Customer Reviews

Canon EF 35-350mm f/3.5-5.6L USM Zoom Lens

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This lens doesn't get a lot of reviews. Maybe because it is an older lens. However, it performs awesome. I really like using it. The range is incredible. Works well with my Canon 10D or 1D Mark II N. It is not as fast when zoomed in and 5.6 aperture is criminal but I can get really close to the subjects. It is heavy at 5lbs and after taking a few hours of snapshots you get to wish you had a lighter lens. The quality of the photos is amazing though. It may not be as sharp as the newest Canon 24-105mm but it's up there with the L lens professional quality you want. Much much better than my yellow band 28-105mm but the price is lifting and lugging this moster around to get better photos. If you can only take one lens for 10 days, this is the only one you need. No image stabilization so you have to crank your ISO way up to get good results and no shake, I learned that the hard way. I was shooting at 350mm with too slow shutter and it showed blurry at the end of the day.

This lens came out back in 1993 and was a main-stay all-in-one.....until Canon finally came out with a 28-300mm with IS fairly recently, and thus ended the run of this excellent lens.

It's not always an easy lens to find, but I highly recommend any used copy if you're looking for a 10x zoom to cover a wide range. On my 40D crop body it translates into 56-560mm on a full frame....so don't expect this to get much by way of wide at all. However, for general photography, I find that it is still extremely functional and provides exactly what you'd expect in a lens like this.

The 28-300mm is certainly a more powerful lens, especially with the extra width on the wide end, not to mention the excellent IS. The 35-350 doesn't have either....but then it costs less than half of what a good used 28-300mm garners on the open market. So it's a trade off that I can more than live with.

The newer 100-400mm Canon also competes somewhat with this lens, especially if you are using the long end. If you don't expect to be shooting much in the 35-100mm range, you might consider the 100-400 Canon....because a used copy of each of these lenses is within a [...] the 100-400 has IS, and the 100-400 is not near such a chore to haul around. Be forewarned that the 35-350. does weigh a hefty 5lbs, so the weight takes some getting use to. But the +'s more than "outweigh" the cons!

Get a good used copy of this lens for under [...] and I promise you will not be disappointed! It's an excellent lens, worth of the L name through and through!

I bought this lens used several years ago to shoot with my 30D. I've since moved up to a 5D and a 1Ds mark IIIt was an impulse buy at a local shop (I went in for a $30 reflector). I don't pull it out much, but this thing is with me almost every time I go to Fenway Park and I have gotten amazing shots. When the Bruins were honored by the Red Sox and brought the Stanley Cup to the park, I could read names on the cup in pictures I shot from 50 feet away. Yes, it's heavy to lug around for a few hours, but so worth the effort.

Had this lens for years and it is fantastic. Works great for action shots or for casual use. Delivers some really high quality images and with a range from 35-350mm can cover more than most lenses. At 1/2 the price of the 28-300mm it is a great option that is worthy of consideration. As far as the two other reviewers claims of it weighing 5 pounds - they are very mistaken. This lens weighs 1300grams or a touch over 3 pounds (big difference to 5 pounds).
Some wont like the trombone style slide of this lens (same as the 100-400) but I prefer it when making fast changes or following something in motion.
Wish this lens was still in production and if mine died I would buy another tomorrow. Great lens!!