gmango85

Consider the 75-300L IS, a fine lens. Although focal length will be greater on the 7D Mk 2, but the high fps will give you a great setup for Birds.

leftj Loc: Texas

Probably out of the question for a limited budget.

DaveC1 Loc: South East US

The main thing I see here is a lot of chromatic abbreviation which is one of the major knocks on this lens. You can cure a lot of that by stopping down the lens to something like f8. Of course the trade off is either shutter speed has to come down or ISO has to go up with the decrease in lens aperture. Some of that can also be cured in post processing of the RAW image.

Many of us have to practice this art within the confines of the budget that we can allocate to it. My point being work on seeing what "work arounds" you can devise for the limitations of your equipment, which is part of the fun. Everything does not have to lead to GAS.

leftj Loc: Texas

I think you mean chromatic aberration.

DanielB Loc: San Diego, Ca

A few questions: What camera are you using? What aren't you happy about when taking photo's with that lens (Focus, color, other...)? Suggestion - $200 will not get you much and the glass your using makes a huge difference. If you can scrape a little more together you might try getting a second hand 70-200mm f4L Canon lens. I bought one years ago for $500, but I've seen them for less on CL, and I love that lens. I have since replaced it with the 70-200 f2.8L IS II version.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

First of all... it's good that you are replacing your 75-300mm, if it's the one that's often sold in kit with various lower priced Canon DSLRs. The "EF 70-300mm III" is Canon's least expensive telephoto zoom and simply not all that great. It uses slow micro motor focus drive and lacks image stabilization. It also doesn't have all that great image quality... especially out around the 300mm end of the range.

If yours is one of the APS-C cameras, the EF-S 55-250mm IS STM would be an excellent upgrade... it's got noticeably better IQ, is closer focusing, has stabilization and uses faster/quieter STM (stepper motor) focus drive. It's usually the next least expensive option, but cannot be used on full frame cameras (6D, 5D for example)... only on APS-C (Rebel series, 70D, 80D, 7D, etc.)

$200 may not be enough.... the EF-S 55-250mm IS STM sells new for about $300. That doesn't include lens hood, so figure another $25 for that (highly recommended). IMPORTANT: There is a cheaper version of it.... but you give up the STM focus drive for slower, noisier micro motor. Not sure if it uses the same optical formula for as good IQ either. Look for reviews if you consider it, but I'd recommend "stretching" your budget a little to get the STM, if at all possible. That gives much better AF performance.

There are also several Canon EF 70-300mm models. The most commonly found are EF 70-300mm IS USM (older model) and the EF 70-300mm IS USM "II" that's superseding it. Those are selling for $375 and $500, respectively (also don't incl. lens hood, so add $25). More expensive, but they both use even faster USM focus drive. They're also usable on both full frame and APS-C cameras. There's also the premium 70-300mm "L", with best IQ, better build and sealing for weather resistance, and able to optionally be fitted with a tripod mounting ring, but it's bigger, heavier and way, way over your budget (though the lens hood is included, as with most Canon L-series).

And, yes, the Canon EF 70-200 "L" series are yet another step up... though not as long focal length which may limit their use for wildlife. Canon offers four different models and they are all truly pro-quality "work horses". The least expensive new is the 70-200mm f/4L without IS, which sells for about $600. All the other models are over $1000.

But 70-200 really is a bit short for wildlife... especially smaller and shyer critters. A better lens for that purpose is the Canon EF 100-400mm "L". The older, discontinued but still widely available version of that (push-pull zoom design) is selling new for about $1250... but the new "II" version (separate zoom & focus rings) is around $2000.

What sets the all the above L-series apart are their build quality, additional sealing for weather resistance and (except for the 70-300L and the 70-200/2.8 w/o IS) these telephoto zooms all use a fluorite lens element that helps make them super sharp.

Sigma and Tamron have each recently introduced their own 100-400s, selling for around $800. The Tamron can optionally be fitted with a tripod mounting ($129). The Sigma doesn't offer that option.

You might find any of the above for a little less $ used at some trustworthy retailer such as Adorama, B&H Photo, KEH.... or might find a good deal on a refurbished lens at the Canon USA website (refurbs bought there offer same 1 yr. Canon warranty as new... while used typically have 90 day warranty from the retailer).

EDIT: I just did a quick search and found: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/801712896-USE/canon_0345b002_ef_70_300mm_f_4_5_6_is.html that's close to your budget. Plus I notice they offer a third party lens hood to fit it for $15. There's also https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/801734882-USE/canon_8546b002_ef_s_55_250mm_f_4_5_6_is.html if you prefer. You should look at some of the other retailers, too... While B&H are good and reliable (and have gotten a lot of my money over the years), they aren't the only game in town. Shop around.

DaveC1 Loc: South East US

Exactly, damn spell check.

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

A quick update to Alan's post, he meant the EF 75-300mm III in the first paragraph, but otherwise his comments are spot on. The EF-S 55-250 IS STM, which would be fine on your T3, is optically better than the earlier version, EF-S 55-250 IS II, in addition to other factors that Alan mentioned, so is worth the extra few dollars. There are also inexpensive third party lens hoods which can be more than adequate.

Here's a review that may interest you: http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EF-S-55-250mm-f-4-5.6-IS-STM-Lens.aspx

Good luck.

Selene03

You got an excellent reply just above here that lays out the issues well. Google "Canon refurbished lenses and go to page 3. They have the 55-250 refurbished in stock for $239.00. It comes with a one year warranty. I have had very good luck buying refurbished from Canon--mostly the products are like new. Good luck!!! It is a much better lens than the 75-300. I am not sure why Canon even makes that one any more.

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

That is a good recommendation. Perhaps the only better one would be the EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS II USM if the OP can stretch to an extra $200. Canon does charge tax on refurbs, but with the warranty they are a very good deal.

This was captured with the EF-S 55 - 250 IS II, which isn't as good as the STM version, using a T3i. The shutter speed was a little too slow, the aperture should have been smaller, and the ISO could have been higher to compensate to increase the sharpness a little. I've learned a few things since then.

(Download)

Old and gray Loc: Schenectady, New York

Hi I'm new here, just joined a few days ago. In reply to replacing a Canon 75-300. These were done with canon EOS Rebel T3i and Tamron 18-270mm lens. Also no post processing was done yet. Latter I did some cropping.

before I zoom


after I zoom


@ about 100 feet


@ about 50 feet

Photocraig

If you choose the EF 70-300 II lens you will be getting a very good lens. See Ken Rockwell's review. I upgraded from the older 70-300 IS USM i had for 25 years. From the little I've read, the 55-250 is generally of the same quality as the 75-300. I'd speculate that your IQ and performance would mimic the shortcomings of the 75-300, so I don't expect there will be a net gain for you.

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

That's not what the reviews say. Are you sure that you are referencing the right comparisons between specific lenses? Was there even a 70 -300 IS USM 25 years ago? Which specific lens are you referencing?

Photocraig

Hi Peter,
Yes there was. The EF 70-300 f4-5.6 IS USM was among the first IS lenses after the 28-135 (I think). I bought them in the early to mid 1990's to use on my EOS 10S and EOS A2. A Cupertino, CA area thief (probably at a pawn shop now) has that one along with my 50D, EF-S 10-18 and my Sigma 17-70.

And most reviews that I've read say that the new 70-300 IS USM (nano) II is very good. And my results tend to agree. They look nearly identical. To be fair, it is a $500 lens vs the "kit" variety 75-300 or 55-250.
The 55-250 thoughts are, hopefully clearly labelled as hearsay. The consensus on the 75-300 is it is pretty poor.

Peter, I'm not here to argue about reviews which, unlike the equipment we use, are a dime a dozen. I do assure you that that lens was an early IS lens and I used it for many years for sports, some wildlife and birds and "extracted landscapes." And even a portrait or two. I remember paying around $5-600 for it at Kieble and Shuchat in Palo Alto back when that was fun money for me. The new one is definitely better in sharpness and speed of focus.
Craig

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

Thanks for clarifying. I have the EF70-300 IS USM from 2005, which is quite a good lens, I just couldn't find a reference to a 70-300 earlier than that. Perhaps it was the EF75-300 IS USM introduced in 1995: http://global.canon/en/c-museum/product/ef326.html That was unlike the more recent EF 75-300 lenses that do not review well. The EF-S 55-250 STM lens appears to be better than the recent EF75-300 (non IS) lenses, even the older EF-S 55-250 IS II which my wife still has.

It gets confusing when the range and names are so close. I'm certainly not trying to argue with you, just seeking clarification. Sorry for your loss, I know how that feels, sadly.