Moderate size and weight. Excellent sharpness and contrast at all apertures right into the corners. Nice smooth bokeh. Very fast, accurate AF.

Some pincushion distortion evident on straight lines near frame edges.

This is a delightfully compact, high performance general purpose telephoto lens delivering very high quality images hand held or on a tripod.

Customer Service

Not required.

Similar Products Used:

Pentax 200/f4 EF 100 - 300 zoom

Image quality, robust build, nice handling.

Built in lens hood good be better.

My lens is the Mark 1 Version. I bought it cheap a couple of years ago - it had a slight mark on front element - no effect on picture taking but kept price low. I also picked up a tripod mount when in Japan last year. This is my absolutely favourite EOS lens. I use it a lot as as an informal portrait lens - at parties, receptions, meetings etc - coupled with a 540EZ flash I can take full face portraits unobtrusively even with the flash and at f5.6 get great definition but nice out of focus backgrounds.

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Mixture of EOS primes and zooms (non-L)

Excellent sharpness, low weight, rigid feel.

The hood can sometimes be a bit "fiddly" to attach.

This is an excellent lens, a real bargain as it''s one of Canons most affordable L-series lenses. It has two elements of special UD-glass, making sure sharpness and colour balance is second to none. AF is very fast too, with the latest generation of USM-motor. Buy this lens, you will never regret it!

Customer Service

Never needed

Similar Products Used:

Canon EF 28-80 2,8-4,0 L Canon EF 100 mm 2,8 macro Canon EF 70-210 4,0

Light, small cheap (for an "L") SHARP great, quite autofocus

none

This is a review for the Mark I version. Got mine on ebay in perfect shape. I shoot a lot of sports for my university newspaper, and this lens is fantastic. Don''t need a monopod, and you''re arms won''t get tired holding it. The autofocus speed is blazing fast, accurate, and ohhh so quiet. Sharpness is incredible. I haven''t had a problem with the built in hood, it is metal. You WILL NOT find a better tele for the money.

Customer Service

never needed

Similar Products Used:

nothing like it

very sharp
fast (max aperture 2.8)
fast autofocus
solidly built

too small in-built hood (I have the 1st version)

very sharp lens - much better than EF 100-300/4.5-5.6
together with 1.4 TC makes a good 280/4.0

Customer Service

???

Similar Products Used:

EF 100-300/4.5-5.6

Crisp and clear, light weight, large aparture, fast focusing, - one of Canons's best lenses!

None really

You don't need more of a tele lense. With a 1,4 converter contrast is the same, - slightly 'softer' with x2 converter, but still very good. Together with 25mm ring, it is excellent for small animals (frogs, large insects) at close range. You don't need a 300/2,8 when you have this 200/2,8! - It's excellent!

Customer Service

Expensive (Norway, Sweden)

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17-35/2,8 28-70/2,8 300/2,8

Great glass for the price. Very sharp and, of course, fast. I use it with Tamron 1.4x converter & the Canon 2x converter - both very compatible.

Bad influence - makes you want to replace your other lenses with even-more-expensive L versions.

I could do with a little more resistance on the focusing ring, but otherwise, no complaints.

Excellent! I use it a lot for night baseball and am always very pleased with results. Also concerts - both stage and crowd shots have been rewarding for me.

Customer Service

n/a

Similar Products Used:

None

Fast, inexpensive for its quality, quick-focusing, QUIET, works wonderfully with EF tele-extenders, excellent hood, superb images

Absolutely not a one

Some of the best telephoto shots I've ever taken were with this lens. I'd strongly recommend always using the supplied hood and if you're going to stick a filter in front of it, don't go with a cheap-o Tiffen piece of junk. Works much better with the EF 1.4 tele-extender than with the EF 2.0, though you'll still get pretty good shots with the latter. For a great, fast telephoto lens, this one simply cannot be beat.

Customer Service

Adequate. Though they know some of their equipment has inherent problems (i.e., flimsy dials, etc.), Canon chooses not to fix them for the customers. When something breaks, it can be VERY EXPENSIVE to fix.

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EF 100-300 5.6L
EF 75-300 IS
FD 75-200

Superb image quality at a reasonable price, well built, excellent handling, works great with extenders.

None

This is one of the *values* in an L-series lens, along with the older-style EF 100-300mm f/5.6 L. The lens works wonderfully with the EF 2x extender, giving you an excellent 400mm f/5.6 that is better than any third-party 400 f5.6. If you find the EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L too big for your tastes, go with the EF 200mm f/2.8 L. I recommend purchasing the dedicated tripod mount if you plan to use an extender.

Customer Service

I've never had to send an EF lens to Canon for a repair, so I can't make a comment.

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New FD 200mm f/2.8

This lens excels in its image quality and the build quality is superb. Its a brilliant lens that can be used in many situations. Its high speed isolates the subject creating a neutral background blur. This lens works well with a circular polarizing filter giving dynamic punchy blue skies.

None

I've had this lens for 6 months now, I must have equipment that gives me a salable image. This does in spades.

Customer Service

Nerver had the need

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New FD 200mm f2.8
Nikon 180mm f2.8 (sloppy and rough in comparison)
Leica 180mm f2.
Carl Zeiss Aposonnar T 200m