CANON EF 70-300MM F4-5.6 IS USM LENS Its on sale for 380.00 which is 250 off the regular price. http://www.henrys.com/365-CANON-EF-70-300MM-F4-5-6-IS-USM-LENS.aspx
it served me well for several years, i did replace it about 2 years ago with the L version, because that seemed a better fit for my full frame bodies. i still have and use this lens, currently on a rebel T3 body kept in my car with the kit 18-55 IS that came with it. this all resides in a bag in my car for use at fire scenes, i have been at some fires lately and only had my old point n shoot on hand. if i get a good enough image i can get published in the monthly issue of long island fire news. they pay a modest amount for photos used. every little bit helps towards gear. over on my phanfare site are quite a few images from the 2006-2010 years taken with this, as this plus the 15-55 and 10-22 were my travel kit for several cruises and euro trips. it's now older IS tech but that seems a good price. check keh.com for any on sale and see what one in like new goes for, that'll be a good price comparison to see if you are really getting a deal
absolutely, the color pops more, the autofocus is lightning fast now, and the IS is the latest so it's probably at least one more full stop or more handheld advantage, my L travels a lot with me, i'm not sure if i'll be bringing it to pixelmania as i will probably want the 70-200 f2.8 along for shows such as lion king and nemo, but if i have room in the bag i might bring the L, maybe rent the lens you are looking at, i believe kingdom camera carries it, you could then try it and see if you like it and if it's what you want, and if i bring my L along you could compare the two and see if you want to wait to spend the considerably more dollars on the L. a lot of people were ; beating on canon when it first hit the market for costing $1600, quite a jump up from the non L model, but when they get sample images and put it to the test on autofocus those complaints went away.
keep keh in mind, this lens shows up fairly frequently as people buy the new L version and sell their old one, and i absolutley stand by keh rating system, if they rate it as excellent, then it is almost like it just came out of the box. keh has one right now rated ex+ for $302, and you pay no sales tax in georgia http://www.keh.com/camera/Canon-EOS-Zoom-Lenses/1/sku-CE07999080499N4?r=FE
Depends on your usage. From a prosumer/advanced amateur/small budget perspective where you're always going to be shooting in daylight, etc., it serves its need. ; If you're shooting your kids playing soccer/t-ball, its what you want. Bright sunlight telephoto and you're fine (1000/5.6 at ISO 100). ; Probably going to be fine with a stage performance at 6400. ; You generally wont get good low-light performace from it. Variable aperture zooms aren't the best in the world in general but since its Canon, its going to be better than a third party manufacturer like Tameron or Sigma. ; (I have a 14mm sigma that is held together with gaffe tape). I use my nikon one as a daylight remote lens (several shuttle launches) or otherwise as a paperweight. ;
