Photo Plus - UK (2020-04)

114 http://www.digitalcameraworld.com

SUPERTEST

FEATURES

BUILD & HANDLING

PERFORMANCE

VALUE

OVERALL

NAME CANON EF-M 55-200mm

f/4.5-6.3 IS STM

CANON EF-S

55-250mm f/4-5.6

IS STM

CANON EF

70-200mm f/4L

USM

CANON EF

70-300mm f/4-5.6

IS II USM

CANON EF

70-300mm f/4-5.6L

IS USM

SIGMA 100-400mm

f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM

| C

TAMRON SP

70-300mm f/4-5.6

DI VC USD

TAMRON

100-400mm

f/4.5-6.3 DI VC USD

http://www.canon.co.uk http://www.canon.co.uk http://www.canon.co.uk http://www.canon.co.uk http://www.canon.co.uk http://www.sigma-imaging-uk.com http://www.tamron.co.uk http://www.tamron.co.uk

Full-frame

compatible N o N o Ye s Ye s Ye s Ye s Ye s Ye s

Effective focal

length (APS-C) 88-320mm 88-400mm 112-320mm 112-480mm 112-480mm 160-640mm 112-480mm 160-640mm

Elements/Groups 17 / 11 15 / 12 16 / 13 17 / 12 19 / 14 21 / 15 17 / 12 17 / 11

Diaphragm blades 7 blades 7 blades 8 blades 9 blades 8 blades 9 blades 9 blades 9 blades

Autofocus type Stepping motor Stepping motor Ultrasonic (ring type) Ultrasonic (nano) Ultrasonic (ring-type) Ultrasonic (ring-type) Ultrasonic (ring-type) Ultrasonic (ring-type)

Internal zoom/focus No/Yes No/Yes Yes/Yes No/Yes No/Yes No/Yes No/Yes No/Yes

Front element rotates No No No No No No No No

Image stabilizer 3.5 stops 3.5 stops None 4 stops 4 stops 4 stops 4 stops 4 stops

AF manual override Electronic coupling Electronic coupling Yes Electronic coupling Yes Yes Yes Yes

Minimum focus

distance 1.0m 0.85m 1.2m 1.2m 1.2m 1.6m 1.5m 1.5m

Max magnification

factor 0.21x 0.29x 0.21x 0.25x 0.21x 0.26x 0.25x 0.28x

Focus distance scale N o N o Ye s Ye s Ye s Ye s Ye s Ye s

Filter size 52mm 58mm 67mm 67mm 67mm 67mm 62mm 67mm

Mounting plate Plastic Plastic Metal Metal Metal (weather-sealed) Metal (weather-sealed) Metal Metal (weather-sealed)

Supplied accessories None None Hood, soft case None Hood Hood Hood Hood, pouch

(Dia x Length)Dimensions^ 61x87mm 70x111mm 76x172mm 80x146mm 89x143mm 86x182mm 82x143mm 86x199mm

Supplied accessories 260g 375g 705g 710g 1050g 1160g 765g 1115g

Target price £249/$349 £299/$299 £589/$599 £449/$499 £1199/$1349 £679/$609 £329/$449 £699/$799

COMPARISON TABLE

THE WINNER IS... CANON EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS II USM

Rich in thrills but a compact, lightweight and affordable telephoto zoom lens

hen choosing a

‘budget tele zoom’, the

price is an important

consideration. Canon’s latest

70-300mm is affordable, well

built, delivers ultra-fast AF,

highly effective IS and excellent

image quality, while also being

compact and light to carry. It’s

our top choice for APS-Cs and

full-frames, as well as for EOS

R and RP cameras via an EOS

mount adapter. If you’ve traded

up from an APS-C format

DSLR to a full-frame, you may

feel short-changed in tele

reach, now that you no longer

have the 1.6x crop factor to

boost the focal length. In this

case, the Sigma or Tamron

100-400mm might feel a

better fit, despite being pricier

to buy and heavier. There’s

little to choose between the

two, in overall performance

and image quality, despite the

Tamron delivering better lab

results for sharpness. We

prefer the extra operating and

custom modes of the Sigma.

W