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Best "non L" telephoto - 70-300mm?

trossit
Enthusiast

I am looking to purchase a new or used Canon Telephoto zoom and was hoping I could get a recoimmnedation on best bang for the buck. I can't really justiffy the expense for an L lens as I want to keep the cost under $300.  What Canon (metal mount) tele-zoom (70 - 300mm range )would you recommend?  I want something that can take sharp bird and wildlife pictures at its max focal length.  I am currently using a crop-sensor camera, the Canon 30D.  

Thanks.

12 REPLIES 12

jrhoffman75
Legend
Legend

I recommend you check out the 70-300 USM II non-L lens.

John Hoffman
Conway, NH

1D X Mark III, Many lenses, Pixma PRO-100, Pixma TR8620a, LR Classic


@jrhoffman75 wrote:

I recommend you check out the 70-300 USM II non-L lens.


+1 for John's recommendation.  Here it is.

 

DxO.jpg

~Rick
Bay Area - CA


~R5 C (1.0.6.1) ~RF Trinity, ~RF 100 Macro, ~RF 100~400, ~RF 100~500, +RF 1.4x TC, +Canon Control Ring, BG-R10, 430EX III-RT ~DxO PhotoLab Elite ~DaVinci Resolve ~Windows11 Pro ~ImageClass MF644Cdw/MF656Cdw ~Pixel 8
~CarePaks Are Worth It

The 70-300 USM II does seem like a good quality lens...ty.

kvbarkley
VIP
VIP

The EF-S 55-250 is no slouch, but not as good as the 70-300 II.

I tried the EFS 55-250 STM and was impressed with its sharpness and contrast.  When taking pictures of wildlife it was great...very sharp but when I took pictures of geometric shapes, cars, buildings, planes....it seemed a little off.  Maybe too much barrel distortion?  It reminded me of a high-quality lens you migh find on a non-detachable lens camera...such as the Sureshot.

Distortion should be correctable. You can turn it on in-camera for JPEGs or use it in DPP for Raws.

jrhoffman75
Legend
Legend
The 55-250 is a good lens. I had one. But the 70-300 is longer and usable if one upgrades to a FF body.
John Hoffman
Conway, NH

1D X Mark III, Many lenses, Pixma PRO-100, Pixma TR8620a, LR Classic

John...there are 3 versions of the 55-250 the 1st, the II, and the STM.  Which version did you have?

I call the decision between those two as a toss up. Do you want a bit longer tele or a bit wider end? Optically and build they are close.

EB
EOS 1DX and 1D Mk IV and less lenses then before!
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