Advice please

[aidan77]

I've just got myself a canon 450d with 18-55 IS now I want more:-) so I just got a great deal on a prime 50mm 1.8 but ive a chance of a canon 76-300 III usm is this a good lens? I'm getting a good price and I'm thinking I'd like it for moon shots??

Thanks

Aidan

[Izzy]

I assume you mean the 75-300 f4-5.6 USM

Here is a review on it
Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III USM Lens Review

Doesn't look good.

[ishootRAW]

I wouldn't. You have to remember that lenses are an investment. If you a actuly interested in photography as a hobby, I will bet money that you will replace the lens within a year. On to the lens.

I have the old stabilized version setting around someware in storage. The main problem with this lens is that it uses the exact optic design that was on the original 75-300 - 30 years ago. And that was still a budget lens. By today's standards its as sharp as a rubber knife, has more CA then a 3D movie, the AF is so slow that when I was using it, it was often faster for me to focus it manually. As said above, f/5.6 @ 300mm with no IS will probably be a problem as well. IMHO both Tamron and Sigma both make much better lenses for not much more.(I'm talking from memory here, I'm sure inkista or someone else will correct me if I'm wrong)

That's my $0.02

[Krusty79]

There's a Sigma lens discussed in this thread:
Budget Lenses (under $200.00 US)

I've heard that the Canon 50-250 is a better lens than that 75-300.

Waiting for inkista...

[inkista]

If you can't afford anything better, go ahead and get the 75-300 III. But the more you plan to use it, the less you're going to like it. The EF-S 55-250 IS or Sigma 70-300 might keep you happy a little longer. All three of these lenses, however, are consumer grade, and will be better stopped down to f/8-f/16, and are slow.

However, to get a really good lens that will do what you dream of, chances are good you're going into the $1000+ range and the white Ls, or you're going to settle for the $500-$600 EF 70-300 IS USM (non-L), or the EF 70-200 f/4L USM (non-IS).

Up to you how you want to stage it. I leapt from the el-cheapo 75-300 III to the EF 400mm f/5.6L USM because I wanted a long lens for bird-in-flight shots.

Moon shot comparison:
Canon XT/75-300 III


Canon XT/400/5.6L

[Sloseph]

as a budget lense i can recomend the 55-250 especialy if your trying moon shoots, below is a few examples with that lense

[bluelagoon]

I've been using Sigma lenses on my Canon 7D whith very good results. The Canon lenses
are actually much better but for low budgets situatiobs Sigma is a great chooice.