70-200 f4 IS or the 70-200 f2.8 IS??

I am afraid I've been tasked to shoot a friends wedding in May and I just picked up a 5D II to replace my somewhat outdated 20D, which by the way, I am totally loving...the images even at high ISO's like 1600 and 3200 are simply incredible. I never shot my 20D above 800 but now I feel like I have a whole new arena to work with.


My question is mostly directed at those who may already have the 5d II and the 70-200 f4 IS or the 70-200 2.8 IS combo's. I currently have the 70-200 f4 IS and I'm wondering if that will be a fast enough lens for the wedding with my newly found extra leeway in the 5D II. I have rented the 2.8 on several occasions to use with my 20D, which has worked out well but now I don't know if I really need to. I know there are those who will always push for the fastest lens possible but I was hoping to get some real experiences from people...thanks!!

If you aren't using a flash, then weddings are all about low light. For that reason, I would go with the 70-200 f/2.8 IS. However, also look at Canon's collection of fast L primes: the 35mm 1.4, 50mm 1.2, 85mm 1.2, and 135mm 2.

Yes the 70-200 f/4 IS will be fast enough for wedding especially when you have great ISO noise performance of the 5D and 5D II. The f/4 IS also has 4-stop image stabilization.

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Originally Posted by Bill M.

I currently have the 70-200 f4 IS and I'm wondering if that will be a fast enough lens for the wedding with my newly found extra leeway in the 5D II

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That's how I shoot my 70-200 f/4 L IS and 5D2 and it's more than enough.The advantage is more than a single stop, so you'll get even less noise than you did with 70-200 f/2.8 L IS on the 20D. It doesn't activate the f/2.8 autofocus sensor, but it still seems accurate enough in low light for f/4.

My experience shooting weddings has convinced me that if I was to rent or buy a lens specifically for low-light work, it would be a really fast prime, like the 50/1.4 or 85/1.8. The f/1.2~1.4 L lenses are probably fantastic, but who really has $1600+ to drop on a lens for one wedding.


My guess is you'll use the 70-200 during the ceremony, or for formal portraits, in which case there won't be a lot of movement, so the IS paired with a high ISO on your f/4 lens will probably be adequate. It's the reception that is usually darkest, and there a 70-200mm lens is often too long to be useful anyway.

Thankyou everyone for your input. I'm thinking that the f4 will be enough for the wedding, the ceremony is outdoors as well and if the weather holds up, I should have pretty good light to shoot in anyway for that part.


nrdavis, I do agree that the 70-200 is a bit long most of the time for the reception but I do like for the occasional shot from across the room to catch an expression or two without being noticed.


I've heard good things about the 85 1.8 but better things about the 85 1.2. I can rent the 85 1.2 for pretty cheap money but I've also read that it can be a little tricky to use wide open as the DOF is razor thin. I originally stayed away from that lens when I was just using my 20D because I thought it would be a little long for most portraits but now I think it would be fine with the 5D II. Anyone with thoughts about this? I do want a fast prime to have with me...

I like the 85 f/1.2 (II?) on a full frame. It's wide enough to be useful, though the minimum focusing distance is such that you better be out of arm's reach to take a picture, even if you've got long arms.


You do need to be conscious about focus with it, but it seems to focus pretty accurately. Plus, you can always dial it back to f/2 or something.

Do you "need" the thinner DoF of the 2.8? That can be a big factor that the f/4 lenses can't do.


Do you need the action-stopping of the 2.8? That can be a big factor as well.


When shooting still objects, your 70-200/4IS has about the same shutter speed/camera shake limits as the 70-200/2.8IS, due to differences in the IS units. For people, that stop of aperture can really change the landscape.