what are the fastest-focussing canon lenses out there?

[memostothefuture]

usually I use ai servo when dealing with athletes running around. I tend to limit the focus points in that case so I don

[Sheiky]

What camera do you use? Because honestly I don

[freelanceshots]

your tele primes should be the fastest like the 300 f2.8 and 400 f2.8 and that is why they are the premier sports/action lenses. I'd say next is the 70-200 f2.8 line of lenses. These lenses will not be the best choice for close up action unless you manually focus to get it close before hand. I've missed many close up shots at the spur of a moment with my 70-200 because there just was not enough time to get the focus before I made the camera take the shot. can't be focused on something far away and then expect to focus on something really close super quickly. Since the focus range is so large it just takes these lenses and others extra time to go from one extreme to the other. I missed a great snap shot while working for the newspaper of past president Bill Clinton looking out the limo when he was in town and leaving the Funeral of Bill Guatwney Democratic Chairman that was gunned down in Little Rock. It was a unique moment and I wish I could have gotten it because it came so quickly. A brief moment in time forever lost.

[memostothefuture]

sorry to hear that, freelanceshots. I had a few nice moments this weekend that I missed because of that myself, albeit moments that were much less significant. no complaints about the 70-200 f2.8 LII here though. it performs exactly as I expected. same goes for my 16-35 f2.8 L (I). both rock. any thoughts on the 24-70? is it good for this kind of task?


I use the 7D mostly but I

[Richard Lane]

I agree with freelance, that the fastest lenses will be the Primes.


I would say that fastest Canon Lenses would be the 85/1.8, 100mm f/2.0, 135 f/2L, 100mm f/2.8 Macro, 100mm f/2.8L IS Macro, 200mm f/2L, 200mm f/2.8L, 300mm f/2.8L, 400mm f/2.8L. These are not in any particular speed order, just keep in mind that it's easier for shorter focal lengths to move less glass faster with the USM motor. Then when the aperture gets too wide, the lens starts to slow down again due to the larger, heavier glass that is required to let this much light in. I think it will also be safe to assume, that there will be a decrease in speed as the lens gets much longer and heavier.


I've never used the 24mm, 35mm and 50mm primes, but I do have the 85mm f/1.2L and this is the slowest lens that I have ever used due to it's large glass, if you pre-focus then it can work, but that's not what this thread is about.


I also have the 24-70mm f/2.8L and 70-200mm f/2.8L II and they are very fast as well.


I referred to Bryan's list of Lenses that he has reviewed here, to help me comprise the list above. Thanks Bryan!


Rich

[Sheiky]

I would say that fastest Canon Lenses would be the 85/1.8, 100mm f/2.0, 135 f/2L, 100mm f/2.8 Macro, 100mm f/2.8L IS Macro, 200mm f/2L, 200mm f/2.8L, 300mm f/2.8L, 400mm f/2.8L

I believe you on the primes, but the 100mm macro lenses definitely don't fit in the fastest focusing lenses section. I have had both(still have the L) and the 70-200 f4L IS beats both of them easily on AF speed during sportsphotography.


Still I doubt that you'd really notice AF speed differences between lets say the 70-200 f2.8 L IS II and for instance the 200mm f2.8. Yes it's fast and it feels fast, but I doubt that you'd get a much higher keeper rate when shooting sports with either one on a 5D2. A 7D might be a little bit better, but I still think the camera is the slowest part in the equation. If you really want to get a noticeable difference in keeper rates, I think you're better off with a 1D instead of a 5D/7D due to the even smaller shutter-lag.


When I switched from a 450D to a 50D with a 70-200, my keeper rate pretty much doubled. With the 450D I needed to really time my shots(click just in front of the action). The 70-200 however was just as fast on both camera's.

if you pre-focus then it can work, but that's not what this thread is about.

If you don't pre-focus and your focus is way off, finding the target might even take more time than the actual focusing [] I know I had a hard time focusing/searching through the viewfinder at an airshow when the focus was way off at 400mm[:P] Those times I zoomed back to 100mm, searched my target and zoomed back in, so it was pre-focusing after all...


Jan

[wickerprints]

The AF speed of a lens depends on multiple factors:

1. The body used: 1D-series bodies process AF information faster than lower-end bodies, and therefore the focus adjustment is more responsive.
2. The size and type of the AF motor. USM is faster than non-USM, and the larger the USM diameter, the more power it has.
3. The size and weight of the focusing group. Lenses with heavy focusing groups tend to be more slow to focus, since the motor must work harder to move those elements.
4. The sensitivity of focus to the movement of the focusing group. Lenses that have a short travel are faster to AF, but are also less precise, because the stepping increment is larger relative to the length of the helical.
5. Lighting conditions: some lens/body combinations are faster to focus in low light than other combinations.

Thus, the EF 85/1.2L design is a slow-focusing lens because, although it is the only lens besides the 200/2L, 300/2.8L, and fast supertelephoto primes to employ Canon's largest-diameter 77mm USM, the optical design is such that focusing is achieved by moving all elements excluding the rearmost. Even the EMD is moved. It has one of the most power-demanding requirements of any EF lens.


The EF 100/2.8L macro IS is an example of a lens that can focus quickly or slowly, depending on how it is used. This is because the lens is designed so that most of its focusing helical is devoted to subject distances less than 1 meter, and only a very small portion is reserved for 1m - infinity. So if your subject is close, focusing can be slow; if your subject is distant, focusing can be very fast. This is intentional, of course, because it is a macro lens. The use of the focusing limiter switch is one way to improve AF speed.


The fast supertelephoto primes are fast-focusing because they have a large USM and the focusing group is small and relatively lightweight, without a complex floating design that is found in zoom designs.

[HDNitehawk]

While the suretele

[memostothefuture]

first off: I always love the high quality answers I get here. thank you all for that.


rich, I have the 70-200 f2.8 LII IS as well - is the 24-70 as fast? (that would be great imho.)


jan and wickerprints, I appreciate your advice on the bodies. not sure if my immediate budget will allow for an upgrade but it finally explains to me why I should invest in those bodies when up until now the 7D seemed fine to me. (image size didn

[Richard Lane]

I believe you on the primes, but the 100mm macro lenses definitely don't fit in the fastest focusing lenses section.


I have had both(still have the L) and the 70-200 f4L IS beats both of them easily on AF speed during sportsphotography.

if you pre-focus then it can work, but that's not what this thread is about.

If you don't pre-focus and your focus is way off, finding the target might even take more time than the actual focusing [img]/emoticons/emotion-5.gif[/img] I know I had a hard time focusing/searching through the viewfinder at an airshow when the focus was way off at 400mm[img]/emoticons/emotion-4.gif[/img] Those times I zoomed back to 100mm, searched my target and zoomed back in, so it was pre-focusing after all...


<span style="font-size: 10px;"]

<span style="font-size: 10px;"]<span style="font-size: small;"]As far as pre-focusing I was referring to the very slow and delectable 85mm f/1.2L.


<span style="font-size: 10px;"]<span style="font-size: small;"]I agree that it would be tough to prefocus on a plane in flight with the 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L, since you don't know where it's going and where it will end up in order to prefocus on a pre-determined distance point. I don't own this lens so I don't know how fast or slow it is. I would guess that it is on the slow side since it's a variable aperture zoom and f/5.6 @ 400mm. I certainly think it's a great zoom range for an Air Show. As HDNitehawk has mentioned, the super-telephotos have a nice pre-focus ring that is useful if you know what your pre-focus distance will be.


<span style="font-size: small;"]The 100mmL Macro IS focuses just as fast as any other 2.8 lens that I have. The key to the fast AF is to make sure that you don't manually rack the focus ring into the macro range. If you look on the barrel of the lens, make sure that you "don't start within the yellow markings on the barrel between 1:1 or 1:5", what you want to do is start with the white markings on the barrel at 1M, as Wickerprints has suggested, if you do that when you start shooting sports then this lens can AF just as fast as the other f/2.8's mentioned in this thread. If you accidentally, manually go into the macro range then you are no longer using it as a standard 100mm lens so all bets are off and you won't be able to AF on far objects. <span><span style="font-size: small;"]Also make sure that the distance limiter switch on the barrel is selected to the appropriate distance.<span><span style="font-size: small;"]


<span style="font-size: small;"]The same rule applies for the 24-70mm f/2.8L macro, however the non-macro range starts at 0.7m on the lens barrel. This lens however can seem to get itself out of macro mode much easier than the true macro 100mm f/2.8L IS.


<span style="font-size: small;"]Since I don't own the older model of the 100mm f/2.8 macro, I will refer you to Bryan's review;


http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EF-100mm-f-2.8-USM-Macro-Lens-Review.aspx


<span style="font-size: small;"]Bryan's Quote:


<span style="font-size: 10px;"]<span style="font-size: small;"]"Utilizing USM (Ultrasonic Motor), the Canon 100 Macro internally<span style="font-size: small;"]focuses very fast<span style="font-size: small;"],<span style="font-size: small;"]quietly<span style="font-size: small;"]and<span style="font-size: small;"]very accurately<span style="font-size: small;"]. I've been questioned on the fast AF statement several times since writing this review. I've rechecked my lens and, though it takes a little time to go from 1:1 macro to infinity, it focuses very fast at normal focusing distances. The second person to question this exchanged their lens for another - the replacement was much faster than the original lens they received. This would indicate to me that there may be an issue with some samples of the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro Lens. Another site visitor emailed me - they were ecstatic that a firmware upgrade to theirCanon EOS 1D Mark III DSLR[/i]<span style="font-size: small;"]resolved their 100mm Macro focusing speed issue. Also note that there is a discontinued non-USM version of this lens. Keep these datapoints in mind if you run into a slow version of this lens."





<span style="font-size: small;"]I suspect the discrepancy in AF speed regarding this 100mm Macro lens may have to due with people accidentally or unknowingly wandering into the Macro range, where it will be as slow as a turtle. Anyone who owns this lens should give it a try, and then they'll understand the discrepancies from Macro AF Speed, to Normal Range Fast AF speed. Their also may be other explanations as Bryan has alluded to; such as an older non-USM version, a bad copy, or out of date firmware.


<span style="font-size: small;"]



Rich