Canon 28-300 - confession.

Folks, every week or so I get this bug up my skirt about this lens. Then I start reading the reviews and opinions or talk to friends and cool off on it, but then it starts again. This pattern has been repeating itself pretty consistently. I know the rational for not recommending/buying this lens and I can probably even pritch it if necessary, for instance: for that price you can buy 24-105 and 70-200 and you're covered or 10x zooms cannot be the same quality, etc. Here is why I truly haven't purchased it yet: push & pull. Meanwhile I'm reading from all of the 100-400 folks that this is the best lens and not only they don't mind the push/pull, but they wouldn't even want Canon to change it.

My two semi-rhetorical quesions are these: is the push/pull something that people really get used to and start loving it? And this one is for the people who actually own(ed) the lens: can you really say that the quality is lower than say 70-200, etc.?

Today being my birthday, I said to myself: I have used the 70-200 2.8 IS only once and though I love it, I can really sell without loosing a lot of green. Will it make sense to add a few more hundreds and get it so I can get it out of my system?

Thanks.

Some people hate the push pull, and some love it. I'm in the middle, and don't really mind it either way. I do like that the lens gets much shorter, since a 400mm is a long lens. Moving it back to half the size is convenient. Using the push-pull in practice is fine, sometimes even faster than a twist zoom when one moves from one end to the other. Especially with very long zooms, I'd think. You'll get used to it.

As to this lens itself, the 28-300mm, I have to wonder about this one, in my opinion. Apparently (from Photodo) the optics are good, but not comparable to the 70-200 by any means. That's expected from a 10x zoom. The price is another wow. That's a lot of cash. I'd really have to consider this lens extraordinarily convenient to plunk down $2200. For that price, or close, I think that I'd rather have 2 better lenses and deal with swapping them. However, you will lose IS. The 70-200 IS is $1700 on it's own (or close). The IS is nice.

So, it is 28-300mm really that convenient for you? Can you live with swapping 2 lenses and losing IS? You'd get much better optics, faster AF, and faster aperture. Hmmm... Considering those points it's a no-brainer for me - I'd get 2 lenses.

A friend of mine uses that lens on his 5D for weddings. He bought it because then he doesn't have to change lenses at all during the day, an extraordinary bonus when you're under stress. The push/pull doesn't bother me, it's not my favorite but it's fine. I wouldn't choose the combination, i'd rather have two bodies each with faster lenses, and the ability to change to the lens I need at the time (wide/long/narrow dof etc).

If you need one lens that will do it all, except for low light, it will work well

Push pull is not all bad.
The only problem i had with it was a lack of fine zoom adjustment.Other than that i quite like them

Thanks for the responses.

Scottes, I thought you would be on the "love the push/pull" team because of your signature. You mentioned Photodo and the quality being less than 70-200, is Photodo a member of the forum with this lens or a web page?

tim, makes sense. I wonder if friend of yours who has it for weddings - doesn't he struggle with low-light? Sounds like to him 28-70 & 70-200 2.8 would have been ideal.

ron chappel, do you own one? If yes, can you please tell me if you can see the difference in the quality of the pics?

Thanka again, Chancellor.

I love the lens, but the push-pull doesn't really sway me either way. I'm used to it, I like it more than I dislike it, but I could go either way.

As to Photodo, it was actually Photozone I checked. http://www.photozone.d​e/active/news/index.js​p They do a lot of lens reviews and have a database where people can upload their tests & opinions.

Photodo is another site, http://www.photodo.com​/nav/prodindex.html, but I'm not sure if they're very up-to-date. The don't have the 28-300 tested, for instance.

Just my 2cents, if you aren't using your 70-200IS why would you suddenly start using the 28-300IS?

Maybe you should look at a 24-70L, it would compliment your 70-200 very well and give you nearly the same focal range.

I was very seriously looking at the 28-300IS at one point but the low light advantage of the f2.8 pair swayed me. The speed of f5.6 or higher at 300mm would be of little value to me, I have that in my 75-300IS now, plus you have to have the lens zoomed out for anything above 28, imagine that monster at say 75 or 300mm end. Scary for indoor candids IMO.

MrChad, agree with the point about 24-70, I even articulated in my original post. About indoor candids - don't think that 70-200 IS qualifies for that either

Don't get me wrong, I love 70-200 and after sleeping the night on this 28-300 bug I'm getting it out of my system, but I wanted to "hear" someone who has 28-300 and a few others and he/she tells the difference, etc.

Thanks, Chancellor.

I don't know about the lens, but I thought I'd mention that there's a used one on the B&H site in "10" condition right now.

I laugh ever time someone mentions "getting used to push pull."
I never got used to twist zoom!
I am not that old (34) but prior to my jump into the EOS world, all my zooms had been push/pull (Minolta/canon/nikon manual film bodies).
I love the 100-400.
I also was attracted to the 28-300, but the reviews and opinions led me away from it.
I ended up with the 100-400 and 24-70 L's. I don't regret it for a second. I may add a 70-200 at some point, but so far I have not missed the 30mm of focal length, nor have I had to switch in the middle of a shoot.

judyg, I got one of those!

Now I need to sell my brand-spanking-new 70-200L f/2.8 IS. Sad, but I need to do it for a little while, until the bonus check in March

rckcrlr, now since I got the 28-300 I love reading your posting!