Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM Lens

by Geoff 07 Oct 0 Comments

Canon EF 300mm 2.8L IS II USM Lens

The EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM Lens is an excellent choice as it is very flexible as the lens can be extended from 300mm to 420mm f/4 using the 1.4 times extender or to 600mm f/5.6 using the 2.0 times extender. Using these extenders there will be very little loss of image quality.

The Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM telephoto lens is an excellent choice for nature, wildlife and sports photography due to its low aperture of f/2.8.

This lens is very light for its class and the Image Stabilization system offers up to four extra stops of performance.

Fast and quiet Auto Focusing is provided by the fast Ultra Sonic Motor and a high speed CPU, which offers quick and accurate focusing during shooting. Manual focusing is also available. A Power Focus mode assists focusing during video shooting, allowing the photographer to smoothly adjust focus during filming by twisting the focus recall ring.

The lens has a security slot for a wire type security lock.

A third Image Stabilization mode (Mode 3) activates IS only when the shutter button is fully pressed, and gives the equivalent effect of a shutter speed four stops faster.

There are quite a range of super telephoto lenses for Canon cameras and some details are summarised below:

EF 300mm f/4L IS USM Lens - An excellent compact telephoto for travelling sports and wildlife.
EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM Lens - An exceptionally good general purpose lens for low light photography.
EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Lens – A compact and light f/4 lens for nature and sports where a low aperture is not required.
EF 400mm f/4L DO IS USM Lens - A great sports and nature photography lens.
EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM Lens – This lens is the ultimate low aperture F/2.8 lens for nature and sports.
EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM Lens - A superb lens for both nature (birds) and sports photography.
EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM Lens – Superb super telophoto for sports and small birds.
EF 800mm f/5.6L IS USM Lens - The ultimate long super telephoto for sports and small birds.

There are many examples of images captured with this lens on the Flickr site.

Specification

Focal Length, 300mm,
Picture Size, 35mm Full size,
Lens Construction, 16 elements in 12 groups,
Maximum Aperture, f/2.8,
Minimum Aperture, f/32, for ½-stop increments,
Closest Focusing Distance, 2.0 metres,
Maximum Magnification, 0.18 times,
Built in Image Stabilization,
Fluorite elements to provide excellent correction of chromatic aberration,
New lens materials to minimise ghosting and flare,
Magnesium alloy and titanium for increased structural strength,
9 blade circular aperture for soft focus images,
New IS mode, mode 3, offers equivalent effect of a shutter speed 4 stops faster,
Lead free glass,
Lens has a security slot for wire-type locks to prevent theft,
Image Stabilizer effect, 4 stops,
Dimensions, 128 x 248mm,
Weight, 2400 grams.