Noisy Canon 300mm F4L IS

[JDClements]

I just got a Canon 300mm F4.0L IS lens, and when it focuses it makes an awful lot of noise. Almost sounds like a loose bearing rattling around. My 70-200 2.8L IS doesn't sound like this.

Is this normal, or do I have a bad copy?

[Jerry Clement]

I just got a Canon 300mm F4.0L IS lens, and when it focuses it makes an awful lot of noise. Almost sounds like a loose bearing rattling around. My 70-200 2.8L IS doesn't sound like this.

Is this normal, or do I have a bad copy?
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I also have a canon 300 f/4 and it is noisy but my 500mm f/4 makes more noise yet. I don't worry about it after several years of use.

[JDClements]

Thanks for the reply, Jerry. I was a little concerned the night I made the post, but I was comparing it to the 70-200 which is very quiet. And to that the fact that I pretty much don't know what I'm doing.

A couple days later I got in contact with the Camera Shop Guy, and he tested two different 300mm lenses against several other Canon USM lenses and confirmed that his other two examples were comparatively noisy as well. With your confirmation, it looks like that's the way it is.

[dchew]

I have four IS lenses:  28-135, 24-105, 70-200 f/4 and the 300 f/4.

The 300f/4 makes the most noise.  I've had it since they first came out in the late '90s.

Dave Chew

[BenBear]

I noticed your post just after I had ordered a copy of this lens. Since it has arrived, I have noticed the same thing - comparing the 300 f4 to the 24-105 that operates virtually silently, there is significantly more audible noise when the lense is focusing and performing image stabalization. However the results are stunning! Apparently - that's just the way these lenses are.

-Ben