Canon EF 70-300mm ƒ/4.5-5.6

A perfect test of the new Canon EF 70-300mm ƒ/4.5-5.6 DO IS USM lens came while photographing seabirds on a foggy morning in Morro Bay, California. Bobbing around in a small kayak, I used the lens with its Image Stabilizer technology and composed dozens of sharp images during those early-morning hours. A kayak is no place for a tripod, and with the lens mounted on a handheld Canon EOS 20D, the resulting photos were remarkably crisp. The 70-300mm was easy to handle since it’s a mere 3.9 inches long and weighs just 25.4 ounces. Despite its performing at an equivalent 35mm focal length of nearly 500mm (112-480mm), the lens compensated for both body vibration and the unpredictable movement of the boat.