Telephoto zoom · Full frame

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

The Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM is a full frame zoom lens (70–300 mm, f/4–5.6) for Canon EF. It belongs to the telephoto zoom class — ideal for sport, wildlife, events and compressed landscapes.

70–300 mmf/4–5.6Canon EF
70–300 mm
Focal length
f/4–5.6
Maximum aperture
34°–8°
Diagonal angle of view (Full frame)
Full frame
Designed for
4.3×
Zoom ratio

Specifications#

Brand
Canon
Model
EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM
Lens type
Telephoto zoom
Focal length
70–300 mm
Maximum aperture
f/4–5.6
Image circle
Full frame (36×24 mm)
Mount(s)
Canon EF
Projection
Rectilinear
Stabilisation
Yes (optical)
Autofocus motor
ultrasonic (USM)
Lensfun correction profile
Yes — distortion/vignetting/TCA

Equivalent focal length on different cameras#

Field of view and depth-of-field equivalence when this lens is used on bodies with different sensor sizes (natively or via an adapter).

Camera formatAt 70 mmAt 145 mmAt 300 mmEquiv. aperture (DoF)
Full frame70 mm · 34°145 mm · 17°300 mm · 8°f/4.0
APS-C105 mm · 23°218 mm · 11°450 mm · 5°f/6.0
APS-C (Canon)112 mm · 22°232 mm · 11°480 mm · 5°f/6.4
Micro Four Thirds140 mm · 18°290 mm · 9°600 mm · 4°f/8.0

Depth of field & background blur#

Computed on its native Full frame format (CoC 30 µm). “Blur @2 m” is the size of an out-of-focus point at infinity, as a percentage of frame width, with the subject at 2 m — a simple bokeh index. Full table: 85 mm f/4 on full frame.

FocalApertureat 1 mat 2 mat 5 mat 10 mHyperfocalBlur @2 m
70 mmf/44.6 cm18.9 cm1.23 m5.17 m40.9 m1.8%
70 mmf/89.1 cm38.2 cm2.56 m12.7 m20.5 m0.9%
145 mmf/41.0 cm4.2 cm27.7 cm1.13 m175 m7.9%
145 mmf/82.0 cm8.5 cm55.6 cm2.28 m87.7 m3.9%
300 mmf/40.2 cm0.9 cm6.3 cm25.9 cm750 m36.8%
300 mmf/80.4 cm1.8 cm12.5 cm51.8 cm375 m18.4%

Handheld & night-sky limits#

NPF assumes typical 20–24 MP sensors (≈6 µm pixels on full frame, ≈3.9 µm on APS-C, ≈3.3 µm on Micro Four Thirds).

BodyMin. handheld shutter (longest focal)500 rule at 70 mmNPF at 70 mm, f/4
Full frame1/320 s7 s5 s
APS-C1/500 s5 s4 s
APS-C (Canon)1/500 s4 s4 s
Micro Four Thirds1/640 s4 s3 s

Compatible cameras#

Bodies in our database with a native Canon EF mount.

Adapt it to other systems#

Sony E-mountCanon RFNikon ZFujifilm X-mountMicro Four ThirdsL-MountCanon EF-MFujifilm G-mountHasselblad XCDNikon 1 (CX)Pentax QSamsung NXNikon FPentax K

Similar lenses#

Frequently asked questions#

Is the Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM full frame?

Yes — it covers the full 36 × 24 mm frame.

What is the Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM equivalent to on APS-C?

On a 1.5× APS-C body it frames like 105–450 mm, and like 112–480 mm on Canon APS-C.

What is the Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM good for?

As a telephoto zoom it suits sport, wildlife, events and compressed landscapes.

Sources & licences#

Last updated October 03, 2026 · How we calculate · Sources