This lens is extremely sharp! And I am not easily impressed as I already got Canon’s 300 mm f2.8 IS L as well as Canon’s 500 mm F4 IS L and 9 other L-lenses. Expensive, yes, but the overall image quality (both on my 1ds MarkII & III) is simply stunning. Portraits, animals, sport, flowers, etc. – all superb results.

The image stabilizer really works perfectly. And combined with the shutter speed you get at F2, a lot of former impossible 200 mm telephotos now become possible. I got lots of really nice photos with shutter speed as low as 1/20 second. My Canon 70-200 mm f2.8 IS L has image stabilize too (and low F-number), but it doesn’t work nearly as well as Canon 200 mm f2. My Canon 70-200 mm f4 IS L has a great image stabilizer, but only f4 which is not enough in many low-light situations (apart from that, it is a superb zoom).

Is it a heavy and huge 200 mm lens? Yes, it is, but it is still easily handheld - and the IQ you get makes you forget all about potentially sore muscle the next day!

If you got the money, go for it – you’ll not regret it!