Your 70-200 f/2.8L IS II...

[Aglet]

I previously owned the 70-200 f/2.8L IS mark I. I wasn't very happy with it; it seemed to lack in sharpness. The mark 2 is a world of difference!

+1
I've had the previous vI IS and the non-IS versions of this lens.
I have a slight preference for the bokeh in both the older versions but this v2 is much sharper on a 5D2 from end to end and right to the corners (almost), so much so I can forgive some loss of bokeh sweetness.  There's a narrow range of focal length, aperture, and non-focus subject distance tho where the bokeh is horrid.  You may rarely see it but if you do, back up or move forward a few feet and recompose to get past the icky aspherical element aberrations.

Great IS, AF is nice and fast and my first copy was as close to perfect as I could hope for
$2200 cdn Dec. 2011.

I would have kept my v1 IS but it was always giving me very soft images at the long end where I most needed the performance, I had to replace it. 

And it's way nicer to use, IMO, than the v2 Nikon equivalent for those who also use that system.
The Canon lens is a joy to use MF, the Nikon has way too much sticktion in the MF ring so it's nearly impossible to do a precise MF with it.  It's otherwise fast and very sharp corner to corner like the Canon.

3rd party note, I also have the Tamron 70-200 f/2.8.  Got one new for $700!  No IS, not fast or precise AF, but very sharp at both ends wide open, weaker in the mid range until you stop down a couple.  Hard to MF with short focus throw but I don't mind it for use on a tripod when I'm not in a hurry.  I hope Tamron will release a stabilized version of this lens that performs as well or better.  Why do I bother with this one?.. Good bokeh in most situations, very smooth, sharp and cheap.  It's worth considering for some users because of the IQ/price.

[AdamJ]

I like my L II, it's very good in all respects.

It's quite heavy but to complain about that would be churlish. I do prefer my lenses to be black, though.

[eli72]

If I could only have one lens, this one would be it. Absolutely fantastic for sports shooting, even handheld. Also good for shooting long shots from the back of a church at a wedding, and for portraits.

[Stephen Melvin]

Hi All,

I'm looking to purchase the 70-200 f/2.8L IS II as my next lens within the next couple of months and want to do some research and get some insights/inputs from users of this lens.  This is rather a pricey lens, so I would like to know as much as possible (practical 1st-hand usage rather than charts) about it prior to purchase.  I use a 5D Mark II.

I'd like to know:

1) what you love about this lens?
2) what don't you like about this lens? 
3) How many times did you return it before you get the right copy (I've heard the 24-70 is known to go through many returns before photogs are happy w/theirs, so I'd like to know if this is the case for the 70-200 f/2.8 as well)?
4) what price did you purchase your's for?  what's a good price to get in now as it seems prices of lenses have gone up lately?
5) anything else you'd like to add...?

Thank you so very much for all your help!!!
I'm so excited and looking forward to this lens.

1. Superb performer. Sharp wide open, lightning fast focus that's always spot on. Excellent IS implementation. Excellent overall usability. There's virtually no room for improvement. Best lens in its class.

2. Wouldn't mind if it weighed less, but physics says that's unlikely.

3. Was perfect the day I got it.

4. I bought mine at the Canon refurbished store. Since they charge sales tax, it wound up being about $2,200. No regrets, though, as I've had zero issues with this lens.

5. If you have the budget, this lens is as "no brainer" as any made, by any manufacturer. It is absolutely perfect. It's very sharp, has state of the art AF and IS, very nice bokeh, a superb hood, is nicely balanced and never gets in your way.

[K-amps]

1) what you love about this lens?
Everything except the weight but thats not a big deal. Whatever shots I take with it are almost always better than the same framing with the other lenses I have used. It blows cheaper lenses aways. People love the shots I take with it... I cannot say this about the other lenses I have, which are nice but I seldom get a "wow" from them like I do so often with this guy. I am a hobbyist so this was a sizeable investment for me.

2) what don't you like about this lens?   Weight and price...

3) How many times did you return it before you get the right copy
I wanted to pay below $2k for it, so i got a refurb for $1999, a week later Adorama reduced price of a new one to $2200 (same price I paid for refurb if you factor in sales tax) so i ordered one and figured i'd return the refurb. Then a week after that BH reduced it to $1974! and I thought let me get this and return the other 2, but I could not cancel the order so at one point in time I had 3 of these babies. I was expecting the refurb to be sharper, but all 3 tested the same without AFMA, so I kept the cheapest (new) one and returned the other 2. This long story was to illustrate how good the QC is on these lenses.

4) what price did you purchase your's for?  what's a good price to get in now as it seems prices of lenses have gone up lately?
$2000 to 2200 for a new one is great. $2300-2400 is ok. $2500 is available everywhere.


5) anything else you'd like to add...?
You will not regret it... before I got it I never thought I'd plonk $2000 on a lens... I am happy to get this over the F4 version even though I tested one F4 and it was a hair sharper wide open (F4) than this was (F2.8 ) but at F4 they were hard to tell apart. Very fast lens, Quick and accurate AF. Makes other lenses seem lacking... Magical!

[bp]

Just buy it.  You'll freaking LOVE it.

Easily my most frequently used lens.  If I'm shooting something that I can afford to miss focus on, or deal with IQ issues to get a different look, I may use another lens from my bag.  But if I absolutely, positively have to have it nailed, tack sharp, for a paying client, this lens is on the camera.

[avatar13]

1) what you love about this lens?
AF speed and sharpness at all apertures

2) what don't you like about this lens? 
I guess the weight, it is 2x the weight of my old f/4 IS which I sold to buy this lens

3) How many times did you return it before you get the right copy (I've heard the 24-70 is known to go through many returns before photogs are happy w/theirs, so I'd like to know if this is the case for the 70-200 f/2.8 as well)?
Did not have any issues with my first and only copy

4) what price did you purchase your's for?  what's a good price to get in now as it seems prices of lenses have gone up lately?
$1974 New, December 2011, bought at Adorama.  I would say anything around 2k is excellent.

5) anything else you'd like to add...?
It's one of the best zoom lens Canon makes.  Enuff said!

[M.ST]

I am happy with my EF 70-200 2.8 II. A very fast lens that delivers very sharp images.

But some photographers reports problems in combination with polfilters. I cannot confirm the problems. I use Singray, B+W and Lee filters.

[xROELOFx]

This is just a really great lens! The size/weight does not really disturb me, I actually like it. When you have it attached to your camera, you feel you have a great piece of quality glass in your hands!

Like the others said, the IQ is superb, bokeh is great, f/2.8 is awesome and the focal length range is sweet too. It's just a very good versatile lens. I have used it for portraits, concert and event photography and even sometimes for wildlife. Combined with a 1.4x extender the IQ is still very good.

You should get it

[bdunbar79]

With a B+W UV filter on FF you will notice darkening of the corners in the sky on a sunny outdoor shot.  No problem since I crop.

[EYEONE]

I'd like to know:

1) what you love about this lens?
2) what don't you like about this lens? 
3) How many times did you return it before you get the right copy (I've heard the 24-70 is known to go through many returns before photogs are happy w/theirs, so I'd like to know if this is the case for the 70-200 f/2.8 as well)?
4) what price did you purchase your's for?  what's a good price to get in now as it seems prices of lenses have gone up lately?
5) anything else you'd like to add...?

1) The build quality, the sharpness, the
2) The only negative is the focal range on a 7D is a tad tight. But I'm about to fix that problem with a 5D3
3) Zero times. Fantastic copy on first purchase
4) $2200 at B&H during rebate time
5) I love this lens a lot. But I can't lie and say I haven't considered selling for a 135mm f2L

[dafrank]

Paid about $2,350.00 for mine just a little while after it came out. It's not cheap, and it could be more than you have to spend. But, at least, you get what you pay for. Only needed one copy; it worked perfectly well and was as sharp as I expected (very!) at all focal lengths. Like everyone else, the one thing that could be better is the weight/size, but that is probably asking the impossible; that's like wanting a roomy 6 passenger car that handled like a Ferarri, weighed 1200 pounds, went 200mph, got 50mpg and cost $2,350.00 - it's not going to happen because of the realities of physics and economics.

If you get this lens, you will use it a lot, unless you want to hike 40 miles or climb mountains with it. It is the single best zoom lens I've ever owned, period. And, it's probably better than all but the very highest end primes in the focal lengths it offers.

As an aside, the 70-200's  "L" cousin, the current 24-70 f/2.8, is the lens that has had some documented QC issues with some lenses being markedly different than others (my "keeper" is the third one I tried out), but even the best samples pale by comparison to the optical quality of the 70-200 f/2.8 IS v2. Thank goodness there's a new v2 of the 24-70 coming soon to better match its stellar cousin, because so many of us have both these lenses in our basic camera kits.

As to the 70-200 f/2.8 IS v2, if you're looking for an excuse not to buy it, you won't find it from me.

Regards,
David

[DigitalDivide]

1) what you love about this lens?
2) what don't you like about this lens? 
3) How many times did you return it before you get the right copy (I've heard the 24-70 is known to go through many returns before photogs are happy w/theirs, so I'd like to know if this is the case for the 70-200 f/2.8 as well)?
4) what price did you purchase your's for?  what's a good price to get in now as it seems prices of lenses have gone up lately?
5) anything else you'd like to add...?

I haven't used this lens extensively yet as I just got it a few weeks ago, but I'm already loving it.  I already have the 70-200 f/4 L IS which is another great lens, but I decided I wanted the extra stop for DOF control.  I had a chance to use it during the Olympic torch relay recently.  I got a couple of good shots although the runner passed by very quickly and the crowds make it difficult to get a clear view.  The lens performed very well under these difficult circumstances.  (I used the center AF point in AI servo mode on my 5D2.)

1.  The focal length range is very versatile on FF, making this a great all-rounder for sports and action shots.  It is fast enough to handle moderately low light, and the aperture is wide enough for portraits and blurred backgrounds.  I'm looking forward to trying it with my 1.4X TC as the loss of IQ should be quite small.  I find the combination of my 24-105 f/4L and a 70-200, plus the TC and an extension tube, covers most shooting situations in a compact and relatively light weight kit for travel photography.
2.  The first thing that comes to mind is the MFD - it is noticeably greater than the 70-200 f/4 L, and it makes the lens significantly less useable for casual closeups.  It is heavy, but I stood around for over an hour at the relay and didn't really notice it.  I was using a Black Rapid strap, which helped.  I find the weight most noticeable when it is in my camera bag (I think I must have weak shoulders!)  Nobody seemed to find it conspicuous in the crowd, maybe because I was standing next to an ITV cameraman
3.  I haven't returned it, it seems fine.  I think it may be front focusing just a tad, so I will try AFMA.  Partly I am just not used to the small depth of field at these focal lengths.  With a cheap consumer lens at f/5.6 you get plenty of DOF, but at f/2.8 that is no longer the case.
4.  I got mine for about $2,300 during the last round of Canon rebates.  Sounds like I missed the lowest prices at the end of last year, but I didn't have the cash to buy it then.  Although it is a pricey acquisition for an amateur, the lens has such a great reputation that it should be worth near what I paid if I ever need to sell it.
5.  The build quality is simply fabulous!  In short, it is good enough to replace a bag full of primes in most situations.

[drjlo]

70-200 II is so sharp and contrasty even at f/2.8, it puts many primes to shame.  Bokeh is very nice for a f/2.8 zoom, esp at the 200mm end, e.g. photo below taken at f/2.8.


DZ3C0158 by drjlo1, on Flickr

[ScottyP]

Love mine.  It grabs focus so quickly it is a little startling at first, even though it is also nearly silent.  I never really notice the weight.  I agree with Neuro that on a crop frame it is long indoors UNLESS you are talking about a large public space or an indoor gym, in which case it is maybe the best lens in the world.