Canon EF 70-200 L (f4 IS or f2.8)?

Garry79

Garry79

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Quick question, should I buy the Canon EF 70-200 L f4 IS or the f2.8 without IS? :thinking:

Can anyone offer any advice?
 
Very much depends on what you want to use it for...
 
superstat said:
Very much depends on what you want to use it for...
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General all purpose.

What I really want to know is, is having IS a bigger advantage than the extra stop?
 
hhmmm well.....the 2.8 is ideal for sports...but heavy...not really a lens you would want to carry around all day

whereas the f4 is lighter and more manageable...

This is all I can offer really...sure someone will be along soon to give a much more comprehensive answer...
 
Can't advise on that, but if it makes any difference, Kerso will sell you a brand new 70-200 f/2.8 IS with full 1yr warranty for £960. I just bought one, and am very happy with it :)
 
dakid said:
Can't advise on that, but if it makes any difference, Kerso will sell you a brand new 70-200 f/2.8 IS with full 1yr warranty for £960. I just bought one, and am very happy with it :)
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I will be purchasing from Kerso, however £960 is outside of my budget just now.
 
Ah, sorry. Still, at least these lenses hold value well ... shouldn't be too difficult to upgrade at a later date and sell your old one on fleabay :D
 
Unless you really have a need for a really fast version of the lens you'd be better off with the f4 version purely because of the weight issue. I'm thinking about one or the other as well as an upgrade in the near future and have decided i'd just get fed up with the weight of the 2.8. I probably don't really need the super fast one though I would appreciate the limited depth of field sometimes. I think the rational partof me and my wallet will dictate it must be the f4 IS for me.
 
dolomitefan said:
Unless you really have a need for a really fast version of the lens you'd be better off with the f4 version purely because of the weight issue. I'm thinking about one or the other as well as an upgrade in the near future and have decided i'd just get fed up with the weight of the 2.8. I probably don't really need the super fast one though I would appreciate the limited depth of field sometimes. I think the rational partof me and my wallet will dictate it must be the f4 IS for me.
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That is exactly my current thinking!
 
Well, it looks to me like the f/4 is substantially sharper that the f/2.8...
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Blimey your right, it looks loads sharper
 
Garry79 - this topic has been around for a while. I have added the thread I started last year and in the end after all the research, I plumped for the 2.8 IS

Link here: Canon 70-200 f2.8 -v- f4 - Oh! crumbs, I can never get these linky things to work. Perhaps if you type in the above into the search element on TP you will find the thread. Sorreee!
 
I went for the F4 IS as there was no way I could afford the 2.8 and to be honest I am really glad I did :) I have a feeling I would be using the 2.8 at F4 to get any decent size DOF for most low light stuff anyway, and the IS is VERY usefull in my opinion. The sorts of speed you can hand hold with IS are amazing. I have got sharp shots at as low as about 1/30 at 200mm (hand held) thanks to IS and I dont have a steady hand! Also the F4 IS is a nice weight, not too heavy to stop you wanting to carry is around :)
 
imo its better to have the 2.8
worked with a 4 is ** and i found it limiting
but it depends on what you want to do
 
I noticed that as well but if you work it you do get the idea. I would say it was a surprise but then maybe not so much of a surprise. Really fast lenses often appear to be less sharp until you stop down a bit. I'm sure there's a physics lesson in there somewhere.
 
You can change the aperture on the chart, so you can compare f4, with f4.

I personally have the 2.8 which I use at 3.2 alot, and the slight softness works with portraits. Plus the f4 version was release the week after I got the 2.8 version, so I'm gonna defend my decision on the 2.8
 
I think I'm going to go with the f4 IS initially then sell it when I can afford the f2.8 IS. But if I feel I'm missing the extra stop, I'll just sell it and get the f2.8.
 
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