Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM Lens for Canon EOS SLR Cameras

This is an excellent lens. It was lighter than I was expecting and so far seems to be very sharp and much better than its predecessor. It is smaller and lighter than the 70-200 or 100-400 mm and therefore very likely to accompany me on distant journeys.

I was thinking about getting a 70-200MM f/2.8 or f/4 IS. I decided on this because of price and weight (very light, can carry for hours). Works great. What ever you decide GET AN IS lens. Trying to hold still at 200mm+ is very hard and even more difficult to get a non blurry image. I was a little concerned about getting good blur @ f/4-5.6, no worries.

Cons: When zooming, lens extends, though has zoom lock
Not all that fast, if your shooting sports get something faster
Minim focus distance is almost 5 feet, that's a lot, can be annoying.

I'm just getting into back photography after 25 years. I received this as a gift and was overwhelmed at first. But in no time I was having a ball with this and how easy it was to use. Love the lens!

It is difficult to write a review for an item when there are so many other good reviews already present. It is even more difficult to give new feedback on an item that has a lot already said about it.

I will start by stating that I am not a professional photographer, nor am I a professional product reviewer.
With that said let me state that I am a person that does art, and has done it for a number of years. Photography was a means for me to try and capture my own subjects and scenes. I have a limited budget on photography equipment and cannot always afford the best, or elite items.
When I purchased this lens I knew that it was not going to be the fastest lens available, or the one with the highest zoom. I intended to get this for my nature photography to be able to zoom in on objects I see all around me. Instead I found this lens to be an incredible lens for capturing faces, and portraits. I can be in a crowded place, or at a party and this is always my lens of choice. I can capture someone from across the room, and they are unaware of me taking their picture. As a result my photographs are more natural and life like.
I have also used this lens for nature shots, and architectural shots. In all the lens is a really nice addition to my equipment.
As for a hood, I was able to purchase a cannon hood for the lens, separately. I have used the hood on numerous occasions. The size of the lens is not too bad, and storage is not a problem.
In all I would recommend this lens to anyone that needed an affordable zoom.

I was very impressed with this lens. I originally tried out 70-200mm L glass series lens and sold it to buy this one. Much better reach and the image stabilization made up for it being a slower lens. Pictures are sharp and clear, great for kid's sporting events and wildlife shots. I also own the 28-135 mm lens, which is a great all purpose lens.