Canon EF 100-300mm lens

The EF 100–300mm refers to three telephoto zoom lenses produced by Canon. They are of the EF lens mount that is compatible with the EOS line of cameras.

A Canon EF 100-300mm f/5.6L zoom lens

The three versions are:

  • f/5.6
  • f/5.6L
  • f/4.5–5.6 USM

The two 5.6 versions were contemporaries, launched at the beginning of the Canon EOS system. The L version had a different optical construction which improved sharpness, color, and chromatic aberrations. Otherwise the lenses were physically similar. Canon decided to upgrade the non-L version in the early 1990s to the 4.5-5.6 version, not the L. It had improved styling, a ring zoom control instead of push-pull, and a larger (faster) aperture at the wider end. It also made use of a much faster and much quieter Ultrasonic ("USM") motor for autofocus control, instead of the Arc-Form Drive ("AFD") found on the 5.6 lenses. The L version never received this upgrade, and it lasted long after the 5.6 non-L had been discontinued. Following Canon practice, the L lens was sold including its lens hood and protective case.

Lenses

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Attribute f/5.6 [1] f/5.6L[2] f/4.5–5.6 USM[3]
Image stabilizer   No
Ring USM   No   Yes
L-series   No   Yes   No
Diffractive Optics   No
Ultra-low dispersion glass element   No   Yes   No
Synthetic Fluorite glass element   No   Yes   No
Macro   Yes
Short back focus   No
Maximum aperture f/5.6 f/4.5–5.6
Minimum aperture f/32 f/40
Weight 685 g 695 g 540 g
Max. Diameter x Length 75 mm x 166.8 mm 75 mm x 166.6 mm 73 mm x 121.5 mm
Filter diameter 58 mm
Horizontal viewing angle 20°–6°50'
Vertical viewing angle 14°–4°35'
Diagonal viewing angle; 24°–8°15'
Groups/elements 9/15 10/15 10/13
# of diaphragm blades 8
Closest focusing distance 2 m 1.5 m
Currently in production?   No
Release date March 1987 June 1987 June 1990

References

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  1. ^ Canon Inc. "EF100-300mm f/5.6". Canon Camera Museum. Retrieved 2016-05-18.
  2. ^ Canon Inc. "EF100-300mm f/5.6L". Canon Camera Museum. Retrieved 2016-05-18.
  3. ^ Canon Inc. "EF100-300mm f/4.5-5.6 USM". Canon Camera Museum. Retrieved 2016-05-18.
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