Does anyone have and could share experiences with the use of?
I can buy cheap lens Canon EF 75-300 f/4-5.6 III USM for my Canon EOS 550D
What I have found yet is that it hasn't IS and is quite old and how about sharpness and light? f/4-5.6 is a bit much...
What is your experience with this lens?
Reason: I'm looking for a cheap and good lens to photograph distant objects (aka 10x zoom in compact camera)
Personally I would go for Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS instead.
It is only slightly more expansive compared to 75-300 f/4-5.6 III USM but gives you better optical quality and offers Image Stabilisation that can be very helpful when shooting at the long end of the focal range.
It think Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS offers the best value for money in this focal range for crop sensor body. The lens is in many aspect similar to much more expansive Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM
So unless apart form your Rebel you have a film camera body or another full frame body I would recommend 55-250
Just for reference the current prices on BHPhoto
First, note my comment to your question. I have the EF 75-300 lens which I bought 5 yrs ago with my old Rebel XT. It served me very well at the time. For a first tele lens, this is not a a bad choice at all, especially given its low price.
You will find in time that its quality is mediocre compared to more expensive teles. But, take your time enjoying your new equipment. If you buy this lens, remember that even if you come to a conclusion that it is not what you need, the "damage" is not that great, and you can always resell it and get back some of your investment.
Coupled with the 18-55 "kit" lens, you'll have enough gear for a couple of years.
Aside from that - the lens' zoom number relates to the ratio of the long focal length to the short one a zoom lens can be set. So, 75-300 gives you a zoom of x4 and 18-55 gives x3. Zoom numbers are not (directly) related to the lens being telephoto or wide-angle.
I haven't had a chance to try out the Canon 75-300 f/4-5.6 III USM, but I have the non-USM version which I picked up for ~$100 on ebay a couple months ago, which is optically equivalent. On a cropped body like the 550d, it has a great telephoto range, and is quite good in well lit areas. The USM version should focus a little faster and quieter, but I believe it is a bit heavier as well.
If you are hand-holding, the combination of the slow aperture and the need for a high shutter speed makes it hard to use unless the subject is well lit, however, when you are able to get the shot the results are quite good. There is some chromatic aberration, but for such a low cost that is to be expected, and there are ways to fix that in post-processing. Also, I highly recommend getting a lens hood, which is very helpful in midday sun.
Overall it's a decent lens, and at such a low cost it is a great option if you don't have a lens with a similar focal length.
