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

[canon23]

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.

 

[Loswr]

Great IQ, versatile focal range, fast AF, useful for portraits, action, low light, etc. It's neither small nor light, but not different from my 100-400L or 28-300L, so I don't mind. The only think I don't really like is the equivalent focal range on APS-C, which is too long indoors.

I paid full MSRP ($2500), since I bought one the first month it was available. I have no regrets!

 

[charlesa]

The one lens I will never regret buying, love its sharpness across the whole focal range, including wide open at f/2.8. Bought for around 1900 euro a year ago from Europe, cons some people find it big and heavy but after a while I do not even notice it, it is on the 1D-X as my standard walk-about lens 75% of the time.

 

[Random Orbits]

Like: The IQ it delivers, fast AF and tracking.

Don't like: it's weight and size.

Purchased it last year for about 2150. Never had to return it.

 

[Mick]

I am a person who wont upgrade. I think of what I shoot, more importantly what size I print. Then I got a great offer to buy the last model. I sold it, and put the money down on the new one. So in the real world of a none pixel peeper what's it really like?

Absolutly amazing! I'm not a pro, i don't work for Canon and i'm very very tight with what i buy camera wise, but whatever they are feeding the people in the lens dept of Canon, can i have some. Yes its heavy, but its built like a tank, will work longer than you live, will take shots when the none L guys retire to bed when its raining. It handles great, nice balance on a pro body. The shots against the old model are as sharp when stopped down but wide open there's only one winner. But better still the colours and contrast are amazing.But above all the IS. I just cant believe i can get pin sharp images at 1/15th but you can.

So is it worth the money and upgrade? Yes. People go on about a prime is sharper. A bit yes but think of all the shots they miss changing lens's, or needing to carry several bodies and the size you print, the lack of four stop IS etc. I have an 85mm prime and for that nice controlled shot its a winner but for %95 of the time, this lens will do shots the 85 cant do. Or the 135, or the 200....

Oh, nearly forgot, the autofocus is laser fast to.

Mick

 

[Razor2012]

The 70-200 2.8II is arguably the best zoom Canon has made so far. I paid $2349 and had no regrets. This beast is fast and sharp. What don't I like? Nothing really, it is a bit on the heavy side but that doesn't bother me, it's to be expected given it's aperture and zoom ratio. This is a must have for anyone's 'L' collection.

 

[aaronh]

I bought my copy used so I got a good deal on it. Luckily it was tack sharp all the way through the range so no need/opportunity to return. I absolutely love this lens. I am constantly wowed by the images I am able to make with it. I use it on a 5d mark II. I don't like that it's so big and I personally don't like that Canon's telephotos are white (I don't like the attention it gets) but I get over that pretty quickly after viewing the pictures!

I really like how sharp the pictures are wide open at f/2.8 and how fast it focusses.

Good luck with your purchase! If I were you I'd go for it and don't look back!

 

[aaronh]

Also I meant to add...

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!

 

[Orion]

I had to rent it . . . amazing! I was able to use it at the beach and to get some nice candids at the reception. You can't go wrong with this lens. Trust anybody who has ever used it . . they all say the same thing, and we can't all be liars aor lunatics . . but maybe telling the truth

 

[Cyclops]

I paid full price.... No regrets, seriously my favorite goto lens, it seems to make the mundane magical

 

[pwp]

This is far and away my most used lens. I trust it all the way from f/2.8-f/11 (and occasionally beyond) to deliver first class commercial quality files/images for the most fussy clients. The two lenses in my bag which consistently knock my socks off are the 70-200 f/2.8isII and the 300 f/2.8is.

If any images shot with the 70-200 are throw-aways, then it's user error, not any fault of the lens. For the quality it delivers, I forgive its considerable size and weight. Have you ever heard of anyone regretting getting this lens?

PW

 

[rene@]

Love it

Sold my 135 l , after i bought the 70-200

Sharp at 2,8 , fast and focus "spot on"

I also have the 300mm is f/2,8,the 70-200 come close too the 300mm, in output an focus speed

 

[Dylan777]

There is nothing to hate about this lens....it's a MUST have lens for FF.

 

[gmrza]

I have to concur. One of the best lenses I have ever used. It is pin-sharp from f/2.8, great contrast, very good bokeh for a zoom, very fast and accurate AF. Only downside is the weight, but with the uncompromising quality of this lens you have to expect the heft.

 

[birtembuk]

Canon doesn't always delight me - especially with their delays upon delays - but with this one, I have been totally delighted since day one. It's a gem, it's a boon, it's good for about everything and the rest. Colors, beauty of the backgrounds, swift and accurate focus, sharpness all over and so forth. Paid about 220,000 cts but not a single of these cents has been felt misplaced until now. For sure you know that every single review out there is only full of praise - except for dxomark that puts it lower than the Sony. Well that's just for the sake of not lowering the guard here ...

The weight is not really an issue because it balances very well on about every camera (dunno about M though). The only issue I might have is the conspicuousness of that big white thing that makes it - for me - not usable for street shooting or shooting in crowded places. Strangers obliviously don't like to be aimed at with that kind of big eye and also, I wouldn't want a baddie to cut my hand to pry it from me. Because yes, he would have to.

 

[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!