Deciding on whether to buy a product like CANON EF 85 mm f/1.8 USM Standard Prime Lens or perhaps CANON EF 70-300 mm F/4-5.6 IS II USM Telephoto Zoom Lens? You’re in the right place as we’ll take you through all of the specs, features and look at the quality, pricing and reviews of both to help you make the decision on which one to go for.

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CANON EF 85 mm f/1.8 USM Standard Prime Lens vs CANON EF 70-300 mm F/4-5.6 IS II USM Telephoto Zoom Lens

CANON EF 85 mm f/1.8 USM Standard Prime Lens specs

CANON EF 85 mm f/1.8 USM Standard Prime Lens
 CANON EF 70-300 mm F/4-5.6 IS II USM Telephoto Zoom Lens specs

CANON EF 70-300 mm F/4-5.6 IS II USM Telephoto Zoom Lens
Lens type: Prime

Lens type: Zoom

Lens category: Standard

Lens category: Telephoto

Compatibility: Canon EF mount

Compatibility: Canon EF mount

Image stabilisation: No

Image stabilisation: Image stabilisation (IS)

OPTICAL FEATURES

OPTICAL FEATURES

Focal length: 85 mm

Focal length: 70 – 300 mm

Maximum aperture: f/1.8

Maximum aperture: f/4 – f/5.6

Minimum aperture: f/22

Minimum aperture: f/32 – f/45

Focusing: Manual & autofocus

Focusing: Manual & autofocus

Minimum focusing distance: 0.85 m

Minimum focusing distance: 1.2 m

CONSTRUCTION

CONSTRUCTION

Elements and grouping: 9 elements in 7 groups

Elements and grouping: 17 elements in 12 groups

Diaphragm blades: 8 blades

Special elements: Ultra low dispersion x 1

Filter diameter: 58 mm

Diaphragm blades: 9 rounded blades

Silent focusing: Yes

Filter diameter: 67 mm

Special features: – USM focus motor with full-time manual focus
– Super Spectra coatings reduce ghosting and flare

GENERAL
GENERAL

Box contents: – Canon EF 70-300 mm F/4-5.6 IS II USM Telephoto Zoom Lens
– Lens cap
– Lens dust cap
– Instruction manual
– Warranty card

Box contents: Canon EF 85 mm f/1.8 USM Standard Prime Lens

Dimensions: 80 x 145.5 mm (D x L)

Dimensions: 75 x 72 mm (D x L)

Weight: 710 g

Weight: 425 g

Manufacturer’s guarantee: 1 year

Manufacturer’s guarantee: 1 year

Price: £365

Price: £449

Number of Reviews:

Number of Reviews:

Review Score: 9.1 / 10

Review Score: 9.8 / 10


When deciding on whether to buy CANON EF 85 mm f/1.8 USM Standard Prime Lens or CANON EF 70-300 mm F/4-5.6 IS II USM Telephoto Zoom Lens, a very important consideration is the price. So we’re going to spend a bit of time looking at the price of both.

To start with, we looked at the price of the 850 products in the same category as CANON EF 85 mm f/1.8 USM Standard Prime Lens, which is the Lenses category. Of these 850 products the average price was £196.11, the most expensive was £3049 and the cheapest was just £0.05. We then looked at the price of the 850 in the same as the CANON EF 70-300 mm F/4-5.6 IS II USM Telephoto Zoom Lens, which of course the average was £196.11, top price was £3049 and cheapest £0.05.

We then looked specifically at the average price of products from Canon and Canon, the average was £451.25 for Canon, £451.25 for Canon. The max for each was £9999/£9999 and minimum was £3.99/£3.99

Price analysis of CANON EF 85 mm f/1.8 USM Standard Prime Lens

Price analysis of CANON EF 70-300 mm F/4-5.6 IS II USM Telephoto Zoom Lens

  • CANON EF 85 mm f/1.8 USM Standard Prime Lens
  • Ideal for portraiture
  • Compatible with Canon EF mount
  • Aperture range: f/1.8 – f/22
  • Silent focus
  • The Canon EF 85 mm f/1.8 USM Lens is a number one choice for portrait photographers, with a wide aperture and versatile focal length.Capture beautiful people shotsIf you’re an avid portrait or people photographer, you’ll love the combination of a short telephoto 85 mm focal length, large f/1.8 maximum aperture and rapid autofocus in this short/medium telephoto lens.Enjoy sharp, clear photographs at all apertures with the EF 85 mm f/1.8 USM Lens thanks to its virtually circular aperture diaphragm, which helps you achieve softer, more even out-of-focus areas. Better facial photographyBecause of its short telephoto focal length, the EF 85 mm compresses perspective to a certain degree, reducing the size of prominent facial features for photos that are more flattering to your subject.Subjects that are in-focus will achieve superb definition and contrast against blurred backgrounds, so portraits in particular will attain a compelling look.Versatile in different lighting conditionsThe Canon EF 85 mm Lens offers a large maximum aperture of f/1.8 that lets you shoot hand-held in even difficult conditions with poor lighting. You’ll be able to get more creative with the way it restricts depth-of-field.A non-rotating front element during focusing allows you to use specialist filters such as polarisers and graduates, giving you greater control and creative options.Ghosting and flare from light bouncing off the sensor are drastically reduced thanks to Super Spectra coatings. You’re ensured of exact colour balance and boosted contrast.Ultrasonic focusing mechanismThanks to its USM focus motor with full-time manual focus, the lens performs with superb quietness, whether you’re using manual or automatic focus.A ring-type ultrasonic motor drives autofocus very rapidly, in virtual silence. You’ll be able to achieve the point of focus easily and precisely because of its excellent holding torque, without overshooting. Adjust focus without leaving AF more with the inclusion of full-time manual override.In addition to these features, the EF 85 mm f/1.8 USM Lens is able to convey distance information back to a compatible EOS camera’s E-TTL II flash system, so that you achieve optimum flash metering.Make sure you’ve got the ideal portrait lens in your arsenal with the Canon EF 85 mm f/1.8 USM Lens.
  • Product codes: 4960999212906
  • CANON EF 70-300 mm F/4-5.6 IS II USM Telephoto Zoom Lens
  • Ideal for sports & wildlife
  • Compatible with Canon EF mount
  • Image stabilisation
  • Top features: – High performance photography with specialised lens elements – Helpful lens display lets you view essential information at a glance – Everyday functionality with a compact and lightweight design High performance photography Delivering excellent image quality, the EF 70-300 mm Telephoto Zoom Lens will let you shoot confidently and capture every detail whether you’re shooting wildlife, sports or using it for everyday reportage and portraiture. For accurate, high quality images, the Canon EF 70-300 mm Lens has specialised elements to reduce chromatic aberrations. Thanks to a nine-bladed circular aperture you can achieve a great depth of field, softening the focus on your subject to sharpen the foreground and subtly blur the background. Helpful lens display Letting you view key information at a glance, the EF 70-300 mm Lens has a unique display positioned at the top of the lens – check if your shot is steady, look at the focus distance or double check the depth of field and aperture. Focus in on any subject smoothly and quickly with the Nano USM, which makes the lens ideal for capturing fast moving subjects. Everyday functionality Designed to be as compact and lightweight as possible, the Canon Telephoto Zoom Lens is ideal for shooting on location or packing away easily for travelling. Achieve sharp shots at lower shutter speeds thanks to a reliable image stabiliser, which reduces camera shake by up to four stops.
  • Product codes: 4549292037708

What’s better CANON EF 85 mm f/1.8 USM Standard Prime Lens or CANON EF 70-300 mm F/4-5.6 IS II USM Telephoto Zoom Lens?

There are obviously a number of differences between CANON EF 85 mm f/1.8 USM Standard Prime Lens and CANON EF 70-300 mm F/4-5.6 IS II USM Telephoto Zoom Lens, but there are several things that you can use when comparing the two. The first of these, which we’ve already covered, is price. Make sure you spend a bit of time deciding how much you are willing and able to spend on your product to really get a good idea if the £365 cost of CANON EF 85 mm f/1.8 USM Standard Prime Lens is closer to the expectation you had than the £449 pricep point of CANON EF 70-300 mm F/4-5.6 IS II USM Telephoto Zoom Lens.

Once you’ve nailed down everything there is to know on the price of both, the next step is to really study the reviews. Taking the time to read reviews of both will really help you to decide which is a better product between CANON EF 85 mm f/1.8 USM Standard Prime Lens and CANON EF 70-300 mm F/4-5.6 IS II USM Telephoto Zoom Lens. We looked at the reviews over at Currys PC World for both products and found that CANON EF 85 mm f/1.8 USM Standard Prime Lens scores out of 10 from reviews. Whereas CANON EF 70-300 mm F/4-5.6 IS II USM Telephoto Zoom Lens scores out of 10 from reviews.

It’s also really worthwhile spending the time to look at the key differences between the two products. For that you can use our comparison table about which looks at the main features of both products to give you a clear idea of where one product perhaps benefits over another. When comparing the two it’s a really good idea to have an idea in your mind of the key features that you need from your Lenses as this will help you to narrow down the products that do or don’t meet your criteria.



CANON EF 85 mm f/1.8 USM Standard Prime Lens



Rating:
8.83 out of
10