I am shopping for a 100~300:

At B&H the 100~300 f/4.5-5.6 is selling for $299.95 and 100~300 f/5.6L is selling for $329.95.

$329.95 for L Lens.... I cannot believe my eye but it is the push and poll zoom and it is very very old design......

I don't know which one to go for. Any suggestion??

-- Dennis Chiu (dennis_chiu@hotmail.com), May 01, 2001

Answers

Dennis,

The choice depends upon what you are looking for in a lens. The L version is an old design with a slower, noisier autofocus mechanism but excellent sharpness. Used on a tripod shooting subjects that are not particularly active you would get the outstanding results you would expect with an L series lens, not only sharper but better color correction and contrast.

The USM version with a variable aperture is light and gives quick, virtually silent autofocusing with the advantage (if you need it) of full-time manual focusing (FTM). It might be little better in shooting action scenes such as a child's soccer game where the speedier autofocus is nice but at the expense of color correction and contrast.

I have taken some excellent pictures with the USM version but have no doubt, given very limited experience with a borrowed L version, that the optics of the L version are superior. I now use a 70-200mm f2.8 L zoom lens with or without teleconverters for my kids soccer games (and other things as well). There is a definite difference in the pictures that result compared to the 100-300 USM lens. Again the difference is in sharpness, color and contrast. The L series optics are definitely superior.

Again, how will you use the lens? That will have to guide you.

-- Richard Snyder (rsnyder@lc.cc.il.us), May 01, 2001.

Well, in contrast (pun intended) I only have experience with the old L version - it is a wonderful lens optically (if a bit of a wirring devil due to the old motor design).

I'm very happy with my results (and BTW own the 300F4lIS as well as a number of other L lenses for comparison)

It has always been my subjective impression that Canon lenses that have a flourite element seem to give better results - this is my only example since I left my FD days behind.

mike

-- Mike Milton (mike@arttech.on.ca), May 05, 2001.

A shop recently tried to sell me the 100-300 f5.6L when I asked about the 70-200F4L. There's no way that I'd buy into a lens that was that old. Similarly, there's no way I'd buy into a camera body such as the EOS 5 now (I have one though, so no flames about what a great camera it is...I'm just saying that I'd buy a 30 or a 3 instead now). To me, USM is a must. However, as the earlier post said, it depends what you're doing. I've used the 100-300 USM, and it's a nice lens to use. Quick, silent, handles well. I have not used the old L lens, but I really wouldn't. My outlook is, admittedly, based on the fact that I now have a 70-200F4L and 300mm F4L IS and a 1.4X TC, which allows me 100-280 f5.6, and 420mm f5.6 IS also. My vote would go with the 100- 300 USM, for the things I do, but it does depend on whether you need that speed.

-- Isaac Sibson (isibson@hotmail.com), July 09, 2001.