Canon 300 f/4 L IS Review

technic wrote:

Nice review on your website (with nice pictures), matches most of my experience with the lens. I don't agree with your opinion on the AF performance and the 'exceptionally sharp' though. When I compare it with the (much cheaper) 2.8/200L the 300IS is by far the weaker of the two IMHO, both in image quality (especially sharpness throughout the frame) and AF speed. Maybe I was lucky with my 200L or unlucky with my 300L? I still consider it a good lens and good value for money, thanks to the close focus distance that makes it my number 1 dragonfly lens.

But that 'value' is mostly because there are no real alternatives at the moment, this lens really needs a makeover. If the price for a II version goes up to $2000-2500 that would still be acceptable for me assuming the optical quality is close to the last 2.8 version. The 2.8/300IS II is too expensive for most hobby photographers and too heavy to handhold for a longer time. I'm hoping for a more affordable 2.8/300IS from Sigma (still a rumor though) but probably that will also weigh at least 2.5 kg and close focus to 1.5m is unlikely for the Sigma

Thanks for taking a look, I really enjoyed putting my experiences into words.

My lens is really sharp on its own and decent when combined with the 1.4x converter. I think due to the age of the lens there is some variation in performance form copy to copy. See the reviews below that show it's resolution similar to the 200mm f/2.8 L II. The 200mm lens has an small advantage when set to the same aperture. As for the AF I stand behind my observations. I have used better lenses like the 70-200, but in decent light I am rarely disappointed. When trying to AF in really poor light performance takes a considerable hit.

http://www.photozone.de/canon-eos/170-canon-ef-200mm-f28-l-usm-ii-test-report--review?start=1

http://www.photozone.de/canon-eos/172-canon-ef-300mm-f4-usm-l-is-test-report--review?start=1

I think that an updated version of the lens would cost right around your estimate $2200 and the old lens would still be a great value at $1350 USD or less used. The outdated IS would be my biggest grip about the current lens and I would consider buying an updated version of this lens as I use it already so much. Sigma may introduce a 300mm f/2.8 but that would not interested me as it would weigh more than twice my f/4 lens.

Jay