My camera body is the Canon 7D. I own these lenses right now:
- Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8
- Canon EF-S 18-55mm IS
- Tokina 35mm DX Macro
- Canon EF 50mm f/1.4
- Canon EF-S 55-250mm IS
I am going to sell the 55-250 EF-S on eBay to help fund this purchase.
Options
Here are the options for the 70-200's on the market (not including old lenses that aren't produced any more, or crazy adapters):
Canon
|
EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM
|
$
1,299
|
Canon
|
EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM II
|
$
2,199
|
Canon
|
EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM
|
$
2,000
|
Canon
|
EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM
|
$
1,149
|
Canon
|
EF 70-200mm f/4L USM
|
$
674
|
Tamron
|
AF 70-200mm f/2.8 Di LD [IF] VC
MACRO
|
$
1499
|
Sigma
|
70-200mm f/2.8 EX DG APO OS HSM
|
$
1399
|
IMHO, there is no particular reason to consider the 3rd
party lenses for this purchase. So it comes down to three choices (eliminating the
f/2.8 IS ones because they are too expensive for me right now):
Canon
|
EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM
|
$
1,299
|
Old but excellent
|
Canon
|
EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM
|
$
1,149
|
New model
|
Canon
|
EF 70-200mm f/4L USM
|
$
674
|
Old, but excellent
|
IS or Extra Aperture?
First, I never use my two IS lenses anymore. (The actual reason I don’t use them is because they are not nearly as good as my prime lenses (I consider my 11-16mm as a prime).) I don’t miss the IS on any of my lenses. I generally beat the non-IS-ness of my primes by taking 3 or 4 pix in rapid fire, and then eliminate the shaky ones. Sometimes I get 3 or 4 good ones; sometimes I get none; usually I get one.
I image using the 70-200 for low-light, action photography, like on the sidelines of a high school football game this fall. So, for this situation, IS will be helpful (but so would an extra stop of aperture).
Pros and Cons
From what I know, the new f/2.8L II gets absolutely rave reviews, including a
“four-stop” image stabilizer. The new f/4L IS also touts four-stop
stabilization, but I have not seen a specific review of this one yet. All of the lenses Canon has introduced in the last year or so have been through-the-roof sharp, so I believe the new f/4L IS will be, too.
Pros and cons, assuming same price and same IQ:
Canon
|
EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM
|
Wider aperture
|
Canon
|
EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM
|
Lighter, IS, newer design
|
My son owns the first one, and I have used it to create some GREAT pix! For example:
Preliminary Conclusion
At this moment I am leaning towards the f/4L IS. I need to find an opportunity to rent it.
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