Buying decisions: 70-200 4 IS or 2.8 non IS AND 17-40 or 10-22?

[mchorvat]

I have three of the four: 70-200mm f2.8 IS; 17-40mm; 10-22mm


I have a Rebel XT that I initially mated with the 17-40. Great walk around lens. It could maybe use a bit more reach at times. It makes up for that in image quality. Not being able to get into a FF body for a few years (5D II might happen this year) I wanted a lens that was wider.


Hence the 10-22. As the review on this site states it is a pretty nice build and would be L if not for the EF-S limitation. I really enjoy this glass for landscapes and architecture. It is wide, really wide. Group portraits, casual settings and candids can get really wonky, really fast. It is fun, but I usually make sure I have the 17-40 in my bag just in case.I do find myself having to go back and correct CA in contrasty lighting conditions. It's minimal but if I can see it on my 8.0mp body then it is there.


If you think FF is going to happen in the near future, I would go with the 17-40. If not, you might want to try the 10-22. At least you can back out the 50 if needed.


As for the tele, tough call. The IS is great for indoor shots. Outdoors the added f-stop will help you stop more action when the sky is overcast. So, say you're at the air/water show in July but it overcast. You'd like to have f2.8 when you want to stop the afterburner on the f-22 raptor. I know, it's 50% more cash than the f4 IS. Consider it an heirloom.

[Snap]

Hi all,


I have a 450D and the 24-105mm f/4. Looking to get a longer lens and the 70-200mm f/2.8 IS seems ideal. I have young kids who scoot around pretty fast, and would prefer a wider aperture to better stop action.


The thing that's holding me back though is that the 70-200mm f/2.8 IS seems to have been around a while: it was introduced in Sep 2001. 7-years is a pretty long time for a product to be out. I'm thinking it's long overdue for an upgrade in the form of a 70-200mm f/2.8 IS II.


The original 16-35mm f/2.8 was released in Dec 2001, just 4-months after the 70-200mm f/2.8 IS. And Canon introduced the new and improved 16-35mm f/2.8 II about a year back. I'm speculating it'll be fairly soon beforethe 70-200mm f/2.8 ISfollows suit -- upgraded IS from 3-stops to 4, replacement of 2 UD elements with 1 fluorite lens (similar to the f4s) for better optical performance.


Would very much appreciate your advise and thoughts, folks,on the likelihood of the 70-200mm f/2.8 IS being updated with a Mark II within the next 12 to 18-months.