Image Stabilization, light weight.

Not crisp on long end, cannot manually touch up focus in AF mode, a bit slow AF.

I switched my 35mm system to Canon to utilize their IS technology, and made the 28-135 IS my first purchase. Awesome. Added the 75-300 IS to do some casual sports and nature but this lens is has proven to be a couple of notches below it's brother in optical quality, AF performance, and build quality. My plan is to sell and put the money toward the 100-400IS.
In retrospect I think Canon designed this lens for light amature use, (the family camera) and I may have expected too much from it.

Customer Service

No contact.

Similar Products Used:

Canon 28-135 IS

*Leave the tripod home and use image stabilization
*Wide zoom range for quick and easy recomposition

*Slow autofocus especially in low light or when difficulty selecting near/far subject

I love this lens because of its ability to free me from the tripod in many situations but still have a long telephoto. I can walk around at festivals, family activities and other events and compose and take excellent quality photos with a choice of composition from the wide zoom range and still have a sharp photo with the stabilization feature.

Customer Service

Haven't needed

Similar Products Used:

Sigma 17-35 mm zoom
Tamaron 100-300 zoom
Canon 35-55 mm

-> Ability to shoot low-light candids.

-> Doesn't come with lens hood. (It's optional.)
-> Auto-focus can be picky in low-light.

-> I wouldn't trade this lens.
-> The low-light candids I've gotten are great.
-> The auto-focus can be slow in low light, but if you learn to look for contrast in your subject, it's acceptable.

Customer Service

-> Haven't needed Canon for this product, but I have used them in the past. Very responsive.

Similar Products Used:

-> None with that range.
-> There is nothing (currently) that competes with Canon's IS.

Obviously, the IS function is the reason for buying it - it works. Great confidence booster when going into low light situations.
Weight is not a problem, although bulky compared with non-IS version (which I had until the auto-focus died). Now keen to buy a shorter version.
Have recently used for panning Indy cars at Texas Motor Speedway - results were great compared with previous efforts at panning with non IS.
Great for portraits, indoors and outside - extra stop or two outside has been a big boost

Non really - price ok

Use it all the time - sometimes tempted to expect too much of IS, but with a couple of stops gained , a real boost for portraits.

Customer Service

None required for this lens. Cost to fix autofocus on non IS was nearly as much as new lens.

Similar Products Used:

no other IS lenses but have 20-35 and non IS 75-300

I have used four different L series canon lenses including the canon 300mm2.8 and can not see any difference optcally at all this lens is absolutely outstanding and reading all the other reviews makes me think that I either lucked out on this one lens or the ones shipped to NZ are constructed using different materials to those in the US.

doesnt feel particularly pleasant

this lens is now my standard telephoto lens and I wouldnt part with it for anything

Similar Products Used:

28-70mm 2.8L
17-35mm 2.8L
300mm 2.8L
14mm 2.8L

The IS feature is worth every cent.

Slow autofocus at 75mm, rotating front element and no realtime autofocus override as in the ring USM lenses.

I have a love-hate relationship with this lens. I love the range of 75-300, light weight and the extremely useful IS feature. I could never handhold (free standing) a 300mm 5.6 lens and get sharp photos on ISO 100 chromes until I got this baby. Major breakthrough! From 75-135mm this lens is tact sharp, just as good as most primes. However, I hate the slow autofocus (compared to other USM lenses--it's darn right peppy compared to the 75-300 Nikon!). It is especially slow at 70mm--it seems to have to move a lot of glass. At 300mm it auto focuses much faster. I also hate the lack of full-time manual focusing and a distance scale. I have it on my other Canon lenses and really miss it when using this lens. Finally, like every lens I have used in this range, it is a little soft around the edges from 200-300mm. This isn't normally a problem as my subjects more towards the center and I don't shot brick walls. Slides shot at 300mm look sharp printed at 11 x 14, so it's good enough.

The autofocus failed after 11 months of light use. However, Canon fixed it and it works just like new. Now, if I had another $1000 I would have bought the EF100-400L, but for $469 this is a fine lens although with a few warts.

Customer Service

OK. It took 2 weeks to repair the autofocus while under warranty. The Japanese girl working at Canon was very pretty, so that helped.

Similar Products Used:

EF100-300L (sharp but suckie autofocus)
EF100-300 USM (fast autofocus & FTMF)
Sigma 75-300 APO (yuckie autofocus)

IS feature works very well.

Mediocre optics. Slow focusing at longer focal lengths. Rotating front element.

I do not regret purchasing this lens. While it does not have the finest optical performance money can buy, I think it is a fair value for the money. I am not displeased at all with the quality of the shots I get with this lens. If I need tack sharp telephoto shots I'd expect to pay a lot more than I did for this lens. I really like Canon's IS technology, it can do wonders for your picures. This lens will satify my needs for a medium telephoto until I can afford one of the telephoto "L" lenses. Wouldn't recommend this lens if you are interested in shooting publication quality pictures, but it should work fine if you just want to take pictures of wildlife on you own life adventures. The L version of this lens cost nearly 10 times as much, which is not in the budget for most amatuer photographers. Given a choice between this lens and the non IS version, I'd still pay the extra money for the IS.

Customer Service

None needed.

Similar Products Used:

This is my only long zoom. I use the excellent 28-135 IS zoom.

IS option is great save alot of shots, great prices in new york.

very Slow to focus at 300mm

good lense when using manual focus, but hopeless with auto.

Customer Service

not used

Similar Products Used:

sigma 70-300,

IS, economic price, light weight.

Sharpness is not even close to what the Canon 28-135 IS provides. Feels and performs like a very cheap lens.

This lens is not an asset in your camera bag.

Similar Products Used:

None

the IS works as advertised, great zoom range, no ned for tripod!

cannont pan with IS, image qulty drops off after 100 or so. and plummets after 200.

great base lens and be had for good deals in the used market.The IS works as advertised and that for some people is worh the money. I am looking o seel mine after purcahsing the 70-200. For reasonable enlargements (no bigger that 8x10) there is no image quality problems up to 200. After that though there is a noticiable drop off. (At least for me.)

Customer Service

NA

Similar Products Used:

70-200