Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II - or - Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II

kevindar wrote:

own the 70-200 f4L IS, 70-200 2.8L II, and the original 100-400L.

for the price of a 100-400L II, you can upgrade your 70-200 f4LIS to 2.8 IS II, and buy a 100-400L. For indoor sports, the 2.8 II is the most useful zoom, and some might still not consider it bright enough. I also like it much better for portraiture and family picture.

the 100-400L, both versions, do perfectly fine for outdoors sports, though the version II is without a doubt better at tracking. It also has better IS, and over all sharper at most focal length. Centeral sharpness is not much different at 400 and 5.6 compared to a good copy of the old lens, and corner sharpness is better.

If you want to shoot family and sport indoor, the 2.8 IS II is a big upgrade (if you can manage the size). both 100-400s are 4.5 at 100mm. they are just not great family/protrait lenses in my opinion.

Thanks a lot kevindar!

For sharing your invaluable owner experience and your flickr link.

My original plan was to upgrade my 70-200f/4L IS to the 70-200f/2.8L IS II last year. Then came the 100-400f/4.5-5.6L IS II and it made me think. Do I want two big & heavy lenses? Yes if I really have a real use for them.

• Q1 How important will the one stop faster 70-200f/2.8L IS II become if and when my son stops playing all indoor sports?
• Q2 Other than indoors, what are the most important advantages of the 70-200f/2.8L IS II making it worth the cost and weight over the 70-200f/4L IS?
• Q3 I will likely only bring one tele zoom on my vacations. Which one is the best for most family vacations?
• Q4 How often do you use your 100-400f/4.5-5.6L MK I, 70-200f/4L IS and 70-200f/2.8L IS II?

My wife argues quality over quantity and is still for upgrading 70-200f/4L IS to 70-200f/2.8L IS II a lens FL that is used a lot first rader than spending the same money on 100-400f/4.5-5.6L IS II a speciality lens for wildlife and birding and general longer reach that has no 70-99mm and is a little slower at 100mm f4.5 than my current f4 lens. As you point out "not great for family/portrait"

Our son has stopped playing fotboll/soccer so no more outdoors sports for now. Very likely he will quit all sports but tennis outdoors very soon.