In today’s review, we’ll take a closer look at an older, budget-friendly, and widely recognized Canon lens: the Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 USM Mark III. Though it’s been around for quite some time, this lens is still frequently included in kits for new Canon cameras. Designed for both full-frame and APS-C cameras, it remains an affordable option, often available for under £100 or around $120, making it a potential bargain. But how does it hold up today? Let’s dive in to see if this lens deserves more credit than it initially received.
Telephoto Zoom Range and Aperture
The Canon EF 75-300mm offers a telephoto zoom range that reaches from 75mm to 300mm, making it particularly useful for wildlife photography. Its maximum aperture ranges from f/4 to f/5.6, which is fairly standard, though slightly brighter than some of the newer telephoto zoom lenses on the market today. However, it’s not the best choice if you’re aiming for beautifully blurred backgrounds or fast shutter speeds, and one significant drawback is the lack of image stabilization. Without stabilization, you may need to increase your camera’s ISO to achieve sharp images, especially when zoomed in.
Build Quality
Now, let’s talk about the build quality. The lens is somewhat bulky and feels a bit cheap, although it does include some metal components, so it’s not entirely made of plastic. The zoom ring doesn’t turn very smoothly or evenly, but it’s functional. The lens extends quite a bit when you zoom in, and because it’s an older model, it doesn’t offer full-time manual focusing. This means you’ll need to switch to manual mode every time you want to make an adjustment. The manual focus ring itself turns smoothly but lacks precision, and the front element extends and twists as you focus, which can be problematic if you’re using filters like a polarizer.
Autofocus Performance
This lens uses Canon’s basic USM (Ultrasonic Motor) system, which allows for fairly quiet focusing. However, the autofocus is somewhat slow and not particularly accurate, especially when zoomed in beyond 200mm. This can make it challenging to capture sharp images when zoomed in, particularly on an APS-C camera. The absence of image stabilization further complicates things, making this lens less ideal for handheld video work.
Image Quality on Full-Frame Cameras
Let’s dive into the image quality, starting with a full-frame camera—the Canon 6D with a 20-megapixel sensor. With peripheral illumination and chromatic aberration correction turned on, the lens performs impressively well at 75mm and f/4, delivering razor-sharp images with excellent contrast from the center to the corners. This sharpness persists as you zoom in to 150mm, where the maximum aperture narrows to f/5, maintaining incredible sharpness across the frame. Even at 300mm and f/5.6, the lens continues to produce sharp images, although some purple fringing becomes noticeable. Stopping down to f/8 slightly improves the image quality, making the lens surprisingly capable on a full-frame sensor.
Image Quality on APS-C Cameras
Switching to an APS-C camera, like the Canon EOS M3 with a denser 24-megapixel sensor, the lens begins to show its limitations. At 75mm and f/4, the center resolution is good, though a bit of purple fringing appears in the corners. Zooming in to 150mm, the image quality starts to soften slightly in the center, and purple fringing becomes more evident in the corners. By the time you reach 300mm, the lens struggles significantly, exhibiting some of the worst purple fringing I’ve ever fencountered. Even stopping down to f/8 doesn’t entirely resolve these issues, particularly in the corners, making the lens a challenging choice for APS-C users.
Distortion and Vignetting
On a full-frame camera, the lens shows some vignette at 75mm and f/4, which can be minimized by stopping down to f/5.6 or using peripheral illumination correction. At 300mm, pincushion distortion becomes more pronounced, and vignetting is heavier, though stopping down to f/8 helps to reduce it.
Close-Up Performance
The lens can focus as closely as 1.5 meters, which is further than average for modern telephoto zoom lenses. Close-up image quality at 300mm and f/5.6 is soft, improving slightly at f/8, but overall, it’s a weak point for this lens.
Performance Against Bright Light and Bokeh
When shooting against bright light, the lens performs poorly, which isn’t surprising given its older design. As for bokeh, or the quality of out-of-focus areas, it’s possible to achieve somewhat pleasing backgrounds, especially when zoomed in on a full-frame camera. However, bright points of light may suffer from a bit of highlighting.
Final Verdict
The Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 USM Mark III is a lens with some clear strengths and weaknesses. Its build quality is clunky, and its performance on an APS-C camera leaves much to be desired due to severe purple fringing at longer focal lengths. However, on a full-frame camera, it manages to deliver surprisingly sharp images, making it a viable budget option for full-frame users who need a telephoto lens for occasional wildlife photography.
For APS-C users, however, it’s better to opt for Canon’s 55-250mm STM lens, which offers better image stabilization and overall performance. The irony is that this budget lens might actually be more suitable for Canon’s more expensive full-frame cameras. If you own a full-frame camera and need an affordable telephoto lens, this could be a reasonable choice. But for most other users, especially those with APS-C cameras, it’s best to look elsewhere.