topic Canon EF 70-300mm USM Wildlife in Share Your Photos

Canon EF 70-300mm USM Wildlife

tanglewoodphoto — Fri, 13 Mar 2026 21:37:08 GMT

Hey there community. My father was kind enough to purchase for me a used 70-300mm USM lens that I can use for with my for more focal length than my typical Rokinon 135mm. I've personally never used an auto focus before and I am absolutely in love with the function. That being said, after loads of testing the most optimal settings I've been using at 300mm is an F Stop of 7.1. It's apparent that at that focal length anything with the aperture wider doesn't generate sharp photos. Overall with it being a fairly old lens I'm so happy with my setup, even if it is just budget gear. Cheers!

Re: Canon EF 70-300mm USM Wildlife

zakslm — Fri, 13 Mar 2026 22:10:29 GMT

Great shots!

Those photos look fantastic. I’m curious—was the background/water naturally dark, or did you darken it in post-processing? Either way, the effect really makes the subject pop!

A few unsolicitied tips for your EOS Rebe T7:

Focusing: Are you using One Shot or AI Servo? For wildlife, try using the center focus point in AI Servo. Holding the shutter button halfway while tracking the subject can really help with sharpness when you're experimenting with wider apertures.
Action Settings: Next time you’re shooting birds in flight, try switching to Manual (M) mode:
- Shutter Speed: 1/500th to 1/1000th sec.
- Aperture: Set manually (like your f/7.1 sweet spot).
- ISO: Set to Auto ISO. This lets the camera handle the exposure levels while you maintain control over the freezing of the motion.

The "Sweet Spot":

I’m not surprised f/7.1 is working for you! On my EF-S 55-250mm, I found the "sweet spot" is between f/7.1 and f/8.0 as well.

In my opinion, the Rebel T7 is a much-underrated camera—I loved mine when I had it. Enjoy the new lens!

Regards,

Re: Canon EF 70-300mm USM Wildlife

tanglewoodphoto — Fri, 13 Mar 2026 22:25:28 GMT

Hey LZ.

Thanks for the reply and tips, its sincerely appreciated .

The settings you've suggested are exactly what I'm using. I feel like those are the only settings I should use to me honest. I've been pushing the T7 to its limits. The only downside is it doesnt handle high ISO very well. The signal to noise ratio isnt stellar so anything passed ISO 3200 isn't pleasant no matter how decent the denoise my be applied.

To answer your question, this shot was taken before sunrise. I live in Southeast Georgia USA. This is part of an old retention pond with pine water runoff so the water is naturally teal. It was also overcast that morning and the water very still. I did however add a touch of darkness with some dehaze to bring the focus more on the Egret. I always add a little artistic pizaaz in my work 🤣. That way folks can automatically tell I took the photo and not so generalized .

Re: Canon EF 70-300mm USM Wildlife

zakslm — Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:48:44 GMT

Agree on the high ISO performance of the T7. Also 3fps is limiting on occasion. It’s still a solid camera with a very nice 24mp sensor!

I upgraded to a 90D but sometimes wish I kept the T7. I liked the ergonomics and it was just about “pocketable” with a 24mm pancake lens on it!

Re: Canon EF 70-300mm USM Wildlife

stevet1 — Sat, 14 Mar 2026 02:41:34 GMT

tanglewood,

Cheers to you too.

Say thanks to your dad for me.

Those are great shots for you to take and for a viewer like me to appreciate 😃

Steve Thomas

Re: Canon EF 70-300mm USM Wildlife

March411 — Sun, 15 Mar 2026 02:13:50 GMT

Incredible grabs, love the contrast!

Re: Canon EF 70-300mm USM Wildlife

tanglewoodphoto — Sun, 15 Mar 2026 02:16:21 GMT

Thank you Steve, its sincerely appreciated and I am more than happy to share.

Re: Canon EF 70-300mm USM Wildlife

tanglewoodphoto — Sun, 15 Mar 2026 02:16:51 GMT

Thank you Mark, it was certainly a lovely experience .