Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS II USM

A smart budget buy for Canon DSLRs, plus EOS M and R system bodies via a mount adapter

Price: £619/$559

Canon’s original EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM had a strong fan base, but when we reviewed it, the lens didn’t overly impress us, with mediocre 3-stop stabilisation, sluggish autofocus and poor handling.

The Mk II edition launched in 2016 with revamped optics, a new-generation 4-stop image stabiliser and revolutionary Nano

USM autofocus, which is blazing-fast for stills yet gives smooth and virtually silent focus transitions for movie capture.

Another key handling improvement over the original lens is that the front element and focus ring don’t rotate during autofocus, and manual override of autofocus is added, via an electronically coupled focus ring.

As with the vast majority of lenses that feature motor-based stepping rather than

Nano USM autofocus, there’s no conventional focus distance scale. However, the Canon features a neat LCD screen with several display options. A push button enables you to cycle through display modes for focus distance and depth of field, effective focal length on an APS-C format camera, and the current level of vibration.

Build quality feels pretty good, with a robust construction but, as usual with Canon’s non-L-series lenses, there are no weather seals, unfortunately, making it unique in the group in this respect. It’s also the only lens on test that’s sold without a lens hood, with this all but essential item being sold as an optional extra. This feels like a bit of a sting in the tail, as the genuine-article Canon ET-74B circular plastic hood costs a frankly extortionate £80 extra in the UK, though a more reasonable $45 in the USA.

There’s a clear improvement in image quality over the preceding lens. Sharpness across the whole frame is impressive throughout almost the entire zoom range, with the exception that corner sharpness drops off at 70mm. Colour fringing and distortions are fairly minimal and resistance to ghosting and flare is good.

FOCUS RING The focus ring is situated at the front and, as with the other lenses on test, it’s electronically coupled and enables full-time manual override of autofocus LCD DISPLAY The mono LCD screen comes with a mode button for cycling through focus distance and depth of field, APS-C effective focal length and vibration level displays OPERATIONAL SWITCHES Two pole switches are fitted to the left side of the barrel at the rear for AF/MF focus modes and optical stabilisation on/off

Apart from a slight drop in corner sharpness at 70mm, the Canon delivers excellent sharpness across the frame