Canon EF 70-200 camparisons

Hi All,

Im looking to drop some coin on a new lens this week. Ive been reading Bryan's reviews for months on Canon's 70-200mm family, and I was wondering if someone could give me some recommendations based on their own experiences.

As an amateur / hobbyist the f/2.8 L IS II USM is out of my budget - I'm torn deciding between the f/4.0 L IS USM and the f/2.8 L USM.

I like the idea of the f/2.8 stop, but am also keen on the IS the f/4 offers.

Im hoping to take advantage of the 2.8 with action photography, (potentially with a 1.4 extender) for motorsports, but I know realistically it will be used far more frequently on landscape and portrait photos.

Any feed back from those who have had experience with the above would be greatly appreciated.

It seems your thoughts are right on track.....if you want or need action/low light shots and want to use converters go for the Version I f/2.8. Otherwise the f/4 is a great performer. It's lighter and easier to handle and it is a very sharp lens.

I have Version II of the f/2.8 IS USM and previously had Version I.....they are both stellar, Version II is slightly sharper especially with converters.

I have the f/4 IS version and use extenders with it all the time. I use mine inside a bunch and just have to bump the ISO up another notch, but if your not shooting fast subjects indoors with it, the IS is awesome in that lens. I use mine outside for landscapes, birds when needed, and kids sports. The AF is as fast if not faster than the f/2.8 version. I think the f/4 IS version is sharper than the f/2.8 L non-IS.

I think that if you're looking at the f/4 lens, you should consider the 70-300L as well. It's as sharp, has IS, and goes further. The downside is the variable aperture, but it's not much of a downside, in my view, in the particular case. It goes to f/5.6 well after 200mm, so you can ignore the "But it's a full stop slower!" argument. It's at f/5.0 for the last 25mm or so before 200mm, which is the biggest drawback. For the majority of the zoom range, it's the same f/4 or just 1/3 of a stop slower. In the end, it's up to you whether f/4 at 200mm or going to 300mm is more important.

What shutter speeds are you getting in similar focal lengths? If 1/EFL or faster, go with the 2.8. If 16/EFL to 1/EFL, go with the 4IS. If slower than 16/EFL, get a tripod. ;)
I/we own a 2.8 IS (v1, not vII) and a 4IS. My wife usually has the 4IS as she prefers the lighter lens. If she isn't shooting and I think I'll have enough light, I grab the 4IS. I'm keeping an eye out for a used 4 non-IS to have at my disposal.