Thnking of buying the canon 70-200 f4(without IS). What is your experience owning this lens--does the IS "really" add that much more versatility or will a tripod take up the slack? Surmising that everything else is in synch with the IS model, I could use some constructive feedback. Thanks.
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70-200
- Thread starter mitch R
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Peter Nelson
Veteran Member
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Artist Eye's
I have both.
The 70-200mm f/4 L is a very good lens. Usefull mainly for outside. It's very sharp and the colors are excellent. It's also light and not very large. A good walk around camera.
If you need to use it inside just get a 580EX flash unit (and off camera bracket) and there you go, it will work perfectly. The benifit here is that you can now use the flash with all your lenses and they will now work perfectly inside!
The 70-200mm f/2.8 IS L is also a very good lens. When used outside it will allow you to shoot in slightly darker conditions. Aslo the 2.8 gives better bokeh.
When used inside, if the subject is not moving the IS will help you out, also if you don't mind shallow depth of field you can use the f stop advantage. I do. You should still use flash to get the colors in the photo to look their best. Also it's a lot heavier and larger then the f/4 non IS version. After a while it's a bother. But if you have a light camera then the effect is less pronounced.
If used inside when flash is not allowed then the f stop advantage will work in your favor, just don't expect f/2.8 and IS to always work, but for most shots and if the subject is still then it will work more often than not.
Cost is @ $570 vs. $1,600. Image quality is overall very good and much the same for each lens.
Artist Eye's
I have both.
The 70-200mm f/4 L is a very good lens. Usefull mainly for outside. It's very sharp and the colors are excellent. It's also light and not very large. A good walk around camera.
If you need to use it inside just get a 580EX flash unit (and off camera bracket) and there you go, it will work perfectly. The benifit here is that you can now use the flash with all your lenses and they will now work perfectly inside!
The 70-200mm f/2.8 IS L is also a very good lens. When used outside it will allow you to shoot in slightly darker conditions. Aslo the 2.8 gives better bokeh.
When used inside, if the subject is not moving the IS will help you out, also if you don't mind shallow depth of field you can use the f stop advantage. I do. You should still use flash to get the colors in the photo to look their best. Also it's a lot heavier and larger then the f/4 non IS version. After a while it's a bother. But if you have a light camera then the effect is less pronounced.
If used inside when flash is not allowed then the f stop advantage will work in your favor, just don't expect f/2.8 and IS to always work, but for most shots and if the subject is still then it will work more often than not.
Cost is @ $570 vs. $1,600. Image quality is overall very good and much the same for each lens.
RatRanch
Member
I have the f/4, non-IS lens and love it. I primarily use it for shooting wildlife outdoors (frequently with a tripod), so the lack of IS has never been an issue for me. This lens has superb color, contrast and sharpness. It's not heavy to carry around and it's built like a tank. I don't think any other lens in Canon's lineup offers as much "bang for the buck".
Also works great with the 1.4 TC if a bit more reach is needed.
-Jim
Also works great with the 1.4 TC if a bit more reach is needed.
-Jim
I've got it, and also a 75-300 IS (yeah, the old one.) I haven't used the 75-300 since getting the 70-200, because after looking at the results of the new lens, and then looking at some older pics done with the 75-300, I could barely call any keepers. That said, the new 70-300 is supposed to have much better IQ than the 75-300, and mine has taken some abuse, possibly making it worse than average.
The 70-200 f/4 is a very nice lens for what it is. It's great in bright light, and good for outdoor sports (or other fast moving things.) when the f/2.8 is out of your budget. If you use a tripod for most of your telephoto work, then you won't miss the IS at all.
I do miss the IS. I'll probably get the 100-400 someday to get a good compromise. I definitely plan to keep the 70-200 though.
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3oD, Fifty f/one.eight, twenty8-1o5 f/three.five-four.five, Seventy-2hundred f/fourL
The 70-200 f/4 is a very nice lens for what it is. It's great in bright light, and good for outdoor sports (or other fast moving things.) when the f/2.8 is out of your budget. If you use a tripod for most of your telephoto work, then you won't miss the IS at all.
I do miss the IS. I'll probably get the 100-400 someday to get a good compromise. I definitely plan to keep the 70-200 though.
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3oD, Fifty f/one.eight, twenty8-1o5 f/three.five-four.five, Seventy-2hundred f/fourL
ed rader
Veteran Member
and now own the IS. the IS makes the lens much more versatile but of course at a pretty hefty premium.
both lenses are excellent through their ranges.
ed rader
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'One often has mixed feelings about relatives, but few people could identify serious problems in their relationships with dogs.'
-- Anonymous
both lenses are excellent through their ranges.
ed rader
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'One often has mixed feelings about relatives, but few people could identify serious problems in their relationships with dogs.'
-- Anonymous
Can anyone show some examples of when IS helped get a shot that the non-IS lens would not have gotten?
Al Tiangco
Member
I have had the 70-400 f4L for almost 6 months now and it has not let me down yet. I use it mostly outdoors as my walk around lens. Performs well without a tripod and even better with a tripod. Much lighter than the IS version. Having a 30D body and this lens probably is my limit in carrying around. Anything heavier is just too much. Pics come out very sharp !!
Use it in tennis, golf, and family outdoor activities.
I also have used this lens indoors with a 580ex flash unit and it performed very well. Very nice portrait shots with excellent IQ.
This lens is definitely a keeper.
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AL
Use it in tennis, golf, and family outdoor activities.
I also have used this lens indoors with a 580ex flash unit and it performed very well. Very nice portrait shots with excellent IQ.
This lens is definitely a keeper.
--
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AL
Thanks so much for all the input. I rely on this wonderful forum to make the right choice(s) and so far haven't been disappointed. I'm going ahead to buy the f4 (-IS) and maybe later step up to the stablization. Again, thanks all.
Mitch
Mitch
Would IS work in any of the above scenarios? Or not?
blackhawk13
Veteran Member
--I have the f/2.8 IS version. The IS is superb and is one of the reasons it's such a fun lense to own. It also allows panning tricks. I rarely shoot this lense on a tripod and that in it's self should tell you something.
-the old man down the road-
-the old man down the road-
mcomisar
Well-known member
http://www.comisar.net/samples/70-200L/woodduck.html
shot at 1/80s with the 1.4x. Using the general rule of thumb, the slowest shutter speed for hand holdability would be 1/(200 * 1.6 * 1.4) = 1/448
granted in this case I could have turned the ISO up. But from my experience the results at low ISO are much better than high.
here is another shot at 200mm 1/40s ISO 1600. It was very dark... In this case you can see the motion blur. I think if i improve my technique, these sorts of shots will come out much better:
http://www.comisar.net/samples/70-200L/yellowbird.html
here are the rest of my samples (i hope to get out this weekend and get more).
http://www.comisar.net/samples/70-200L/
Here are two very slow ones. These are hand held and not postprocessed.
Date/Time 19-Nov-2006 14:39:48
Make Canon
Model Canon EOS 400D DIGITAL
Flash Used No
Focal Length 173 mm
Exposure Time 1/20 sec
Aperture f/7.1
ISO Equivalent 100
Date/Time 19-Nov-2006 14:50:47
Make Canon
Model Canon EOS 400D DIGITAL
Flash Used No
Focal Length 150 mm
Exposure Time 1/30 sec
Aperture f/4
ISO Equivalent 100
And here is a link to a 100% unprocesswed crop at 1/20 sec.
http://www.pbase.com/carmel_palti/image/70663504/original
Carmel
mcomisar
Well-known member
wow thats crazy! clearly my technique needs work.
mcomisar
Well-known member
any suggestions?
mcomisar
Looked at your images, they look great, very sharp at 280mm.
I was just lucky, didn't do much. The birds were close, standing still, had a dark background and I was able to lean on a post, light was also good.
This is a great lens, I had the f2.8 and liked this one better.
Carmel
Really??
Yes, don't start me on this...
For my needs, the f4 was better.
I have found the f2.8 wide open to be soft so I found myself using smaller apertures.
The f4 IS was sharper wide open compare to the 2.8 IS wide open but was also sharper when comparing f4 on both. The 2.8 was better above 5.6 though. Have used two copies of the 2.8.
Another factor was the weight. It is not the carry around factor but the actual hold at eye level which caused further motion with 2.8 lens.
Might not be popular opinion here... but that was my experience.
Carmel
mcomisar
Well-known member
I havent tried the 2.8, but i carried the f4 around for about 4 hrs at the zoo one afternoon and could feel the strain toward the end... I certainly wouldnt want to carry something heavier for that long.
Robert Holloway
Veteran Member
I have 3 IS lenses and the only use of IS is for indoors or very low light - that is not generally tennis, golf and families outdoors
I use the 70-200/f4 non Is for what you describe and IS would not be that useful for those shots
IS generally adds weight and cost. It's a nice feature, but not for all shooting occasions.
Remember that the 2.8L IS is also a stop fater as well
Rob
Taking pictures first, equipment second
I use the 70-200/f4 non Is for what you describe and IS would not be that useful for those shots
IS generally adds weight and cost. It's a nice feature, but not for all shooting occasions.
Remember that the 2.8L IS is also a stop fater as well
Rob
--
Taking pictures first, equipment second
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