A 30 years old lens that still rocks.

I’ve been wanting to write a bit more about my 300mm f/2.8 Canon lens… finally, here’s some fresh thoughts!
I got the 1989-1999 version of this lens: the one without image stabilization. Here’s a quick graph about the difference, from the Ken Rockwell website.

This lens is about as good as it can get when it comes to optical quality. It’s perfect, minus the chromatic aberration (corrected in the newer generation).

Many photos on this website were shot with this lens. I paid around $1000 USD for it. No, it isn’t better than the latest version, nor even close to be the same, but it’s also 5000 dollars cheaper, and maybe the difference is marginal when you take that in consideration.

Here’s a few shot, with some 100% crop. Let me know in the comment section if you think that a 30 years old lens still delivers great results! I will let the result speaks! At the end of the article, there is a link for an older article I made on how it compares with the 300mm f/4 IS. Enjoy!

And so that completes the pixel-peeping review of the 300mm f/2.8 USM L Canon. Make sure to check my first hands-on review here, where I compared it to the excellent 300mm f/4.

I’m thinking about getting the Canon R6 to get it stabilized! The 300mm f/2.8 is my all time favorite lens, from Nikon or Canon. It’s just that good. It’s the only lens you need (above 100mm).

Thank you,

JP

my 300mm f/2.8 review of the Nikon

300mm f/2.8 USM Canon review

A 30 years old lens that still rocks.