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A good lens but

Started Oct 13, 2012 | User reviews thread
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djohnfot Junior Member • Posts: 27
A good lens but
1

This is a very inexpensive but pretty good lens. Construction quality feels cheap - not 'nifty-fifty' cheap but not much better - but it works and that's what counts. Optically it's quite good, especially when price is considered, with good overall sharpness and low distortions except for CA. And that's the problem I have with this lens. At telephoto lengths over about 200mm CA is quite noticeable, with it rearing its ugly head in almost all high contrast shots. UGH!

I think the main problem is lack of manufacturing QC. I went through three specimens of this lens - all purchased new - before I found an acceptable one. It ended up being pretty good. Still, I ended up trading for an EF-S 55-250 IS, which is much better than the 75-300 III, at least at the telephoto end, which is the reason one buys a long zoom in the first place, isn't it? Still, I found the EF 75-300 III a usable tool, as long as I allowed for the CA, and a good value.

Problems:

Rather slow (for a Canon) AF and no full-time MF.
Sketchy QC - get return privileges!
Considerable CA at long telephoto with contrasty subjects.

 djohnfot's gear list:djohnfot's gear list
Canon PowerShot A720 IS Canon PowerShot S30 Canon ELPH 300 HS Canon PowerShot A4000 IS Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX300 +9 more
Canon EF 75-300mm f/4.0-5.6 III
Telephoto zoom lens • Canon EF • 6473A003
djohnfot's score
3.0
Average community score
3.4
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