Thinking about getting these for my 1st telephoto lens for my 70D, but what's difference between this lens and Canon 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM?? UD??

The canon 300mm F4 lens would be my choice as the lens to buy for a Canon 70D camera. Here's why. The 300 F4 is a fixed focal length prime lens. It has a fixed F4 aperture which means it has better image quality and will provide more light to your 70D sensor so you can take pix in low light. The 70-300 f4-5.6, on the other hand, is a zoom lens. It has a variable speed aperture that goes from F4 at the short end of the telephoto to f5.6 at the longer focal lengths. So, you may not have enough light at the longer zoom focal lengths to get your 70D to auto focus in low light. That's important if you want to be able shoot wildlife in low light conditions (pre-dawn hours or at dusk). The F300 f4 also accepts 1.4x teleconverters extremely well. That means your 70D won't have any Auto Focus problems when attaching a 1.4x teleconverter to the lens. In a nutshell, you'll be able to extend the reach of the focal length of the 300 F4 lens from 300mm to 672mm on your 70D camera (the 70D has an APS-C sensor with a 1.6x crop factor).Prime lenses, like the 300 F4, will give you much better image quality than a zoom lens. It's faster to focus than the zoom because of the larger aperture, which allows more light to reach your camera sensor, so it can make a picture. Which lens is better for you, however, really depends on your application(s) and how picky you are about image quality and whether or not you intend to photograph wildlife. The 70-300 f4-f5.6 lens will work fine as a general use telephoto zoom lens when it's sunny. If, however, you want to be able to photograph wildlife in low light, then you'll need a lens with more focal length and light since animals often appear in low light. If you want to be able to shoot wildlife pix in low light and have better image quality, then go with the 300 F4. I own the 300 F4 and it's an excellent lens for photographing wildlife, wildflowers and landscapes. The F4 aperture also produces beautiful, silky smooth bokeh backgrounds, which I think you'll find most appealing. Zoom lenses, historically, don't work very well with teleconverters. You'll find that the AF on the 70D will likely want to hunt or may not work at all. Canon lenses need at least an F5.6 aperture to be able to auto focus and, when attaching a 1.4x TC, your camera will also lose 1 full stop. With the 300 F4, you'll still be able to auto focus when using a 1.4x TC. With the 70-300, the auto focus on your 70D will likely hunt or won't work at all because the aperture at the long end of the telephoto will be f8. And f8 won't give the 70D sensor enough light to focus. I've been using the Canon 300 F4 with an attached Kenko Teleplus Pro 300 DGX 1.4x teleconverter with a 7D camera the past few years. The combination gives me a total 672mm focal length reach for photographing wildlife. Works great and the images are sharp as ever. For best image quality, use a camera support (like a bean bag) or a tripod. The lens is a bit heavy on the front end so if you're a small person with small hands, using a camera support will give you much better IQ.

How does this lens compare to 100-400mm L? I am trying to decide whether to buy this lens with tele-converter or 100-400L

Personally, I would think the 300mm prime lens would be sharper overall compared to a zoom lens. I do not have experience with the 100-400 lens but do like my 300. I have used the 1.4 tele-converter a few times for moon shots and have been pleased.

Is this lens sharp as a hand held lens?

Absolutely! There is nothing sharper at 300mm under $5000. I use this all the time to photograph my daughter's soccer games and get amazing results. It is very light weight and easy to hand hold for the entire game. I also have taken it bird watching in the local wetlands for 2 hour walks and have not had problems hand holding the entire time. I use a high shutter speed to ensure that my shots are sharp. Kids and birds move so fast that 1/2000 or faster is necessary.

Canon EF 300mm f/4L IS USM Telephoto Fixed Lens for Canon SLR Cameras - 2530A004

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