comments, 12374 views

Sgarza Ciuffetto Rock

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Moriglioni

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63 comments, 5465 views

The Martino

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84 comments, 6622 views

Under the rain

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58 comments, 9655 views

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Tuft edchid on chembo

by Anubi
34 comments, 8192 views

Vespers

by Airone
46 comments, 4398 views

HI RES 8.9 MP

"Sleepy Fox"

by Bavassano Michele
26 comments, 4149 views

Fame hungry .....

by Marco50
94 comments, 8519 views

Red Fox

by Eos1
30 comments, 4596 views

The flight of Great Tit

by Diamante_P
77 comments, 3763 views

HI RES 14.5 MP

Squacco 2

by Marco50
76 comments, 6318 views

HI RES 4.2 MP

Sparrowhawk

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101 comments, 10779 views

Haliaeetus albicilla / Sea Eagle

by Gian Mario Zaino
51 comments, 3726 views

"On the same Road"

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29 comments, 3967 views

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by Gian Mario Zaino
41 comments, 3751 views

Curlew in flight

by Luigi Bassi
61 comments, 4620 views

Green Woodpeckers

by Marino Premoli
35 comments, 2539 views

HI RES 3.8 MP

Squacco 3

by Marco50
73 comments, 7260 views

HI RES 4.2 MP

Eurasian Curlew

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103 comments, 9410 views

I see you .. What do you do?

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101 comments, 8827 views

Mallard

by Claudio Cortesi
43 comments, 2956 views

The Bow Ingeon Ash

by Marco50
59 comments, 2237 views

HI RES 6.0 MP

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35 comments, 6026 views

Bad hunger 2

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47 comments, 5398 views

Shoveler departing male

by Luigi Bassi
47 comments, 3250 views

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Nitticola Juv. Portrait,

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41 comments, 2736 views

Puffin Sea

by Luigi Bassi
46 comments, 5188 views

Shooting of Sgarza Ciuffetto

by Luigi Bassi
49 comments, 3720 views

Cormorant in flight over lake

by Claudio Cortesi
82 comments, 6497 views

Bittern on ice

by Luigi Bassi
46 comments, 3605 views

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Puffin

by Luigi Bassi
43 comments, 3855 views

Medtolone male in flight

by Luigi Bassi
40 comments, 3684 views

Coracias garrulus / Jay Marine

by Gian Mario Zaino
41 comments, 2232 views

The sample photos are selected automatically between all photos posted by JuzaPhoto members, using the camera and the lens selected in the techs. If you find evident errors (e.g. photos taken with cameras and lenses that are not available yet), you can contribute to improve the page by sending a private message to the user that has entered incorrect values in the photo caption.

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

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

Buy

Offerte Usato RCE

Reviews

What do you think about this lens?

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