Others say...

"Dissapointed "
I am a Canon fanatic and own many lenses and this lens is the one that does not give me that happy glowing feeling. I bought it primarily so when I went to sporting evens I could get closer into the action - I tend to buy seats close rather than sitting at the back of the stands and I am frustrated after a year of ownership.

At 300mm the lens is blurry, it seems to produce inconsistent color when I use bursts (1-2 pictures out of ten come up dark.....?) and it can be slow to focus. I thought I would be able to use this for nature photography however without the predictability of baseball I am not sure I'd be able to snap a birds that might land quickly and dart away again.

Its just not up to the quality of my other Canon lenses. I also think it is shameful that it does not come with a hood considering the price - you can tack on another $40 for that. When all is said and done you may find something similar from Sigma or one of the other producers that is cheaper and of similar quality. I personally wish I had gone that route for once.

It is not bad ... its just not great. I'm looking for a replacement.

"Canon comes through again with another great product!"
Great and powerful lens! I used it with the xsi and will with the 50d. The pics so far are ourstanding. I do think it's a little pricey but the IS system is worth it.

"Great IS and Bokeh"
With this lens, I can capture very nice pictures of my kids/nephew/niece. The IS work wells. Handling is good. Bokeh is what I expected.

The only thing that I like to have is the Full-Time Manual Focus which it doesn't have.

"Amazing!!!!!!!!!!"
I am using this lense on a Canon Xsi and it is truely amazing. The pictures are so sharp and clear. I could not be happier with this purchase. It is a lot of money but well worth it. I love it!!!

"Love the lens - hate the tax"
The lens meets my expectations. I'm disappointed with picture quality at 300mm, blurry - definately need a tripod.
I'm angry about an added charge for New York sales tax. I'm not a resident of NY. Amazon wouldn't ship the item to an APO address (which our federal government declares must be viewed as a US address); so I had it delivered to a family member in NY, then forwarded to me. I was shocked to see the previously undisclosed charge added to my bill.