what I really want - Canon EF-S 70-300mm IS f/4-5.6

[grahamsewelluk]

Something with the build quality of the 17-85mm or 15-85mm IS lenses with USM, permanent manual focus override, panning detection on the IS, cost up to £500 just smaller than the the EF 70-300 IS lens...

 

[HoppyUK]

Something with the build quality of the 17-85mm or 15-85mm IS lenses with USM, permanent manual focus override, panning detection on the IS, cost up to £500 just smaller than the the EF 70-300 IS lens...

If you want a 70-300mm f/4-5.6, then it's going to be pretty much the same size as any other lens of that spec. Laws of physics.

The benefits of EF-S and the smaller sensor format run out very quickly after about 50-60mm. Note that the very compact EF-S 55-250 starts at 55mm and stops at 250mm, before the front element has to get too big. You could make an EF-S version of the 70-300, but it wouldn't be significantly smaller than the current lens.

If you want higher build quality, the best optics and the best IS that Canon can do, then they have just announced the 70-300L. But it's not cheap and it's not light. TBH, the current EF 70-300 is just about as good as it gets for that range and price.

 

[woof woof]

I have one and I think that optically it's a good lens however mechanically it's a rough thing and seems like a last generation design. The IS growls, the front rotates and the USM doesn't give you full time manual focus.

 

[Rajkay]

Something with the build quality of the 17-85mm or 15-85mm IS lenses with USM, permanent manual focus override, panning detection on the IS, cost up to £500 just smaller than the the EF 70-300 IS lens...

Take a look at the soon to be released tamron version as it seems to fulfill your requirements.

 

[ozyboyross]

in mine and my dads experience of the 70-300IS it is soft as hell past 200mm! up to 200mm its a fantastic lens, producing lovely sharp images, but go beyond 200mm at your peril would be my advice! and at 300mm i find the images pretty unusable.

I am awaiting the 70-300L but not untill the price drops closer to its real price!

In the meantime I am contemplating a 70-200F4L and a 1.4X converter (giving me a
98-280 F5.6)

 

[HoppyUK]

Take a look at the soon to be released tamron version as it seems to fulfill your requirements.

It looks nice, but is the same size as the Canon and 20% heavier.

 

[Rajkay]

It looks nice, but is the same size as the Canon and 20% heavier.

However, reading the tamron blubber it doesn't extend on focusing/zooming hence should be more compact overall? I had the 70-300IS on my 7d and actually found it a bit light...

 

[HoppyUK]

However, reading the tamron blubber it doesn't extend on focusing/zooming hence should be more compact overall? I had the 70-300IS on my 7d and actually found it a bit light...

Doesn't extend on focusing, but does extend on zooming. Like they all do. You can see the chunky zooming mechanism is concealed beneath the fat barrel.

It would be very difficult to make a non-extending zoom of that focal length, and not much point given that it has the compact size for storage, which is the more important bit.

 

[Rajkay]

Doesn't extend on focusing, but does extend on zooming. Like they all do. You can see the chunky zooming mechanism is concealed beneath the fat barrel.

It would be very difficult to make a non-extending zoom of that focal length, and not much point given that it has the compact size for storage, which is the more important bit.

Woops my bad guess being spoilt with a F4 IS you kinda forget these things. But with regards to the OP requirements its the closest at the moment, unless canon update it which I don't see em doing for a long while. Does the new L extend out of interest?

 

[SixToes]

I have one and I think that optically it's a good lens however mechanically it's a rough thing and seems like a last generation design. The IS growls, the front rotates and the USM doesn't give you full time manual focus.

 

[HoppyUK]

Woops my bad guess being spoilt with a F4 IS you kinda forget these things. But with regards to the OP requirements its the closest at the moment, unless canon update it which I don't see em doing for a long while. Does the new L extend out of interest?

Yes, it does. About 2in.