IS mandatory? 70-200 f/4 IS vs. f/2.8 Non-IS

[paul13walnut5]

My 2 cents. I shoot video so the camera is generally supported, even for stills on my day iff I'll use a monopod at least:

F2.8 pays dividend for af speed. All EOS DSLRs benefit from F2.8 or faster lenses in terms of AF. A camera with great Af like my 7d becomes brilliant, a camera with mediocre af becomes quite good (like my 600d, in crntre spot select at least) regardless of actual shooting aperture.

F2.8 gives me an extra stop. Obvious. But for video when you are using a fixed shutter this can be incredibly helpful.

Depending on the tests you trust the non-is f2.8 is marginally sharper.

Yes its heavy, but if you are carrying a large 6d and an 70-200 f4 the difference isn't that much really. Why not buy an ixus instead?

Even handheld, the magnification of a 70-200 is such that even with IS taking care of the camera shake, subject motion blur is going to warrant a faster shutter anyway. Negating to some degree the IS.

One selling point for the f4IS of f2.8IS... Weather sealing, which the f2.8 non IS lacks.

My take might not be right for you, but it works for me.

 

[insanitybeard]

I ended up getting the 70-200 F4 IS. It is a lot lighter than the F2.8 version, and if you are going to be lugging it around all day the extra weight becomes a big factor.

I own this lens for the same reason (well, that and the fact that the 2.8 IS version is twice as expensive ). The IQ from both 2.8 and f4 lenses as I understand it is pretty similar, so I can live with only having f4 as the max. aperture!

 

[bycostello]

do you shoot in bright daylight or dark conditions?

 

[pwp]

Re: IS is mandatory!

IS is mandatory!
So is f2.8 for focus speed and accuracy.
Canon keeps shooting themselves in the foot, I will not buy a 24-70mm without IS and f2.8!
Same goes for 16-35mm!
Will T.

On the contrary, I see Canon as not having shot themselves in the foot by leaving IS off the new 24-70.

The wider you go, the relevance of IS obviously diminishes. While IS may have been nice on the new 24-70, the extra weight, bulk and substantial price premium over what is already a pricey lens just not worth it. I'm happy paying $2300 to get the astounding optics and stellar performance. If adding IS meant cutting back on IQ to make the price-point, then I'm glad IS was not included.

IS for the 16-35 f/2.8II? Same argument. But more so with that lens's focal length increasing IS's irrelevance.

Just another point of view...

-PW

 

[TexPhoto]

If you don't have IS, you can be one of those "I don't need IS!, I know how to hold the camera!" people.

If you have IS, you can take better, sharper photos, often in lower light.

 

[dexstrose]

Plus with the 2.8, you get to utilize the High precision af center point on the 6d.
That is if you shoot wide open all the time?

 

[paul13walnut5]

Plus with the 2.8, you get to utilize the High precision af center point on the 6d.
That is if you shoot wide open all the time?

No.

From the mid sixties most SLR cameras have had full aperture TTL metering.

That is the iris stops down to shooting aperture at exposure, it remains open before exposure to keep the viewfinder bright for focusing. Meter coupling, and these days electronic interfaces, tell the meter how much to compensate the reading for.

So if you have an f2.8 or faster lens, the af is performed at f2.8 or faster, even if you shoot at f8 all the time.

 

[paul13walnut5]

If you don't have IS, you can be one of those "I don't need IS!, I know how to hold the camera!" people.

If you have IS, you can take better, sharper photos, often in lower light.

If you have IS, you can be one of those 'I don't understand it, my photograph of a raven in a coal shed at midnight taken on a 400mm lens is blurry' people.

 

[Rienzphotoz]

Don't know if it is "mandatory" but I prefer IS lenses as I get better handheld shots.

 

[dexstrose]

Thanks Paul13walnut! I always wondered about that. I thought you had to shoot at 2.8 all the time.

No.

From the mid sixties most SLR cameras have had full aperture TTL metering.

That is the iris stops down to shooting aperture at exposure, it remains open before exposure to keep the viewfinder bright for focusing. Meter coupling, and these days electronic interfaces, tell the meter how much to compensate the reading for.

So if you have an f2.8 or faster lens, the af is performed at f2.8 or faster, even if you shoot at f8 all the time.

 

[jcollett]

Thanks Paul13walnut! I always wondered about that. I thought you had to shoot at 2.8 all the time.

No.

From the mid sixties most SLR cameras have had full aperture TTL metering.

That is the iris stops down to shooting aperture at exposure, it remains open before exposure to keep the viewfinder bright for focusing. Meter coupling, and these days electronic interfaces, tell the meter how much to compensate the reading for.

So if you have an f2.8 or faster lens, the af is performed at f2.8 or faster, even if you shoot at f8 all the time.

If you want to see what your sensor will see when the shutter is activated, use the DOF preview button on your camera. For many Canons, it is on the lower side of the lens mount away from the shutter button. On the 5D mark iii, it was moved to the shutter side of the mount. Regardless, find it on your body and before you take the picture, press and hold that DOF preview button. It will stop down the aperture to your set value and you can see through the viewfinder or live view the actual light amount (and Depth of Field).