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Technical Details
- 70-200mm telephoto zoom lens with f/4 maximum aperture for Canon SLR cameras
- Inner focusing system and ring-type ultra-sonic monitor for quick and quiet autofocusing
- Compatible with same tripod collar (sold separately) as EF 300mm f/4L USM lens
- 3.9-foot close-focusing distance; supports use of circular polarizing filter
- Measures 3 inches in diameter and 6.8 inches long; weighs 25 ounces; 1-year warranty
Product Details
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Product Description
Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L USM Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras
Available Warranties for This Item
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
338 of 342 people found the following review helpful
I have to say, "Wow I love this lens."
I'd recommend this lens for three kinds of people:
1) People who want to get a taste of the L-series lenses who need a lens in the 70-200mm focal length relatively inexpensively;
2) People who already own the 70-200mm f/2.8L IS lens who have to lug that huge thing around for a long time;
3) People who want a L-series 70-200mm lens who don't NEED f/2.8 or IS.
Call me a wimp, but shooting 1000-2000 shots a day in the field with the 70-200mm f/2.8 IS gets tiring, especially if you're hand-holding. This lens is relatively inexpensive for being L-series glass, the difference in optical quality is almost imperceptible from the f/2.8, and it's sturdy and ergonomic enough to use all day long.
When I plan on shooting the whole day, especially over the course of several days, this is the lens I take with me, NOT the f/2.8 IS. It's shorter, narrower, and lighter. While you may not feel the difference when shooting for a couple of hours, take two people of equal endurance and strength and give them the f/4 and f/2.8 IS and send them out for a day and you know who is going to come back with the sore arms when the day is over.
On a 1.6x FOVCF body, the 70-200mm focal range makes this lens a little tight; but at 1.3x or 1.0x FOVCF, this focal length range is quite awesome. When I travel, I like to pair this lens with the 17-40mm f/4 and use my feet to fill the gap between 40 and 70mm (I also take along el-cheapo 50mm f/1.8 so I can shoot in low light, and the 1.4x teleconverter to give myself an effective 450mm reach) -- all of this is a good, lightweight, relatively inexpensive package. Also, while being quite a chunk of pocket change, this lens is nowhere near as expensive as the f/2.8 versions, and so it's a lot less of something to worry about when traveling or shooting under adverse conditions.
As so far, I have found NOTHING that I do not like about this lens (well, except for the one-stop loss from f/2.8).
I have to say that if you are looking for a single lens to do General Purpose work, this is not it. This lens is for specfic purposes. This lens works best as one-half of a pair, taking the upper useful focal lengths, while you use something like the 17-40mm f/4L or the 24-70mm f/2.8L to handle lower range of focal lengths. If you're looking for a carry-everywhere never-change lens, try the 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens. It's a great value, the focal length range is in the sweet spot, and the optics are not bad.
Otherwise, if you fit into one of the three categories at the beginning of this post, I would highly recommend this lens to you.
I'd recommend this lens for three kinds of people:
1) People who want to get a taste of the L-series lenses who need a lens in the 70-200mm focal length relatively inexpensively;
2) People who already own the 70-200mm f/2.8L IS lens who have to lug that huge thing around for a long time;
3) People who want a L-series 70-200mm lens who don't NEED f/2.8 or IS.
Call me a wimp, but shooting 1000-2000 shots a day in the field with the 70-200mm f/2.8 IS gets tiring, especially if you're hand-holding. This lens is relatively inexpensive for being L-series glass, the difference in optical quality is almost imperceptible from the f/2.8, and it's sturdy and ergonomic enough to use all day long.
When I plan on shooting the whole day, especially over the course of several days, this is the lens I take with me, NOT the f/2.8 IS. It's shorter, narrower, and lighter. While you may not feel the difference when shooting for a couple of hours, take two people of equal endurance and strength and give them the f/4 and f/2.8 IS and send them out for a day and you know who is going to come back with the sore arms when the day is over.
On a 1.6x FOVCF body, the 70-200mm focal range makes this lens a little tight; but at 1.3x or 1.0x FOVCF, this focal length range is quite awesome. When I travel, I like to pair this lens with the 17-40mm f/4 and use my feet to fill the gap between 40 and 70mm (I also take along el-cheapo 50mm f/1.8 so I can shoot in low light, and the 1.4x teleconverter to give myself an effective 450mm reach) -- all of this is a good, lightweight, relatively inexpensive package. Also, while being quite a chunk of pocket change, this lens is nowhere near as expensive as the f/2.8 versions, and so it's a lot less of something to worry about when traveling or shooting under adverse conditions.
As so far, I have found NOTHING that I do not like about this lens (well, except for the one-stop loss from f/2.8).
I have to say that if you are looking for a single lens to do General Purpose work, this is not it. This lens is for specfic purposes. This lens works best as one-half of a pair, taking the upper useful focal lengths, while you use something like the 17-40mm f/4L or the 24-70mm f/2.8L to handle lower range of focal lengths. If you're looking for a carry-everywhere never-change lens, try the 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens. It's a great value, the focal length range is in the sweet spot, and the optics are not bad.
Otherwise, if you fit into one of the three categories at the beginning of this post, I would highly recommend this lens to you.
296 of 302 people found the following review helpful
In my opinion, this Canon lens provides the best value in Canon's entire line up of "L" glass (lenses). If you have never used an L lens before, this will open your eyes to what you have been missing. Very fast focusing, very sharp images, very little chromatic abberation, and consistent quality through the entire zoom and aperature range.
One note; with a widest aperature of f/4 and a long focal length, you will not be able to take indoor photos without excellent lighting or a flash. I've tried to take photos of ice hockey, where the rinks are notoriously poorly lit, and had very little success. Even with a tripod it is a challenge to maintain a fast enough shutter speed to freeze the action of a kids game (yes, even with ISO at 800). But in good lighting or outdoors in the daytime, this lense rocks.
Great sports photos. Great nature photos. This lense is extremely versatile. I have even used it with flash indoors for portrait photography.
There is not too much to mention on the negative side. Its size and color do make it stand out a bit in public, and people may thing you are a professional photographer. I've also noted that the depth-of-field with a wide open aperature, especially at f4, is very narrow. As long as you've been careful to focus on your subject, the background will be blurry. But focus on something other than your subject and you may find your subject to be blurry.
All in all, this is one great lens that will let you take very sharp photos. And it is a bargain price compared to its f/2.8 and f/2.8IS sibliings.
373 of 393 people found the following review helpful
Amazon Verified Purchase
Like many people my decision on a telephoto zoom lens came down to buying the Canon 70-200mm f/4L or the Canon 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM. The trade offs seemed clear at first. The former performs slightly better (see Canon website for MTF data), is better designed & built, is faster and has the "L" lens status. User comments and ratings (at more than one site) are slightly more favorable for the L lens. The 70-300mm has an improved IS and of course a longer focal length. Both cost about the same so money was not a factor in my decision.
I eventually decided on the L lens and was initially disappointed. Photos ranged from wonderful to not very good at all. In fact, I almost returned the lens. Eventually I figured out the problem. My yard is heavily shaded so most of the initial photo's were taken in low light and I had selected shutter speeds that were too slow. To avoid camera shake you need to shoot at the reciprocal of the focal length or faster. Sounds simple but with the Digital Rebel XT (which I was using) you need to consider the camera's 1.6 multiplication factor. So at 200mm you need a shutter speed of 1/320 or faster not 1/200 like I initially thought. Once I made the speed adjustment things changed for the better.
Still I have some mixed feelings about my decision. When the light is good this is a fantastic lens but with the IS feature offered on the 70-300mm I would probably get photos that I will miss with this lens.
I can't fault the performance of this lens for its limitations and I have given it 5 stars. In other words it does what it is supposed to do very well but my message to other buyers is to consider where you are most likely to use the lens before buying. Remember IS becomes increasingly important as you extend the focal length. If your camera is already extending it by a factor of 1.6 you may find IS a very attractive feature.
(Note the 70-300mm has a recall on certain model numbers because of problems when using the lens in a portrait position.) By the way, I purchased from Amazon and it was a flawless transaction!
I eventually decided on the L lens and was initially disappointed. Photos ranged from wonderful to not very good at all. In fact, I almost returned the lens. Eventually I figured out the problem. My yard is heavily shaded so most of the initial photo's were taken in low light and I had selected shutter speeds that were too slow. To avoid camera shake you need to shoot at the reciprocal of the focal length or faster. Sounds simple but with the Digital Rebel XT (which I was using) you need to consider the camera's 1.6 multiplication factor. So at 200mm you need a shutter speed of 1/320 or faster not 1/200 like I initially thought. Once I made the speed adjustment things changed for the better.
Still I have some mixed feelings about my decision. When the light is good this is a fantastic lens but with the IS feature offered on the 70-300mm I would probably get photos that I will miss with this lens.
I can't fault the performance of this lens for its limitations and I have given it 5 stars. In other words it does what it is supposed to do very well but my message to other buyers is to consider where you are most likely to use the lens before buying. Remember IS becomes increasingly important as you extend the focal length. If your camera is already extending it by a factor of 1.6 you may find IS a very attractive feature.
(Note the 70-300mm has a recall on certain model numbers because of problems when using the lens in a portrait position.) By the way, I purchased from Amazon and it was a flawless transaction!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Great Lens for a Great Price
I love this lens. It has a great eye, for a great picture, and the video is great even on moving shots. For the price, you can't get much better!
Published 1 month ago by harri534
One of the Best Deals on Canon Lenses!
I bought this lens FIVE years ago for my Rebel XTI. I've used it in so many different situations. Most recently, I used it during a high school play. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Robert T
Sold it bought it again Canon 70-200 non IS
Sold it after a year because I was tight on money and few months later I bought the consumer grade Canon tele zoom for those odd shots. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Dick C
I am loving it
I purchased this lens used and I have been delighted with it. It is no problem to hand hold because it is so light. I eventually want to purchase the F2. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Coach CJ
Misleading pricing, you are actually paying full price
Buy this item if you want, but try to get a get a better price. The list price is misleading. You can buy it from Canon for this price. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Cordobés
Why don't you cry about it! bought from amazon for canon 7D
I got my lens in a very swift fashion 3 days. I really like the build quality, and the light weight. This is one nice piece of glass. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Rob
Shap lens
Just received it today and very first shot handheld of my wife was so sharp I could see my reflection in her eyes! Read more
Published 3 months ago by Arturo Vega
Uma lente incrível pelo custo x benefício [incredible by...
Depois de usar uma 24-70 2.8 comecei a substituir minhas lentes pela série L, pelo fator qualidade.
Essa lente (70-200 4. Read more
Essa lente (70-200 4. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Eduardo R. Felipe
Thank you!
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'''''''''''It took some time to reach the lens, received a good product. Read more
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'''''''''''It took some time to reach the lens, received a good product. Read more
Published 4 months ago by TETSUJI TAKAHASHI
Absolutely impressive excellent L series lens
I have used this lens extensively but the photos that have been memorable for me have been the simple ones. Read more
Published 4 months ago by P. Rayasa
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