Compare lenses

Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM vs Tamron AF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di LD Macro 1:2

The Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM and the Tamron AF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di LD Macro 1:2 side by side, computed from this guide's catalogue.

Which to pick

Pick the Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM if you want optical stabilisation, which helps most on bodies without it and the flexibility of a zoom. Pick the Tamron AF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di LD Macro 1:2 if you want a fit on more cameras (59 against 22 in this guide).

Still torn? Ask the guide about the Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM and the Tamron AF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di LD Macro 1:2

Specs side by side

Rows that differ are in full colour; the better value is marked where one is better by any measure.
Spec	Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM	Tamron AF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di LD Macro 1:2
Maker	Canon	Tamron
Focal length	70-300mm (zoom)	70-300mm (macro)
Full-frame equivalent	70-300mm	70-300mm
Maximum aperture	f/4-5.6	f/4-5.6
Made for	Full frame	Full frame
Mounts	Canon EF	Canon EF, Nikon F, Pentax K
Stabilised	yesstabilised	no
Autofocus	yes	yes
Zoom range	4.3×	4.3×
Cameras it fits	22 in this guide	59 in this guidefits more cameras

Focal range, in full-frame terms

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

Tamron AF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di LD Macro 1:2: 70-300mm.

Aperture

Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM: f/4 wide open.

Tamron AF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di LD Macro 1:2: f/4 wide open.

Each opening drawn to scale against f/1.4: a smaller f-number lets in more light and blurs the background more.

Field of view

How wide each sees, at each end, on the sensor it was made for.

Cameras they fit

22 cameras in this guide take both, so either works on the same body. In all, the Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM fits 22 and the Tamron AF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di LD Macro 1:2 59.