CAnon Lens:what do you prefer USM or IS lens?

Question

Does year 1990's telephoto zoom lens with USM features are still good enough capturing sharp images such as:

75-300mm III USM

90-300mm USM

Whereas, the

55-250mm (new model) has IS

so, what would you prefer?

How USM is important than IS or vice-versa?

pls advice,

thanks

Answer 1

IS and USM are two completely different, unrelated technologies.  It's like trying to compare a vehicle's air conditioner to its stereo system.

For me... ALL of my lenses are USM.  I demand that.  They are quicker to focus and quieter when focusing.  As for IS, it's a nice feature to have in a lens, but it is not something that I demand.  I only have a few lenses with IS.  

The EF-S 55-250mm IS is meant to compliment the 18-55mm kit lens.  As far as optic quality, it is probably about the same as the other two lenses you mentioned.  You'll see much improved image quality in one of the 70-200mm L series lenses.

They also make the 75-300mm in an IS USM model.  It's going to cost more than the non IS one and the 55-250mm IS.  It would also be so relatively close in cost to the 70-200mm f/4L USM that I would much prefer the L series lens.

Answer 2

okay basics:

Optical Image Stabilizer (IS) technology suppresses blur when taking stills and minimises image shake when shooting video footage. Canon’s lens-shift type IS allows photographers to shoot at shutter speeds up to 3 stops slower with no perceptible increase in image blur.

An Ultra-Sonic Motor (USM) delivers rapid, responsive zooming with virtually silent operation, reducing the risk of sound interference on movies and or when shooting wildlife subjects.

An Ultra-low Dispersion (UD) lens element curbs chromatic aberrations at longer focal lengths to ensure faithful colour reproduction and sharp definition.

So, basically it will depend on the kind of photo shoot you will do, right?

Generally, IS is more preferred. Personally, I go with IS.

taga-bacolod ka ba kabayan? pupunta ko dyan by september or october. hopefully. patingin naman ng mga camera mo!

Answer 3

Avoid the 75-300 III, non-USM, USM, non-IS or IS.

This lens is soft beyond 200mm and suffers from ghosting on DSLRs.

The more recent 70-300 IS,  55-200 II and 55-250 IS lenses have super-spectra coating to restrict ghosting and as such are better on DSLRs.

PLEASE NOTE that the 55-250 lens is an EF-S lens NOT regular canon EF.  This means it will only fit certain APS-C sized digital SLRs, not the EOS-1D series, not the 5D or older prosumer models such as the D30, D60, 10D.  EF-S lens will not work on film Canon EOS cameras.

PLEASE ALSO NOTE:  You could have helped us help you by giving useful info such as the model of camera you intend to use the lens with, as i have detailed above, it does rather change things somewhat.