EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM
Affordable high magnification
The powerful yet reasonably priced EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM will appeal to nature and sports photographers looking to achieve sharper images when shooting handheld. Focal length translates to approx. 112-480mm equivalent in 35mm film format when fitted to cameras with APS-C size sensors.
Image Stabilizer
The EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM features Canon's 3-stop Image Stabilizer (IS). Ideal for handheld photography, Canon’s Image Stabilizer allows photographers to use shutter speeds up to 3-stops slower with no perceptible increase in image blur. For stabilized panning, IS Mode 2 only corrects for unwanted vertical shake by switching off IS in the horizontal direction. IS is ideal for low light conditions, fast paced scenes and for shooting from moving vehicles. IS switches off automatically when the camera is mounted on a tripod.
UD lens element
A UD (ultra-low dispersion) glass lens element corrects chromatic aberration to achieve high resolution and contrast throughout the zoom range without colour fringing on subject outlines. Only lead free glass is used in the lens construction.
Super Spectra coatings
Optimised Super Spectra lens coatings and lens element shaping suppress flare and ghosting - more prone to occur with digital cameras due to reflection off the image sensor. Coatings also help achieve true colour balance and sharp high contrast images.
Pleasing background blur
A circular barrel aperture helps to create an attractive, even background blur when isolating a subject at large apertures.
Fast auto-focus
The lens's micro USM motor uses ultra-sonic frequency vibrations to drive rapid auto-focus with near-silent operation. Good holding torque ensures there is no overshoot. A high speed CPU and optimised AF algorithm contribute to AF speed literally faster than the human eye.
Accessories
Accessories include a lens hood (ET-65B) and a soft case (LP1222).
Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM, 15/10, 70 - 300 mm, Image stabilizer, Auto focus
Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM. Lens structure (elements/groups): 15/10, Closest focusing distance: 1.5 m, Focal length range: 70 - 300 mm. Product colour: Black. Diameter: 7.65 cm, Filter size: 5.8 cm, Length: 142.8 mm. Magnification: 0.26x
This is a sweet and smooth lens in use. Auto focus is fast enough and the feel of zoom and focus controls is good. It is light enough to carry around without getting a pain in the neck, yet not so light that there are worries about durability. 
There is slight barrel distortion at the wide end – nothing to worry about in field use – and slightly more pincushion at the 300mm end. It is easy enough to correct in Photoshop. 
Canon produces a bewildering array of lenses in this zoom range. By our count there are four 70–200mm lenses and three 70–300. The best lenses are those that have a constant maximum aperture across the zoom range and in which the barrel length does n...