Canon 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS ['Nano'] USM II lens review with samples (Full-frame and APS-C)
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- čas přidán 7. 07. 2017
- Canon (as well as other manufacturers) LOVE producing 70-300mm lenses and here is their latest one, featuring their latest autofocus system, 'Nano' USM. Let's hope its optics are suitably updated from its predecessor, too.
Find it here (Amazon affiliate link):
geni.us/canon70300nanousm
If you've found this or other videos I've made to be helpful, then support me on Patreon! / christopherfrost
All photography and video footage taken by me on Canon 6D and EOS M3 cameras.
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Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 IS STM: geni.us/CanonRF35mm18Macro
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Music: 'Opportunity Walks', Kevin Macleod (www.incompetech.com) - Jak na to + styl
I got this lens yesterday, went out with it, and was very impressed by its great performance. I had a doubt about sharpness, but it is OK, also sharpness at 300mm is very, very good. And IS works excellent. I constantly got sharp images at 300mm with 1/80 and even with 1/40. That is the right lens for my shooting style. And it is a compact lens - that's important to me. Good option, if You don't need a faster aperture. Canon, respect!
Hi Janis
I am looking to buy canon 75-300 for my 90D. so i love pictures and video too. so what about video quality?
@@LilaGurung Sorry, I cannot tell about video, because I shoot only stills. But autofocus is fast and nice. And I have 70-300, not 75-300.
Do you find it sharper as the 55-250mm?
@@cosmindanes9435 +1
Thank you so much for the review Chris !! I'm also very excited on your behalf for upgrading you FF camera soon ! :)
Ok, I'm convinced! It's going on my wish list!
Your reviews are great. When ever I am on the fence about a lens I hope you've reviewed it.
I just bought this lens and I have been very happy with it. It's plenty sharp for me, the overall build is very nice although I find the LCD to be a huge gimmick lol
Autofocus is crazy fast! My 24-105 f4L seems like a slouch in comparison.
Thanks for inspiring me to try it out. I was just going to get the version 1 used and save some money but I'm glad I bought the newer one.
Hey Christopher, Thank you very much for this great review of the newest Canon 70-300mm NANO lens. I am very pleased with the so fastest focusing system and all but I really like the cool old brick building you use to show the sharpness of the lenses as the other test with the cluster of pictures looks to have less contrast. But, the lens looks very great and a super winner in my mind!!! I'd really love to see the canon 18-135mm NANO and the new Tamron 18-400mm lens. We know you'll get her done soon. Thank you again!!! You're the best!!!
Hi Chris, I bought a copy of this lens this week and it's very good, I see some new perspective in super zoom conditions. Thanks for guiding me through buying it
Great review man! Thanks for putting the effort to make this video!
I loved that photo: 10:57
fantastic video! ive been looking for a zoom lens for my 77d for a while, the other day I was chatting with canon on their live chat and the reps over there really helped me narrow down my choice to this lens, which led me to your video! after that review it looks like im going to pick one up thanks!
Thank you... Bought this lens to upgrade my Mark 1 because of your excellent review.
I'm a Nikon user, but I really enjoy your videos. Nice review.
Kikotronik I don't even have a camera, I still watch this
Sigh, still trying to find a nikon equivalent :(
If you're looking for a Nikon equivalent, the Tamron 70-300 VC USD seems very similar performance as this lens and is actually a bit less expensive. Chris did a review for it a while ago.
Milton Lee. gente.vgv v
Check out the new AF-P 70-300 VR. There is also a cheaper DX crop sensor version. It focuses lightning fast.
best video analysis i have seen for this model. thank you
i got this lens after looking around a bit and finding your video having used it for a few years ive really enjoyed this lens i use it all the time, an incredible lens in my opinion especially for the price,
Christopher, even when you review gear that I would never consider buying,
I still love to watch your reviews. Thanks. :)
WOW!!!! DAMN!!! Very little focus breathing as well! I'm amazed!
Thanx again for the good and thorough review!
Okay. Will buy this lens. As always, a great review, thank you.
Wow, about 20 years ago I picked up a used 75-300 4.5-5.6 IS USM and still have it. It's a slug and I can manual focus faster than the Auto focus but, it has served me well. It's still in use and fortunately software can correct the chromatic aberrations. For a first generation IS lens it was a game changer. Looks like the 75-300mm range has only gotten better.
This is really good for someone who's looking for a super telephoto lens with a APS-C camera for starting at wildlife photography within budget.
this was so helpful! I'm going to buy it!!
Thank you Sir. I really enjoy your videos and review.
I don't have a canon, but I do like that lens display screen, especially the EQ focal lengths. Very good idea, indeed.
Brohan89 Why doesn’t it show the exact focal length though? That’s precisely what I’d want from a display right there. There’s no room to print that detail and it isn’t a linear transition either. Since the lens knows it’s focal length (shows up in EXIF data) what the fudge happened? That live level meter is beyond useless as is the DoF scale, since it isn’t high-res enough to really inform you of anything important. Honestly, i can’t believe it simply mirrors what is printed on the barrel. 🤪
Hi Chris, let me tell you, taht you are the best to review lenses, I always follo U, to take decision to buy a lens
If they update all their lenses with the Nano USM motor, it will be a magical day.
awesome review as usual 👍
Chris, is there any difference in processing the test image between this lens and the L version? Comparing 6:43 of this video and 3:18 in the L version video there is an insane difference in contrast.
Thanks, for one more incredible review! These new electronics on the lens are awesome! Best regards from Brazil!
Hi, nice review. Is still better the 55-250 is usm???
Great review! I will have to take a look at this lens in person, hopefully rent one to test it out. I have to decide between this and the L series version, especially whether I'm willing to pay more for weather sealing, more sharpness, and the overall build quality that comes with the L series.
opwave79 go for the L, it's fantastic!
The display is plain cool
Finally I found good zoom lens for video :) thanks Chris
Nice video! Do you happen to know if the IS compares to the 70-200mm lenses?
that lens looks awesome! Im getting that
Very very useful video, thanks!
I used the 18-135mm usm nano on the Canon 80D it was awesome hope this is a good replacement for the 70-300 Efs
Another thorough and well presented review! Does anyone do it better than Christopher ? I cant say? Thank You for your efforts. I would like to know your opinion of this lens paired with a Canon 5D Mark IV? I’m a little late to this review, but have been binge watching a lot of CZcams whilst recovering from COVID. I have watched a lot of your videos, and am now a new Subscriber. Stay safe and Healthy! Happy Shooting! 👍👍👍✌🏻📷
This lens looks good off the bat. Like those Art lenses.
I got the Canon M5 recently as well as getting the same off brand adapter to use my ef and ef-s lenses. Would love some suggestions/tests of some old lenses to use with the Canon mirrorless system.
Thanks Christopher for your review of the new 70-300, I have a t5i will the auto focus be as fast with that body? I use the camera for birding photo's. Looking forward to getting this lens before we go to Mexico in January.
Through the viewfinder it will be fantastically fast
Very informative video; thank you..
This lens got me with the LCD Screen :'D
Hi Chris, would you recommend the 70-300 IS USM II or the Tamron 70-300 VS? To use on a 6d. Thanks!
Este era el video que necesitaba ver para estar seguro de la inversión ❤
Hi Chris, how does this compare to the 55-250 is stm? Worth a change?
Love your videos by the way, keep up the great work mate!
They're very comparable in terms of sharpness :-)
Hey Christopher, I have got to say that from what I've seen, I think the Canon 55-250mm IS STM lens sharpness is actually quite a bit better than the new 70-300mm NANO. Man, that little 55-250mm Is STM is the sharpest Canon zoom lens I've ever seen tested. Too bad it's not a 55-300mm for the extra reach.
Thanks guys. That's the comaprison I wanted to know about too.
While I don't have this specific one, so comparing it to Tamron's 70-300, the additional range in the bottom of the range more than makes up for the missing 50mm at the top.
The difference between 250mm and 300mm is very little while 70 mm with APS-C is very zoomed in already.
@@christopherfrost I'm very confused. In your 55-250 STM review you say that it is "razor sharp" repeatedly and by f/8 "pin sharp". In this review on APSC, you say the lens is "okay in the middle", "a touch soft in the corners" and you need to stop down to f/11 for best quality at 300mm. Yet now you say they're comparable in terms of sharpness. The only reason I'm even looking at the 70-300 is that the focus breathing of the 55-250 means that for close up wildlife you just don't have the reach. I just can't justify stepping up to the L, but I'm not sure if I'll be going backwards. I shoot Nikon too, and I love the older AFS 70-300 VR and the new DX 70-300 VR lenses are even sharper (but not parfocal and also have issues focus breathing and reach close up)
Hey Chris, should I upgrade to this lens from my tamron 70-300 f4-5.6 a005? The nano usm seems really good
I've enjoyed your videos a lot.. i'm from India and have subscribed to you today.. technical inputs are very grest.
Hey Chris, thanks for sharing your feedback on this lens. What is the video quality like compared to the EF-S 55-250? Does the amount of light vary drastically as you zoom in and out through the lens (as its predecessor)?
It's a little brighter, but really there's not that much difference
Hello Christopher, thanks for the super clear review! Just one question: is it normal to hear and feel wobbly elements moving inside the lens body? If I slightly shake the lens while holding it I can really feel the internal parts moving... Have you found the same "internal loosness" as I did? I'm assuming it may be because of the stabilizer and floating bits, but maybe not... Thanks for all the past and future reviews! :-)
With some lenses it is normal - it could be part of the image stabilization mechanism. If it's working fine when it's on your camera, then you're good to go
Good afternoon, Chris. I'm a director and cinematographer from the U.S. I like to put a great deal of effort into scoping out the lenses that best suit my needs for an affordable price, as utilizing various focal lengths to serve a story is one of my favorite aspects of cinematography. Your channel has helped me out a great deal in the few months that I've been following you, and its played a direct factor in my selection of several excellent lenses.
There's plenty out there that I'm curious to see reviews for. If you don't mind, I'd love to drop in from time to time with some requests for specific lenses. Your channel is by far the most well-formatted, well-organized, and generally charming and approachable review outlet I've ever found for lenses. I've come to trust your opinion considerably. Keep up the great work!
Thanks for the kind message - I'm glad you find the reviews helpful! I receive requests to test specific lenses all the time. Unfortunately I can't cover them all because I'm under huge time pressure with my full time job (which I love even more than CZcams)
Thanks for getting back to me, Chris. Haha, I totally understand. My video production work has me bogged down as well. I've always wanted to do a film-related CZcams channel, but work has kept me too busy. I'll throw out a request from time to time. But if you're not able to get to it, no sweat at all.
I want that display and Nano USM on a 24-70 F2.8, that would make this lens even better
I’ve got mine today Chris will use it on my canon mark 11
Great video
Hi Chris, great review, you've made my mind up, my only question to you is what brand of converter for the closer shot of the robin in the video are you using. I own a Sony A6000 and I require a converter in order for this lens to fit/work but I have read reviews on Commlite which do have the required AF but the reviews are a little negative in terms of lens flare and it does mention about the focus not being that fast. Can you please advise on any other brands that might be more suitable or if it's worth the risk just buying this converter. Thanks.
I can't remember what convertor I used, and whether or not it worked well. The Sigma MC-11 tends to work quite well but I can't guarantee it
Hi Cris, in your opinion, for the canon 77 D, which is better, this lens or the sigma 100-400. Greatings for Portugal😷
Thanks for this video, Chris. I wasn't even aware of this lens. I'm surprised you didn't compare it to the Tamron SP 70-300mm VC that you really liked.
I never got to test the Tamron lens on full-frame unfortunately
Love the photos of the Lake district Christopher 😀
Hey Chris, I’m shooting a F1 race soon and I’m stuck between this and the 70-300 L lens, I have the money for it but is the image quality difference of the L worth giving up the extremely fast AF, which is really important in F1 and other motorsports ? ,,,I’m using a Canon 80d
Great review as always! Just a quick question how does this compare to the Sigma 150-600mm, is it just better to crop from the canon at 300mm or is it sharper on the Sigma after 300mm?
You'll have to crop a LOT to get a 600mm image from this 70-300!! They're very different lenses
This guy has reviewed every lens ever made
Which one would be better? This 70-300mm nano or the 55-250mm STM? I have a canon SL3(250D), Im looking for a good general use telephoto lens(video, wildlife etc) and i cant make my mind between the two :(
Is the Canon 55 to 250 lens sharper than this 70 to 300. I have the 55 to 250 and it is very sharp so I don't want to trade it in for an additional 50 mm unless this new 70-300 is a lot sharper thanks for all your great videos. I use the
77 D camera
Hi Christopher. After seeing your review (and a few others for Tamron, Sigma, etc.) I've bought the Canon EF 70-300 F4-5.6 IS II USM zoom lens, yesterday.
I am using it with a Canon EOS M6 and I am testing it today. It's working quite nice. I need to resolve the footing for the tripod, since the adapter is not fitted with the tripod screw.
Thank you, for posting, it was really helpful.
Great video review! May I ask what video editing software you use?
Vegas 14
Can't wait to see the sigma 14mm 1.8
How does this lens compare to the new Tamron 70-200 2.8 G2 ?
Haven't tried that lens, yet. They are very different beasts
Like Chris said, very different lenses. The Tamron G2 series is pretty tight, major improvements over predecessors. Still don't perform as well as a first party lens for AF though, but in good light do just fine. The constant F2.8 aperture is a major plus over the Canon 70-300mm, since it will offer 2-4 times the light for exposure, allowing you to shoot at much faster shutter speeds at lower ISO settings. The 70-300mm, in good light, will give you 100mm more reach, and that is also a pretty major advantage. The Tamron is a lot more expensive, over twice the price. It depends on how you want to use either lens. I have both the 70-300mm and a 70-200mm F2.8 (Canon), as they are just for different situations. The F2.8 is also a good portrait lens. It jsut depends on what you want to do.
I want this for my future Canon 80D
Good choice :-)
Is it compatible for canon 80d ???
Can't afford it right now but it's definitely on my wish list.
very nice review
plz do a video of comparison between this lense and 55-250mm stm
This one is a Full-frame. If you have a mirrorless camera and use a speed booster with this one, you can turn this lens into a great expensive telephoto zoom lens at a fraction of the price of the more expensive one.
55-250 is sharper on aps-c. You can use it on R full frame cameras too but you'll loose few megapixel.
Great news, I'll be able to afford a Mark I now :)
saw this at best buy and tested it out
Hello Chris, love your reviews! Helped me greatly on some of my purchase decisions!
As a EOS M5 user with the official EF adapter, I'm quite confident that I can take advantage of the nanoUSM's incredible speed since I have Dual Pixel AF! However, I also currently own the lacklustre (though native) EF-M 55-200mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM. I know I can't compare in terms of price and lightweightedness given the EF-M's all-plastic construction, but currently I'm not satisfied by its small maximum aperture, IQ and softness.
I would of course love to have a white L lens, but I'm a poor student with a tight budget. Would this 70-300mm lens be more value for money and bridge that IQ gap between the EF-M and the L lenses, or would the EF-S 55-250 suit that more (I'm aware that Canon may be using EF mounts on its future FF mirrorless releases, and since I plan waiting for that, having a EF-S lens might not future-proof me)? Thanks!
Hmm it's up to you. Personally I quite like bird photography, where the 70-300 would be a great advantage, but it's huge and heavy compared to the EF-S / EF-M lenses. I'd go for the 70-300 though
Thanks! Yes portability became an issue and 709g is a lot! I'm holding my horses for now as even my EF 35mm f/2 IS USM (which is only 335g) is already heavier than all my EF-M lenses. I'm not sure I started my ILC life with mirrorless just to carry heavy glasses 🙈
Hmm. Watching this review after your review of the 75-300 el-cheapo, it seems that this lens is optically inferior to that one on full frame. Have I got that correct?
I love this lens. Been using it for a while.
Hey, and have you used for bird or wildlife photography? Would you recommend it for this kind of shots? Thnx 😊
@@sebastianpalmay I would recommend it, yes. The stabiliser is great in it and the F ratio works incredible with this lens. What camera do you have? This is a good budget lens for entry level- middle level photography.
Just a 1300d but waiting for the new 90d to come out and will be upgrading
HI,
I have just bought one of these lens an find it's over exposing. Did you have the same experience. I shoot AdobeRGB, RAW & Standard picture style. 5D MK3.
Hi Chris. Can you tell me how this lens work on a Canon R7? Is almost has good, like in DSLR'S? Or has a fews limitations? Thank you.
You are amazing!! Keep it up plz!!!
Hi Chris, Canon 70-300mm f / 4-5.6 IS II USM or CANON EF 24-105mm f/4L USM which is good for canon 80D? and which will provide me sharp images? Please let me know,I am about to buy one.
Had to watch the clip of the 6D being manually focused twice, before realizing the lens was being manually focused.
So was that clip recorded with the 6D in Live View? Wondering how else you’d know how it was focusing.
@Christopher Frost Photography do you think it is worth to switch from the EF-S 55-250 STM to this? I really love the 55-250 and consider it to be extraordinary value for the money, but sometimes I miss the extra range.
Could be worth it, if you really want the extra range, although do bear in mind that this 70-300 lens is a lot bigger and heavier
Wonder how it works with a Sony through an adapter. Adding such information in the future would really be beneficial. Great review as always, cheers!
zomgonzo I think Chris has an a7R II now, so it might be possible? I shoot a lot of adapted lenses and would really like that type of info as well. So many recent Canon lenses work great on a recent crop or FF Sony E-mount camera.
The dog photo looks amazing. This is a good value lens, considering price performance. The 75-300, although much cheaper, can't compare to how good this one is.
Grettings from Guadalajara, Mexico !!!!! Saludos Chris !!!!!!
Thanks!
Your reviews are my go to resource before purchases. Thank you very much
Pretty cool lens. Not one that I'd get but I like the technology.
Does anyone knows if there is a x1.4 or x2.0 extender working on this lenses for Canon?
effeNovanta Yes and No
Which one to go, this one or Tamron 70-300 F4-5.6 VC USD?
Raw image samples! I want to try to process it!
How does the image quality and sharpness of this lens compare to the 55/250stm? Is it a worth while upgrade?
Matthew Augsburger I'm thinking the same as you, I like my 55-250.
It's the same I wanted to ask
To quote Chris "They're very comparable in terms of sharpness"
I used to own a 55-250 STM on a 80D and now I own a 70-300mII on an EOS-R and I think it's a draw between these two. But the EOS-R is FF of course. So I expect the 70-300 to be a little less sharp than the 55-250 on an APS-C body. I have always thought the 55-250 STM to be unbeatable at that price, size and weight. So I wouldn't even consider it an 'upgrade', except for the little bit of extra zoom.
That looks like the one I need
In APSC it's 112-480mm f/6.4-8.9, is that right?
That is, is it darker by the conversion factor?
Will you be doing a 70-300 lens comparison? I own a Tamron 70-300 VC and I'm a bit disappointed with it. It's not at all sharp and the VC keeps failing.
Would you plz review the canon 100-300mm usm, old lense?
can you make a review of this lens vs tamron 70-300mm 4-5.6 di vc usd? review for both canon ff and aps-c...thank you
Is it good for taking pictures of the moon ? Or would you recommend any other lens in the same price range ?
Hi Chris. I have purchased this lens based upon your review. What I would like to know is if you got to test it on your 300v film slr? I have that camera also which I managed to get brand new just 3 months ago from a local photographic shop that was clearing out its stock prior to closing down.
No, I didn't test it on film
If you would get A7R II then on FF you would have to do only one test in terms of sharpness as APSC size on this camera have 18mpx (42.5mpx on full frame).
Which one is better? Canon usm ii or the new tamron 70 300mm ?
How do you do those sharpness comparison images like the ones at 7:44?
Can I use this lens for photography at birthday events? Few says it has a real focusing issue. Not sure why….
which s better? this lens or tamron 70-300 vc usd lens for my 70d for better picture quality?