These two heavily backlit photos of the MCITIES' glamour girls are fine examples of how useful the image stabilizing feature of the EF 75-300mm IS zoom lens had accomplished for me. The first photo was captured without the IS mode switched off, resulting in the camera-shake and blurred image. The second photo was recorded with the IS mode switched on, resulting in a sharper rendition of the overall scene. Spot metering was used to get a reading off one of the girls' faces. Due to the extreme backlighting, the shutter speed usable was down to 1/8 sec at f/5.6 (300mm) at ISO 100! Without IS (300mm) With IS on (300mm)     Without IS (200mm) With IS on (200mm) The same thing, too, goes for the photos of the full-face helmet atop the car's rooftop. The first, shot at 1/15 sec., is blurred due to camera shake while the second is sharper with the IS mode used. The IS mode switch is conveniently located, which makes it easy for the photographer's left hand to switch it on or off whenever the needs arise. It is due to this aspect that I was able to shoot off successive shots by flicking the said switch on or off, especially in the photos of the MCITIES girls. Attempting to shoot still-life shots under similar conditions - inside the pits of the Sepang F1 circuit where the AFOS championship was held could be disastrous if one does not have a fast lens or the camera is not loaded with higher speed ISO films. In other words, the EF 75-300mm IS zoom lens saved the day again for me. These four photos below of showing abstract views of the cars are more examples of the benefits of the IS mode of the zoom lens. Without IS (200mm) With IS on (200mm)     Without IS (300mm) With IS (300mm) In a way, using the EF 75-300mm IS USM for the above shots is of not much difference with the other Canon IS zoom lens, the EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 IS USM. The latter has higher focal lengths in both ends (75mm vs. 100mm and 300mm vs. 400mm) and almost similar variable maximum apertures. The main difference would be the price as the EF 100-400mm is an L-series lens and hence, costs more than the EF 75-300mm IS version. Also, don't forget that the EF 100-400mm IS USM is heavier than the EF 75-300mm IS USM and for those with not-so-steady hands, even with the IS mode being used, chances are they will not be able to get totally blur-free pictures, too. Hence, the EF75-300mm IS USM may be a better choice for this minority of users. << Back to Main . 1 . 2 . 3 .