Canon EF 70 300 F4 5 6 IS II USM Review | 54 Data compared

The Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS II USM is praised by The-Digital-Picture.com as a highly impressive, budget-friendly consumer telephoto zoom offering excellent, sharp image quality, particularly in the center of the frame. Key strengths include a state-of-the-art Nano USM autofocus system with fast, silent tracking, effective 4-stop image stabilization, and a unique LCD information display, marking a significant improvement over its predecessor. However, the lens has drawbacks associated with its entry-level positioning, such as a lack of weather-sealing and a design that extends during zooming. The variable f/4-5.6 aperture limits low-light performance and bokeh, while corner sharpness is only mediocre at long focal lengths, requiring users to stop down to around f/8 for better, uniform results.

Dustin Abbott's review highlights the Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS II USM as a high-value lens featuring a revolutionary Nano USM autofocus system that is fast, silent, and ideal for video. It offers superior sharpness, excellent contrast, and effective image stabilization, outperforming competitors and including a unique electronic LCD information display. Conversely, the lens has a consumer-grade build without weather sealing and a variable aperture that closes quickly, reducing low-light performance. Other limitations include a focus-by-wire system, incompatibility with extenders, and the lack of a bundled lens hood.

The Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS II USM lens is described as a high-performing, compact telephoto zoom featuring exceptional Nano USM autofocus, highly efficient image stabilization, and an innovative LCD information display. The lens offers excellent central sharpness, particularly between 70mm and 135mm, making it a strong choice for versatile, high-quality imaging. Key disadvantages noted include the lack of weather sealing and a lens hood, along with limited low-light capabilities due to the variable aperture. While sharpness decreases noticeably at 300mm, the lens is considered an excellent value, balancing performance and cost for photographers.

The LensTip review of the Canon EF 70–300 mm f/4–5.6 IS II USM concludes that this updated telephoto zoom is a highly pleasant surprise, capable of competing with much more expensive L-series lenses in terms of overall performance. The lens delivers outstanding image resolution in the frame center across its entire focal range, while maintaining robust image quality on the edges of the APS-C sensor. One of its most revolutionary upgrades is the implementation of a Nano USM autofocus motor, which provides exceptionally fast, completely silent, and highly accurate focusing that rivals professional gear. Additionally, it features an effective optical stabilization system, minimal longitudinal and lateral chromatic aberrations, very low astigmatism, and highly manageable distortion levels. However, the review points out several notable weaknesses, particularly when pushing the lens to its focal extremes. The optical performance shows a distinct drop in image quality on the edges of the frame at the 70 mm focal length. Furthermore, full-frame camera users will encounter a bit too high vignetting levels, which reach up to a 40% brightness loss in the corners when shooting...

The Canon EF70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS II USM lens is positioned as an accessible, high-performance option for beginner bird photographers, featuring a fast Nano USM autofocus system and effective 4-stop image stabilization for sharp handheld shots. It offers a 300mm reach (480mm equivalent on APS-C) and a unique electronic display, though it is limited by a variable f/4-5.6 aperture, lack of weather sealing, and reduced corner sharpness at maximum zoom.

The Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS II USM is a high-performance, mid-range telezoom for DSLRs featuring fast, near-silent Nano USM autofocus and highly effective image stabilization for sharp, handheld shooting. Its design includes a unique LCD display for tracking focal length and distance, offering excellent image quality in a portable package. However, the lens lacks weather sealing around the mount, making it less suitable for harsh environments. Additionally, the required lens hood is not included in the box and carries a high premium, requiring users to look for third-party alternatives.

The lens stands out for several prominent pros, including its exceptionally fast autofocus, an effective 4-stop image stabilizer, a lightweight and compact build, and the innovative built-in digital display screen. Laboratory testing confirms impressive sharpness across most of the zoom range, with minimal color fringing in the center and mid-sectors. However, it does come with notable cons, such as a complete lack of weather-seals and the fact that the highly recommended lens hood must be purchased separately at an expensive price. Optical testing also revealed minor drawbacks, including lackluster corner-sharpness at the shorter 70mm end, visible barrel distortion at 70mm, and pincushion distortion at 300mm, though these distortions can be mitigated using in-camera corrections.