Customer Reviews

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras

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This is the best lens you can get in this zoom range for the Canon EOS. It's not the cheapest and it's not the lightest, but it's the best. This lens is fast, it has excellent optics, the build quality is very solid and the image stabilization (IS) feature works wonders for hand held shooting. If you shoot hand held in marginal light, this is the lens for you. If you always use a tripod, you don't really need IS -- take a look at the less expensive non-IS version of this lens. If you always shoot in good light, the lighter and even less expensive 70-200mm f4.0 may do the job for you. But for me, the extra stop of light and the IS make the difference between unusable images and great images. This is an awesome lens.

I shoot with a Canon 20D and before purchasing this lens, used the Canon EF 75-300mm f/4.5-5.6 III USM lens. I've always noticed the limitations of this lens when shooting amateur softball. I reviewed the lens lineup at the Canon website and decided on purchasing the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L USM Lens. The 100-400mm is a great lens, but it can be a little soft. For that reason I decided to add the Canon EF 70-200mm 2.8/f IS USM telephoto zoom lens to my lens collection.

As an L lens, there are numerous features and is manufactured with high quality materials and a higher level of dust and moisture resistance compared to the standard line of lenses. This pro quality lens is meant for serious photographers with high demands of their equipment. The construction is sturdy and consists of 23 elements in 18 groups. The four Super UD-glass elements largely eliminate the secondary spectrum reducing residual chromatic aberration. An improved 8-blade circular aperture offers a more pleasing out-of-focus image. The Canon EF 70-200mm lens weighs in at about 3.24 lbs/1,470 g, and a minimal focusing distance of 4.3 ft/1.3 m. The front thread accepts 77mm filters, be sure to get a good quality UV haze filter to protect the front lens element. This lens is compatible with the 1.4x II and 2X II telephoto extenders.

Being white, this lens looks out of place, but helps it stay cool when shooting out in the sun. Some people are concerned that being white, it attracts attention to criminals. From my experience, my 20D attracts attention regardless of what lens I put on it. In addition, I most likely have a camera bag and tripod/monopod with me to further attract attention. I personally doubt a thief looking for something to steal is taking the time to evaluate the cost of the item and are more concerned with the ease of taking something they can unload. I try to make things difficult for would be thieves and have my equipment insured as a back up.

The dual IS system has two modes. Mode 1 is for stationary subjects while mode two is for moving subjects. It is recommended that the IS function is not used while using a tripod; however I have successfully used this feature while on my monopod. The IS helps to eliminate camera shake and helps stabilize the lens when shooting from a moving vehicle or in low light situations. While there are limitations to what the IS can do, it can give you a few extra stops. Just keep in mind, the IS attempts to eliminate camera movement, not the movement of the subject being photographed.

This lens permits for auto or manual focus depending on how the switch is set. There is also a switch to shift from a 1.4m/4.6ft to infinity or 2.5m/8.2ft to infinity.

Included with this lens are the tripod mount, lens hood, and storage case. The tripod mount is the best option to use when mounting to a tripod, helping to maintain balance. Mounting the camera instead creates an unbalanced set up that may topple over. The case is a zippered soft case (LZ1324) that can also be purchased separately. The lens hood (ET-86) is used to reduce lens flare and can protect the front element in certain situations. Often times, Amazon recommends purchasing the lens case and hood, however they are normally included with the lens.

The Canon EF 70-200mm is such an awesome lens, it almost fails to compare to the Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III USM telephoto zoom. The EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS USM telephoto zoom lens is a well used option for me, but the clarity and sharpness of the 70-200mm IS lens is more refined. I doubt the 100-400mm lens will be replaced by this lens as a favorite. I find the push/pull focusing of the 100-400mm lens to be a benefit that the 70-200mm cannot replace. This lens can be used for portraits, landscape, sports or as a general walk about lens. The f/2.8L combined with the IS makes this lens a good option for certain low light situations. The features add creative versatility. The Canon EF 70-200mm IS lens comes at a price, but it is worth every bit of it.

PROS:
Incredible clarity and sharpness
Quiet and quick auto-focus
Features add creative versatility
Dual IS system

CONS:
Heavy and bulky (This should be expected with these types of lenses)

Well, well, well..
This lense is known to be one of the best Canon lense.
It gives excellent pictures, fast focusing, and is very helpful through excellent Image Stabilizing mechanism.
HOWEVER, with $1700 price tag, any defect/quality control issue should be disclosed to this lense users.
Many lenses with serial number of UT08XX or earlier, there is phenomenon on the lense surface that you can see numerous "bubble" or "milky way". Newer ones do not have this phenomenon. You can see the phenomenon by illuminating a flash light through the front of the lense and looking at the mount part of the lense. If you happened to own this kind of lense, please check yours, and have the IS unit serviced by official Canon service center before the one-year warranty expires.

First of all it took me a few months to decide on what lens to buy because I did so much research. My choices were between Canon 70-200L 4, 70-200L 2.8 and the 70-200L 2.8IS. After much investigation I opted not to buy the 4.0 because I knew that I would be shooting in dim lights and needed the 2.8. So to save money I bought the 2.8 NON IS. The lens is great and I travelled to Utah with it. All was great until I tried to shoot a deer at full zoom. Every one came out blurry and could not use. Apart from that it is a fantastic lens. As a result I decided to fork out for the 2.8 IS lens and it is amaizing. It has the same optics as the non IS but handheld the IS really works great. Like on some of the reviews it does not make every shot in focus but certainly most of them and the picture quality is amaizing. Fast focus, great colours. Fantastic. If you can afford it buy it and the IS is def worth it because the lens is heavy and you do shake a bit, which is noticeable at full or close to full zoom. Hope this helps.

I will preface this by saying that I bought the 70-200/4L non IS before getting the f/2.8 IS version. The f/4 version is not shabby at all for its price point. A lot of people think that the price of the f/2.8 IS version is very high, and it is. However, for some people, and you'll know who you are, f/2.8 is necessary in order to capture the picture that you want. For those who have not noticed yet, there are four different 70-200s in Canons lineup. Starting off with the f/4 non IS as a base price, you have to add about $500 for either IS or f/2.8, or $1000 for both.

Here is a quickie for those deciding if they need either f/2.8 or IS:

f/2.8 is useful for two things compared to f/4...
1) thinner DOF, yielding a more out of focus background, which is pleasing for portraits
2) shooting action in low light environments, in which case f/2.8 can make your shutter speed twice as fast as f/4, all things else the same (ISO, etc).

IS is useful for one thing: canceling out the hand movements that you yourself make. It will not freeze the movement of your subject; you need a flash or a faster aperture lens to do that. One thing that comes out of this is the ability to shoot stationary objects much clearer than a lens without IS. Another thing is that on long lenses such as this one, IS can help you compose your picture more accurately, because the viewfinder will be stabilized along with the lens, allowing you to perfectly frame your shot. This is one advantage to Nikon and Canon's implementation of in-lens IS, compared to Sony and Pentax's implementation of in-body IS.

Anyways, that tutorial aside, let me focus on two things that matter most: build quality and image quality.

Build quality is amazing. If you are used to consumer grade lenses like the EF-S series of lenses or the kit lens, and have never touched an L lens, this thing feels rock solid. The f/4 version had the same build, but the f/2.8 feels more solid. I think this is all due to the weight: this lens weighs approximately twice that of the f/4 versions. The zoom and full-time manual focus rings are very smooth in action. Like its non-IS f/2.8 sister, this lens come with a tripod mount. If you use a tripod, I highly suggest you use the tripod ring to mount your setup on the tripod, because it will provide a better place to balance your lens+body. There is a knob you can twist on the tripod ring that will loosen the ring so that you can swing your camera from landscape into portrait mode and vice versa, without adjusting anything on your tripod. The one thing about build quality that didn't impress me was the included lens hood. It is plastic and my hood doesn't fit the bayonet mount perfectly...it has some play and sometimes rattles when I move the camera back and forth. Not a huge deal, but you would expect more since Canon paid attention to all the small details elsewhere. By the way, this lens is weather sealed. Both the 70-200/4 IS and 70-200/2.8 IS are weather sealed, while their non-IS sisters are not sealed. Note that this sealing is only effective when you have a weather sealed body to mount it on (read: 1D series camera). There is a rubber ring around the lens mount that provides some of this sealing, and the 1D series has the complementary sealing around its lens mount. A note on this: I discovered a speck of dust on an inner element that wasn't there when I first got the lens, which is curious for a weather sealed lens. Not that it really affects anything.

Image quality is amazing. Some very choosy pixel peepers will tell you that this particular lens is not the sharpest 70-200 in the Canon line-up. They are being very nitpicky; all 70-200s perform amazingly in terms of IQ (contrast, colors, sharpness). I have done some real world testing myself to clear the fear of shooting wide open at f/2.8, and I have found it produces sharp pictures at f/2.8 until you get to about 200mm, in which case the sharpness goes down a little. However, that said, it is hard to shoot accurately at f/2.8 and 200mm...the depth of field is extremely thin and lack of sharpness could be due to misfocusing. Once stopped down to f/4, it is plenty sharp at all focal lengths. Until you try this lens out, you will not know the meaning of creamy bokeh (an exaggeration, since there are other lenses out there creating awesome bokeh too). At 70mm, the bokeh is still amazing, but once you get to 150mm or longer at f/2.8...the background really starts to get creamy and extremely easy on the eye. My main use for this lens is for portraits, as its longer focal length starts to compress the perspective and is extremely good for tighter portraits. Colors on this lens are amazing straight out of the camera. Of course, in post processing they get even better. One time I did a shoot using my 17-55/2.8 IS and my 70-200/4L non IS, and the colors were very noticeably better on the 70-200. Upon getting the 70-200/2.8 IS, I didn't notice any change in colors between it and the f/4 version, and didn't bother to shoot portraits anymore with the 17-55, but if A>B and C=A, then C>B (A being 70-200/4L, B being the 17-55, and C being the 70-200/2.8IS). Sorry had to put some math in there :). One thing I noticed is that this lens shoots warmer than my other lenses, which is not a bad thing when it comes to portraits. Performance wide open is very good, and stop it down a bit and you'll get a little more contrast and sharpness, as it is with any lens.

If you guys are curious about the large number of switches on it, here they are, from top to bottom:
1) focusing limiter switch: either 1.4m to infinity or 2.5m to infinity. Use the latter if your subjects are farther away from you, in order to get the fastest AF possible. I don't bother with this switch, since AF is lightning quick. There is a reason lots of sports shooters use this lens
2) AF switch: either manual focus or automatic focus. Not of much use, since this lens includes full time manual, meaning that you can adjust focus manually by turning the ring, even when the lens is set to autofocus.
3) IS stabilizer switch: on or off. I leave mine on all the time, but sometimes when its bright outside, I just turn it off to conserve battery
4) Stabilizer mode: mode 1 or 2. Mode 1 stabilizes your lens in all directions, while Mode 2 is for when you pan, in which case the lens will sense which direction you are panning in, and disable that axis of the stabilizer. (I wish my 17-55/2.8 IS had this feature, as the viewfinder jerks when you have IS on and are trying to pan).

In use, this thing is much heavier than the f/4 version (of course, since it weighs twice as much). On a 40D, it will require two hands (one under the lens, one on the camera) most of the time due to the center of gravity being in the lens and not the body. The 70-200/4 was a much better balance on the 40D, and it was easy to hold that setup by one hand on the camera grip. The 70-200/2.8 IS is also large and noticeable with its white coating. One time I took it to my university's basketball game, and an official told me to put it away, since it was too long for their regulations. He told me that those regulations were put in place by the media, since the media basically wants to be the only people selling shots. I looked at the sideline and all the media shooters were using the same exact lens to cover the game. Basically, you will get lots of attention with this lens, wanted and unwanted. With the hood on, it is very long. The tripod ring gets in the way sometimes, so I settled on leaving it on but twisting it 180 degrees so the leg is on the top side of the camera, out of the way. In such a location, it can serve as a handle of sorts, though I wouldn't carry it by that all day. One minor annoyance I have with the lens in operation is that the MF/AF switch is easily moved. A couple times I pulled it out of my bag to shoot with only to notice that it would not AF because it was in MF mode. I have heard of people fixing this by putting tape over the switch, to keep it in AF mode. I have not done so myself, as it has only happened to me a couple times.

Notes on the IS: I barely shoot this on the tripod, since I can take advantage of its IS. Canon advertises this lens as having a 3 stop stabilizer, meaning that you can shoot stationary objects clearly in 1/8 the amount of light you would normally need. Therefore, at 200mm, you would only need a shutter speed of 1/25 on full frame, and 1/40 on crop bodies, instead of 1/200 and 1/320, respectively. I have been able to shoot still objects clearly at 1/15 at 200mm (320mm equivalent on crop). Amazing, considering the focal length!

I use this lens on a Canon 40D, and cannot wait to use it on a full frame. On the 40D, it provided an excellent lens to cover dance shows, fashion shows, etc on stage in the venues I frequented at my university. However, now that I have graduated and will likely attend less shows, I am looking to convert this lens more into my go-to for portraits. A 70-200 on a crop body puts a little too much distance inbetween you and the subject. This can be a good thing, since not everyone is the most comfortable when a big lens is pointing at them from a few feet away. However, in order to maximize blur, I had to stand farther away and use the longer focal lengths. On full frame, one can stand closer and still use long focal lengths, thus taking advantage of this lens's bokeh at closer range. Also, personally, I find the thought of carrying this much glass around for a crop body a bit wasteful, and can't wait to use its full imaging circle in all its glory.

A note on other lenses: If you don't want the f/2.8, the f/4 versions are just as good in the build and image quality departments, at a much lower price and weight. Also, if you want lens with good, creamy bokeh at a focal length less than 100mm, consider the 85mm f/1.8 prime, which provides the same pleasing bokeh at 85mm wide open that the 70-200/2.8 does wide open at 150mm or more. The 85 is significantly cheaper and lighter, too.

Summary: Stellar build quality, excellent image quality (colors, contrast, sharpness). Image stabilizer is very effective. An f/2.8 zoom in this focal length range is very useful for covering stage events and sports with moving subjects in dim lights, so that you can minimize motion blur. It is also a great lens for portraits, providing extremely pleasing, creamy out of focus blurring, and excellent perspective for tight headshots. It is relatively heavy and a bit front-balanced on a 40D, but this is the price to pay for so much fast glass in a zoom. The ultimate low light zoom, if you can swing its price and weight!

I recently moved into the category of "serious impassioned amateur photographer" and, after a healthy dose of research, purchased the Canon 20D D-SLR (see my previous review of the camera and experience with it). As is necessary to all impassioned photographers, the lens selection(s) is tantamount to the best photo, as seen by the photographer's inner eye. As a result, when I decided to purchase the 20D, I wanted the broadest breadth of lens exposure possible in the fewest possible lenses.

In large part, my search came to a rapid halt when I ran across this lens, the Canon EF 70mm-200mm f/2.8L IS USM Telephoto Zoom lens. While this lens is heavy in terms of weight (approximately 2.9lbs) and price, it is easily the best lens purchase I've made, hands down. I have paired this lens with the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM Standard Zoom lens and a 2x telephoto extender, and I am set for most any shoot. I have read reviews regarding quality degradation when shooting with the 2x extender however, I've not experienced that (perhaps it is my inexperience...but my photos don't show it!). The 2x extender has provided me with exposure options from 24mm to 400mm, with the high quality expected from Canon "L" lenses.

A few words about IS (image stabilization)...I love to take shots of the moon. First, to get really great shots, one must have a reasonably telephoto lens (that is, if you want to actually see the cheese). The next issue is simply, how do I keep the moon from looking blurry even though the night is totally clear? The answer is simple: get a tripod or get a Canon lens featuring image stabilization. The IS feature has allowed me to take my best moon shots yet, and yes, the cheese is quite visible and quite clear. IS is a must for those shooting without a tripod.

All told, this lens is incredibly rich in features, handles well for a large telephoto, has a tripod bracket for easy attachment to a tripod, and is pretty much the nuts for those of us not fully versed in photographic knowledge. While not the most inexpensive lens around, the features and product results afforded by this lens is well worth the cost. I'd buy it again without hesitation.

I bought this lens a couple months ago and have a little over 2,000 images (mainly summer lacrosse leagues and tournaments) and could not be more pleased. Fast, works well in low light conditions, and the images are razor sharp. Its built like a tank and rock solid.
I paired this with the 24-70 2.8L and the 20D body and feel like I can go anywhere and be covered.
I have a friend with a 400mm 5.6L and when he complained about shooting in low light conditions (even just cloudy days) that's when I decided to go with the 2.8.
I figure with 8.2 Mega Pixels, I can crop to cover the lost reach.
I spent alot on my outfit, but don't forsee ever needing anything else. This will get passed on to my kids after I take my final picture.

Updated July 2010
Have had this same outfit now for more than 5 years and have shot well over 10,000 images (my 4 digit frame counter rolled over about a year ago) and am still extremely pleased. In fact, I kind of wish my 20D would develop a problem so I can put this glass on a new body. But it's been a great body and I won't replace it until I have to. This lens, though, is the best part. I got the 2x converter to reach out on bright days for wildlife. The image quality continues to be outstanding. Highly recommend.

I say "unexpectedly" not because I thought it wouldn't be great; I damn sure expected it to be great for nearly 2 large. I say "unexpectedly" because I did not expect to get so much use out of it. I had planned to use it sparingly (for special events, weddings, portraits) but it turns out I am getting 80% of my great shots with this lens. In fact, I just got finished with a day of shooting with this lens mounted on a 40D and the 35mm f/1.4 mounted on a 5D and all of the "keeper" shots were taken with this lens and the 40D combo. The 40D is a nice camera, but it's no 5D. In fact, up until this point I have not been thrilled with the 40D (in comparison to the 5D which really spoils you with its low-noise and sharpness) and have used it only as a backup. I attribute my satisfaction with the day's results, however, to this lens. It's just flat out awesome. Ditto everything that has already been said about it. The combination of the sharpness and the telephoto focal lengths is just stellar. I have used many other telephoto lenses and I can not recall any of them being so sharp at the longer lengths. This lens stays razor sharp at all lengths. I also don't mind the weight as much as I thought I would. In fact, not once today did I say to myself "this lens is just too heavy." I was too busy shooting to worry about it. It's big and heavy to be sure, but not as big and heavy as I thought it would be. So I am very pleased so far in every way. Like always, if I find an issue down the road I'll come back and revise this review to reflect it. Right now, I have zero complaints.

***UPDATE 4/11/08***
After more extensive shooting, I have found a minor flaw. It is moderately (more than expected) soft at 180-200mm and really soft at 200mm. So soft I will only use it in a pinch at this focal length. 140-180mm is great but I have found the sweet spot to be 70-140mm.

Weight:
I've seen reviews complaining about the weight. I was worried too when I bought it. Each gram is thanked for, once you see the results. It's heavy because it has a lot of glass to make you produce such nice images. So if you go for a long walk and want to take pictures, take some other lens. But if you want the best pictures, go for this lens. Besides: it's not THAT heavy.

Stabilization:
When I was comparing lenses in Amazon, I wondered about the difference between shooting with and without the IS. Were the pictures in the reviews real or were they made by some guys from Canon? Let me tell you: if you're going to use a tripod, don't buy this lens. But if you're going to shoot without one, you can REALLY see the difference. The pictures you found with the "with and without IS"? They are real. It's amazing. However, keep this in mind: You don't need IS for every shot. If there's enough light, you can shoot without it. One thing that helped me decide: think about the times you've said "if only I had shot this with a tripod". If they're higher than 5% of your pictures, go for this lens. If not, I don't think you need it.

As all of you "L" users know, the optics on these lenses are just amazing. For those of you looking to buy one of these lenses, this is definitly a good start. This lens is constructed from tank material I'm sure. It not only has superb optics, it also is very fast in low light. The IS is one of the best features, giving you the ability to hand hold the lens in almost any low light situations!! Another beautifully crafted lens from Canon. Highly recommend!!

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