Great lens, not an L lens but value for money

I don't find any other adjective than excellent to describe this lens. I have been using it for more than a year and shot at least 5000 images with it. No other manufacturer, let alone Canon itself, makes a lens of this caliber at such a consumer price point. I also own an 'L" telephoto lens EF 400mm f/5.6L USM that performs superbly. But if I give the L lens 10 out of 10, the consumer telezoom has to get at least 8. In good light it produces sharp images and colors close to L quality. I used it for macro at 55mm to capture flowers, at 250mm for birds and 100 to 200 mm for mammals and sitting birds. Most of them came nice, sharp and presentable. One can confidently use it for portraits at 55mm. It's not a low light lens however, in conducive conditions its performance is great. In my rating, this is the best consumer telezoom lens at this price point. This is the lens that prevented me from buying the famous EF 70-200mm f/4 L USM telezoom lens till now.

I used this lens in Madikwe, mostly from the back of a game drive vehicle. I found it to be nice and light, the integrated vertical and horisontal paning is works very well, I was supprised by its preformance. Not as sharp as I would haved liked but sharp enough to get the job done. Auto focus is ok. If you are starting out and can not afford a 'L' series lense then this is a good choice. It has the new hybrid 'is' system.