Canon EF 70-200mm f/4 L IS USM Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras

I had this lens for about a month. The image quality is just amazing. It is so sharp that I can crop almost any sizes I want and still remain good quality prints. The contrast and saturation are just perfect. I do not regret to have F4 version. It is lighter than F2.8 and $500 cheaper. F4 is just good with IS. In low light condition, I use either flash or higher ISO, making perfect pictures. Highly recommended.

I'm a semi-professional photographer, mostly dealing with landscape and portrait photography. After using this lens, my first thought was the truthfulness of reviews, made by the trusted sites such as dpreview. I've used many brands such as sigma, tamron as well as various canon lenses. This is the best one I've ever used in many ways.

I won't make detailed comparisons but FYI this lens beats my favorite "24-105 f/4 L IS" in sharpness. I made some test shots by using both lenses on a tripod, using various focal distances and aperture values. Colors, saturation and contrast levels seemed nearly indifferent to me but 70-200's sharpness was incredible. In one of the reviews it was mentioned that "70-200 acts like a prime lens in every focal distance" and that's true in my opinion.

Many reviews effectively and truthfully acknowledged the pros of this lens. IMO the most crucial issue is deciding on the "relevance" of this lens for your needs. Here's what I think;

1) Don't hesitate to spend extra money for the IS feature. It is a vital feature (especially for a telephoto lens) in lowlight situations. I was able to get pretty good handheld shots above 100 mm. with low shutter speeds such as 1/30.

2) Remember that bokeh (background blur) will be a problem in some situations considering the minimum aperture value of f/4. You will not be able to abstract your subject effectively from a complicated background in some shooting situations or focal distances. Additionally, minimum aperture value renders this lens slow for action photography especially in low light situations. If you care about those, go for 70-200 f/2.8. Heavier, pricey but speedy and great bokeh even the subject is not too far from the background. While deciding I used my vote for less weight and smaller size since I have to walk a lot with 4 lenses and 2 bodies.

3) IMO this is not a suitable lens for wildlife photography even if you use extenders. Without extenders, you have to get close to animals so that you can scare them or put yourself into danger. Considering this lens' sharpness, cropping with a minimum loss might be an option. On the other hand, if you are using extenders (especially 2x) you will concede from sharpness as well as higher shutter speeds to a significant level. 2x extender was totally a disappointment for me.

4)This might seem unimportant to some but it is an important asset for me; this lens does not rotate or extend while focusing and zooming. I frequently use polarization filters in landscape photography, thus the filter does not rotate while focusing. Besides, I'm free to hold the lens wherever I want while shooting since it does not extend. More important, an extending lens generally means loss of light, while the light passes through the lens. Simply because the distance between the optics and sensor increase. Therefore, in many lowlight situations (if you are dealing with stable subjects) this lens will give you what you want.

To sum up, this is the best lens I've ever had. If you think that the issues I mentioned above won't restrict your photography, then DON'T THINK TWICE.

I also uploaded two photos, which might be helpful for you. They're my first day shots without manipulations. You can see them simply by copying the link below;

http://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-media/product-gallery/B000I1X3W8/ref=cm_cmu_pg_newSort?ie=UTF8&totalImages=96&pageSize=10&sort=newest¤tImagePage=0¤tImagePageOffset=0¤tImageID=17988861&action=newSort&page=0

Its already been said about this lens 100's of times. I got the f4 because of the lighter weight than the 2.8. I don't shoot indoor sports so I don't miss the extra stop. This lens is super quick to focus and very sharp. Love the build quality, focus and zoom rings very smooth.

This is a fantastic lens. The pictures are razor sharp, and the smoothness of the focusing is incredible. I recently used this lens on vacation in Walt Disney World and I can say it is not something you want to use as a walk around lens, but for the animal shots at the Animal Kingdom park it was the best. If you want to get an affordable "L" series lens that produces fantastic results, this is the one.

After reading many good things about this lens, my wife and I decided to try it as the replacement for our consumer grade 75-300 telephoto zoom. It really lives up to all the good things people say about it.

We have tested the lens on both our 5D body and 40D body. The first thing that stands out to me is the beautiful color reproduction. 'L' series lenses usually seem better than the non-L's in color accuracy (at least to my eye they do) but this one seems to have a 'pop' beyond that my 17-40 and 28-70 L series have. The sharpness is also incredible, and that helps 'pop' the image I'm sure.

This is our first lens with an Image Stabilizer. It is one of those things that I never felt like I would benefit from, but now wonder how I lived without it. I was at a convention with a costume contest taking place in dimmed theater style light and was able to hand hold images at 1/15 shutter speed, F4 aperture, ISO 1600 and still get almost all images as keepers. Usually I find I need 1/30 on a good night, but preferably 1/60 at these focal lengths to have a chance. IS seems to work as advertised! In fact, between this and the superb high ISO performance of the newer DSLRs, unless you need the shallow DOF or faster shutter speeds for sports that the F2.8 version of this lens would provide, I'd say save the money and the weight and get this version.

One thing I thought I might not like was the loss of the 200-300mm focal lengths. So far, I am pleasantly surprised that I have not missed it as much as I thought. The 75-300 was my 'spy glass' on the 40D, used for wild life, etc. On the crop body, the exceptional clarity of the 70-200 lens helps offset the shorter focal length by allowing a bit more image cropping while still providing a sharp result. On the full frame 5D this focal range takes on a much more candid, people shooting, medium range feel and so I haven't found myself missing the reach because the lens does not feel like it's trying to be a 'spy glass' and falling short.

In summary, this lens is well worth the money. Light, sharp, excellent IS, and color quality make it a must have.

-Brian