Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III Telephoto Zoom Lens

Pros: Great lens for what it is. It does not have IS or USM, but this is clearly indicated. If you need these features, this lens is not for you.

Cons: None, for a lens of this price and specifications.

Overall Review: Ok guys, with this lens, what you see is what you get. No, there is no USM, no IS, and no other sorts of bells and whistles, and this is clearly indicated. It's ignorant to list the lack of these features as cons. What this lens provides is very good zoom for relatively cheap. To me, the picture quality is excellent in daylight, and I am comparing it to my friend's much more expensive, non-Canon lens. I honestly can't see any difference in picture quality, but his lens is better specification-wise. Of course, because there is no IS, you need bright light or a very stable platform to get a sharp shot at the longer zoom ranges, but this is the case with all zoom lenses. IS helps, but it can only do so much. Autofocus is slow, but keep in mind that this lens magnifies your image much more than the stock lens, yet uses the same focusing technology. If you need fast autofocus, you need a USM lens. All in all, this is an excellent lens for what it is.

Pros: -Price

-Great zoom range- especially when paired with a cropped sensor camera like one of the rebels

-The EF lens mount means it will work with every one of Canon's digital SLR's (though I cannot imagine anyone putting one of these on a 5d mark II)

Cons: -No built-in image stabilization

-Relatively poor build quality

-Slow, imprecise auto focus (no USM)

-Front of lens rotates when zooming or focusing- a nightmare if you use circular polarizers.

Overall Review: This lens may not be the best, but it is better to have one of these than to not have a telephoto lens at all. If you can justify the cost, buy the image-stabilized USM version (around $500), or even better, get one of the white L lenses.