DO lens

[pehabe]

Hallo...
Has anybody ever used Canon EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS USM lens? or any of DO lenses? :?:
Any user review or comment?
I have seen some review i.e. from dpreview, but I want to hear from you guys.
Thanks.

[ron chappel]

Here is one thread but there are many others if you search back abit.
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=43297&highlight=70300

There are also some usefull online tests/examples with this lens.Overall it has low'ish contrast and is a fair bit sharper than the cheap lenses (eg 75-300).It's not quite as sharp as an L zoom though.
Other things that might effect your decision are some occasional very odd out of focus highlights and serious flare problems when the light comes at just the wrong angle.
I'll see if i can find track down those online tests

[ron chappel]

http://www.wlcastleman.com/equip/reviews/70_300/

http://www.photo.net/equipment/canon/70-300do/ (there is a part two to this test but it has some annoying errors in method)

http://www.pbase.com/jptrunck/samples (a good one but for the anoyance of not using the same magnification for all focal lengths )

and the excellent
http://www.e-fotografija.com/artman/publish/article_306.shtml

[pehabe]

ron... thanks for quick reply.
the last site is wonderful. i admire the last picture on it... what a gear he has.
I think I will stay away from DO lens for the moment.

keep hunting. :lol:

[ron chappel]

I'm amazed at some of the eastern european websites/photographers.There must be some very rich amateurs over there :)
In my opinion i'd love this lens but the price is simply too high.The small issues it has with bokeh and flare wouldn't concern me i'm sure

[cmM]

the biggest advantage of this lens is its size and weight. you could buy the 70-200 f/2.8 for about the same price and it's a much better lens.

Look at the sticky "review" thread, there's a link to a review from one of the members.

[Jesper]

Yes, I have the 70-300 DO IS USM.

I bought it because I wanted a high quality zoom lens, but not a big, heavy, conspicuous white 70-200 L. I read a lot of reviews of Canon's various 75-300 consumer grade zoom lenses and a lot of people seemed to be complaining that they're not really great quality.

The 70-300 DO works well, the optical quality is good (can't compare it to a 70-200 L or 75-300 because I don't have those). Especially at the long end, the 70-300 DO is not always super sharp. The IS is very good - it's Canon's newest version of the IS system, with 2 modes.

For a non-L lens, it's expensive. If you don't mind carrying around a big white lens, one of the 70-200 L lenses or the 100-400 L is probably better. But I can't imagine myself walking on the street with such a thing when I'm on holiday in a poorer country.