The EF 70-200mm F2.8 L IS USM was introduced way back in August 2001, supplementing (but not replacing) the non-stabilized 70-200mm F2.8 L USM in Canon's highly regarded telephoto lineup. This is a lens which can truly be described as a professional workhorse, with robust build (including dust and moisture resistance), wide F2.8 maximum aperture, fast and silent ultrasonic autofocus motor, and optical image stabilization for hand-holding at slow shutter speeds. The optical design is somewhere on the far side of complex; it features 23 elements in 18 groups, with 4 UD elements to provide compensation for chromatic aberration. According to Canon, this gives a 'high-resolution, high-contrast optical capability', as demanded from a lens which needs to perform all day, every day in the hands of professional photographers across a wide range of subjects and conditions.
The 70-200mm is an EF lens, and has presumably been designed from the outset for optimum performance on Canon's professional 1-series DSLRs, with their full-frame 35mm and 1.3x crop (APS-H) formats (indeed the original EOS-1D was announced just a month after this lens, with the full-frame EOS-1Ds following a year later). However it's also fully at home on all of Canon's APS-C DSLRS, here providing a 112-320mm equivalent angle of view.
Of course Canon's use of multiple sensor formats across their DSLR range has until recently been unique, and raises some interesting questions with regard to lens design, given the different demands of each format (35mm full frame requires consistent sharpness across a 43mm diameter image circle, but APS-C demands higher spatial resolution within its 28mm image circle). Canon have also, with successive generations of the EOS-1Ds series, pushed the megapixel race ever-further into territory once the sole preserve of medium-format digital backs, and with the 21Mp Mark III have maintained their position as the undisputed champions of absolute image quality in the 35mm DSLR format (at least until Sony's 24Mp sensor makes its way into a production camera). However there's arguably little point in ever-inflating pixel counts unless the lenses can deliver the resolution to match, and the 70-200mm F2.8 L IS USM is likely to be a key weapon in the armoury of many a full-frame shooter; so can it deliver the image quality required?
The pictures below illustrate the focal length range from wide to telephoto, on 35mm full-frame and APS-C camera bodies:
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| 70mm (full frame) | 200mm (full frame) |
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| 70mm (APS-C; 112mm equivalent) | 200mm (APS-C; 320mm equivalent) |
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| Street price | • US: $1700 • UK: £1250 |
|---|---|
| Date introduced | August 2001 |
| Maximum format size | 35mm full frame |
| Focal length | 70-200mm |
| 35mm equivalent focal length (APS-C) | 112-320mm |
| Diagonal Angle of view (FF) | 34º - 12º |
| Diagonal Angle of view (APS-C) | 23º - 8º |
| Maximum aperture | F2.8 |
| Minimum aperture | F32 |
| Lens Construction | • 23 elements/18 groups • 4 UD elements |
| Number of diaphragm blades | 8 |
| Minimum focus | 1.4m |
| Maximum magnification | 0.17x at 200mm |
| AF motor type | • Ring-type Ultrasonic Motor • Full-time manual focus |
| Focus method | Internal |
| Zoom method | Internal |
| Image stabilization | • 3 stops • Dual mode - Normal and panning |
| Filter thread | • 77mm • Does not rotate on focus |
| Supplied accessories | • Front and rear caps • ET-86 Hood • LZ1324 Soft Case |
| Weight | 1570 g (55.4 oz) |
| Dimensions | 86.2 mm diameter x 197 mm length (3.4 x 7.8 in) |
| Lens Mount | Canon EF only |
| Other | Dust and moisture sealing Supplies distance information for E-TTL II flash metering |
* Supplied accessories may differ in each country or area
If you're new to digital photography you may wish to read some of our Digital Photography Glossary before diving into this article (it may help you understand some of the terms used).
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Dpreview use calibrated monitors at the PC normal gamma 2.2, this means that on our monitors we can make out the difference between all of the grayscale blocks below. We recommend to make the most of this review you should be able to see the difference (at least) between X,Y and Z and ideally also A, B and C.
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Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras | $2,499.00 |
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras | $1,449.00 |
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras | $2,337.59 |
Canon EF 70-200mm f/4 L IS USM Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras | $1,349.00 |
Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM Standard Zoom Lens | Too low to display |
Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L USM Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras | Too low to display |
Canon EF 200mm f/2.8L II USM Telephoto Lens for Canon SLR Cameras | $819.00 |
Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM Standard Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras | $1,750.00 |
Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM Lens for Canon EOS SLR Cameras | Too low to display |
Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM UD Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon EOS SLR Cameras | $1,599.00 |
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