EF 200mm f2 , how much do you use it and for what?

[Quasimodo]

Anyone here selling a used, mint 200 f2? PM me.

In the Netherlands they are selling, don't know where you are though...

http://link.marktplaats.nl/702492857

Thanks man, it's a great price, unfortunately I live in Norway so I have to add 25% tax, so it totals about 600 eur more than the last used one here. But I'll def think about that one.

Wow...That is almost 1000 euro....
Worth the trouble to come and fetch it, and smuggle it into Norway....

Lol, the thought has crossed my mind a few times. The problem is to smuggle a big case like that. And in Norway they're so strict so that if I leave for a vacation with my camera and get stopped on the way back, I HAVE to show a Norwegian reciept or else I will pay taxes on it, even if I bought it used 10 years ago and never had the reciept. CRAZY, so I can't take anything with me other than what I have the reciepts for.

Bring your wife and put a Loreal sticker over the Canon. Everytime I bring out the 200, my wife call's it the beauty bag

Btw, I also live in Norway, and I have never had any questions asked when scanning my carry-on at the AirPort

 

[hawaiisunsetphoto]

The EF 200mm f/2.0L IS USM is my favorite lens, which I use for wedding and portrait work. It creates a distinctive look unmatched by any other lens.

 

[Powder Portraits]

As a former owner of a EF 200 1.8 L, dose any one have a opinion how the 1.8 compares to the 2.0 200?

 

[TexPhoto]

I bought a 200mm f1.8 about a year ago, wanting the 200mm f2 IS, but finding a deal on the 1.8. I already owned a 70-200mm f2.8 IS II. The 1.8 had perfect glass but terrible paint.

I found the 1.8 was cool, but not cool enough to justify it. SO big, SO heavy, and while it was awesome, my 2.8 was also awesome.

After 6 months I touched up the paint (Those 80's airbrush skills pay off from time to time) and sold it for about $400 more than I paid.


Untitled by RexPhoto91, on Flickr

 

[Sauropod]

Via CPS I borrowed a 200 f2. When the time came to return it my wife told me to buy one! She absolutely loved the portraits taken with the 200. She had always liked the 70-200 f2.8 II images but, as others have said, the 200's images can possess a magical quality. If only she'd appreciate the portraiture capabilities of the 400 2.8 !

I use the 200 for portraits (where space permits), when I need a "magical" shot with fantastic bokeh, indoor sports, and, my favorite, when I am simply relaxing at a zoo. Also I use it to take pictures of mounted dinosaur bones in less than ideal museum lighting. For me that extra stop can be extremely helpful.

I love using it at small zoos. Below is a shot of an owl I took at Bearizona. My kids call it the 3d lens and love the looks and quips we get when I use it.
http://500px.com/photo/42608594

Admittedly the 70-200 goes with me just about everywhere as it is just so versatile and so good at so much. But if you have a well rounded kit the 200 is, in my opinion, an exquisite acquisition.

Your question about use caused me to look at my LR metadata count by lens. I was caught by surprise as of roughly 100,000 pictures in my main catalog the 70-200 was used for ~10,000 shots, the 200 for ~7,000. A far closer number than I would have guessed.

 

[canon_convert]

cracking shot Sauropod

 

[Atonegro]

As a former owner of a EF 200 1.8 L, dose any one have a opinion how the 1.8 compares to the 2.0 200?

Altough the 1.8 is sharp and has almost no CA, the 2.0 is even sharper and has even less CA.
The corners of the 2.0 are a little bit better, and of course has IS.
In my memory the 1.8 was heavier than the 2.0, but how much I don't know.
And the difference between 1.8 and 2.0 seems small, it is certainly noticible.

 

[Viggo]

Thanks again guys, you have removed all my doubts ;D

@Quasimodo: It's not when you leave the country, it's when you get home. I haven't been stopped there yet, but IF you do however...

 

[Quasimodo]

Thanks again guys, you have removed all my doubts ;D

@Quasimodo: It's not when you leave the country, it's when you get home. I haven't been stopped there yet, but IF you do however...

I know, and being paranoid as I am, I actually have a receipt on my iPad just in case. But the lack of control makes me think that I should buy stuff when abroad.

 

[Viggo]

Thanks again guys, you have removed all my doubts ;D

@Quasimodo: It's not when you leave the country, it's when you get home. I haven't been stopped there yet, but IF you do however...

I know, and being paranoid as I am, I actually have a receipt on my iPad just in case. But the lack of control makes me think that I should buy stuff when abroad.

For sure, I worked at the Airport for ten years, and they go by tips on drugs and other more serious stuff, they usually don't bother with us smalltime smugglers, lol. They have a neat trick though, they have undercover custom officers that stand by the baggage pick-up to listen to all the tourists that talk about how much more than the limit they brought with them

 

[Viggo]

Thanks for all of your helpful replies. I got my 200 today. Done calibrating tonight. Anyone else tried to calibrate the 200 to a 1dX using Reikan Focal? I had a lot of issues. But it looks great now, oh my it's sharp and sweet!

 

[Harry Muff]

What AFMA numbers did you end up with?

 

[Viggo]

What AFMA numbers did you end up with?

For now, without testing I had one run at +11 and then +8, but the strangest thing happened when calibrating, it couldn't focus, I had about 60 shots and 4 valid points! There was a weird ticking sound when focusing and it just wouldn't find the target. And it's not the set up. And when I disconnected it work perfect without that ticking sound, and I had turned IS off.

I'll try it out today and see if it's way off or better than yesterday. Anyone heard of that issue and experienced it?

*edit* did another run today and seems +11 is the absolute best. Still the ticking issue and veryvery hard for Focal to get focused. AF consistency was 83,4% and 92.3% !! Both my 2470 and 70200 was over 99,7% at all focals. But the 200 only has this issue connected to the computer, both Mac and pc with both 1.8 and 1.9 versions.

 

[Viggo]

Haven't heard back from Focal about the focusing issue, but after extensive trial and error I landed at+9 which looks great at distances. And what a lens, I don't think I want to keep the 70-200, I would regret mounting it instead of the 200 every time, lol.

Anybody have a tip for a lens case? Which holds only the lens as snug as possible. I like the Lowepro lens cases.