My images. Build, zoom, fast autofocus

Easy to turn of AF with left hand thumb.

I do alot of photos hand held. This is a great help. Images come out clear, crisp, colorful with nice contrast and bokah.I like the smooth zoom ring. If I use a tripod more I would have bought the non-IS, but I am very happy with this lens. My only complaint is that it is very easy to turn off the autofocus to manual.

Customer Service

na

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Tokina, 80-200 f2.8, Minolta 80-200 f2.8 G which is a great lens.

Awesome clarity of image. Image Stabilizer is to die for. Personally I like that it weighs 3lb: it feels solid. So far 3 women have said, "Wow, that's HUGE!", so it's great for the male ego. Very quiet, almost ghostly USM motor.

I've not found any yet except that it'll draw attention, wanted or otherwise. The IS makes it feel vaguely alive (not really a weakness, just something to get used to). It does make some odd little noises but you can always switch it off and get your tripod back out of hock if that bothers you. It's expensive, very expensive (£1500+), but look after it well and it will hold its value - if you can ever bear to part with it.

This lens is frighteningly good. It's my first 'L' lens and it certainly won't be my last unless the bank manager stops me. Basically you get what you pay for. Compared against my previous lens (Sigma 28-200), it's like gaining your sight after a period of blindness. Then, as if the shockingly good optical performance isn't enough, there's that marvellous Image Stabilizer. Believe the claims other reviewers have made for this - it's all true. Handheld at 200mm, 1/30th sec is a dawdle. You may as well sell your tripod to help pay for it. Try this lens once and you'll want to take it to bed at night! It's possibly not a great sports event lens if the IS tempts you into slower shutter speeds, but if you can avoid that I'm sure it'll perform magnificently.

Customer Service

n/a

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I hesitate to say Sigma 28-200 - that's like putting a flyweight in with Muhammad Ali at his greatest.

AF, IS, solid construction, easy to use, compatible with everything in canon line

I don`t have one - this one is perfect - you get what you pay for - lots of money lots of music

I`m not a big fan of zoom lenses, but I`m a huge fan of IS, and hearing all these godd things about non IS version of this lens I decided buy one. This lens is everything I ever dream about. I moustly using this lens on D60 and it`s sharp, fast and IS is just the best. I can get a sharp picture at 1/13 hand held !!!! You have to try it to fall in love with it. For somebody it`s heavy but it`s a pro lens and it will take any kind of punishment. Love this lens like all canon pro lenses (L). Highly recomending to any serious photographer.

Customer Service

Never needed to use it

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Never used zoom before, but this one got me

Razor sharp edge to edge, even wide open. Rugged build, silent, quick focusing. Very balanced despite weight. Pleasant warm color rendition. Weather seal on mount keeps water out-not that I plan on testing this feature much. :-)

IS and AF buttons are easy to accidentally toggle on/off, and IS mode button from mode 1 to 2.

Identical to its non-IS predecessor optically, which I owned (was stolen a year ago). Very quick, silent, rugged, tack sharp, wonderfully warm color balance that seems to be a trait on Canon's "L" lenses. No complaints except for the price. IS does work wonderfully, but I find that I don't really use it much, but it's good to know it is there if I need it.

Customer Service

NA-hope I never have to use.

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Previous 70-200 f2.8L USM 100-400 f3.5-5.6L USM

Very hand holdable in low light due to IS. This makes it FAR superior to every other f2.8 zoom in this range. Sharp. Price OK.

AF OK in low light. Button placement a pain. Easy to knock it into manual focus and change the stabilsation from mode 1 to mode 2. The lens can lock up your camera. It is a known problem that some of these lenses give intermittant "00" or "bc" error lock ups out of the box. Mine did so on my first shoot (with BOTH bodies) for a total of 5 times on 6 rolls. TOTALLY inexcusable for this to happen out of the box. In Malaysia shops will not exchange faulty goods on the spot and told me I need to make a warranty claim and visit to Canon Malaysia. I thought I was buying a pro lens and did not want the trip to Canon thrown in for "free". BTW if you have a lens with the same problem, simply turn the camera off and on again. So far I have not missed a critical, non-repeatable shot, however it is only a mtter of time.

IS on this lens is great in low light. Focus is not as suberb under low light as every one makes out. I often miss the critical moment while waiting for focus lock. BTW I use the EOS 1 or 3, good luck on a lesser camera. I often have to switch to the 28-70L for faster focusing (MUCH faster) in low light. However in good light it focuses quickly. Very sharp, too sharp to flatter people, not a complaint but an observation. most people want razor sharp images of themselves today as manythink sharpness and contrast makes a good photo

Customer Service

Reported the lock up problem to Canon Malaysia and they asked me to fax them info from the web on the problem as they haven't heard of it. Hardly confidence inspiring when I am giving them details of the problem and possible fixes! If they don't fix the problem I will be back here to rank it with a one star rating.

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Tokina 80-200 ATX. No lock ups!

zoom range sharpness fast IS!

'Taint cheap, but I do want cannon to stay in busness, and I doubt R&D and production of a lens like this isn't cheap.

Lens is sharp, focuses quick, has a nice build and heft. For my needs, the 70-200 is an excellent range, with and witout converters. Regarding the Image Stabilizer, if your photos demand quick shutter speeds, IS may not be a big deal. If you are shooting slowly changing views in lesser light (as I have had the joy of doing), IS coupled with the 2.8 const. ap. is a photographic miracle. As far as I am concerned there should be no question of if IS is good--it is amazing!!! The real question is if the application demands it or otherwise merrits the added expense. Any photographer smart enough to find this website should know what shutter speeds are appropiate (or required) and when. IS extends the useable long end of the exposure time range from a camera vibration point of view, and it does so very well. There are no grounds for bad mouthing IS. It is an excellent feature when applicable.

Customer Service

None

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Canon 16-35 2.8L Canon 28-70 2.8L Canon 28-80 4.5-5.6 (Rebel 2000 kit lens--won a photo contest and $1k with it), so it isn't all about expensive equipment, after all...

Sharpness

Heavy

May be is sharper than older but is too heavy and for me use it all day in different ways ( from sport to marriages )not enough to replace the older

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70/200 2.8 L- 300 4L IS-28/70 2.8 L-16/35 2.8 L - 17/35 2.8 L

Canon's legendary "L" quality. Of course the "IMAGE STABILIZER" Very well balanced and user friendly design Worth every penny! no question

I wish the lens came in black, white just stands out to much for me.

Having owned many canon products over the past 20 years, this new lens is truly a well designed product that can improve your mid range lens results by a greater margin than any piece of photo equipment ive seen since the tripod was invented! Its simply that amazing. Your keepers will increase by three fold just by using this lens in the "IS" mode. The opical design is basically the same as the original 70-200L, which I have used for the past three years with a few minor upgrades. See canon's web site for specs. If you are considering this lens for the first time or upgrading from the original 70-200L its a no brainer. The results are that amazing. The only negative comments I have seen/heard about this lens are from people who either don't own this lens or don't have a clue on how this amazing tool works.

Customer Service

Never needed any warranty work on any of Canon's products in 20 years.

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Canon 70-200L Canon 100-400L is

optics, built quality, IS.

Too expensive. "IS" is not worth the extra $650.00.

A very nice telephoto zoom. But no difference from my old 70-200/2.8L in optics. The IS function is nice but not worth the extra $650 over the non-IS. The bottom line is you still need a faster shutter speed to stop motions. Well built but heavy. Over priced!

Customer Service

none

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70-200/2.8L USM

- Optically perfect (for a tele-zoom that is) - Super fast and accurate autofocusing. - Still optically very good with 1.4X or 2X convertors (Kenko Pro 300 works nicely too - unlike with 300 F4 L IS). AF still really snappy (On EOS 3/1v). - It'll outlive you. - It has a reasonable close focus (though not in same league as 300 F4 L IS). - Image stabilised handhold at 200mm at 1/30th of a second while drunk! - It looks seriously poncy. - Can be confident with it at any aperture.

- £1500!!! For a 70-200!!! Not sale of the century really is it. - USM, quick and quiet - to us. But to every other animal on Gods green earth you're a giant bipedal bat with a megaphone. - It's bright white! Not only does everything hear it a mile off they see it too! - People may assume you have a small knob.

Best mid range tele-zoom in the world. Optically stunning at every aperture. Built like a tank with amazingly quick AF and the all important IS function (with U.K. light levels this is a God-send). A lot of money for a short focal range though. A few minor niggles for wildlife photographers too.

Customer Service

I don't envisage I'll ever need it.

Similar Products Used:

300 F4 L IS, Sigma 70-200 2.8EX, Tokina 80-200 ATX Pro 2.8