Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L USM

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
3 Months to 1 year

Price Paid:  $0.00 from B&H

Summary:
THIS IS A GREAT LENS! I have owned a number of zoom lens over the years, but none of them have been sharper or have had better color than this lens. I have used it with film and digital cameras and have been very happy with it. All that I can add to what has already been said about this great lens is: BUY IT! One more thing, B&H is the greatest, I have lost count of how many times I have ordered from them, and have always been happy that I did!

Strengths:
Sharp, light, reasonabl priced

Weaknesses:
No tripod collar included.

Similar Products Used:
Canon 17-40L -Canon 70-210- Canon 18-55 -Sigma 28-135- Sigma 50-500HSM

Customer Service:
NONE-NEEDED

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
1 to 3 months

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5,
1 votes

Price Paid:  $650.00

Summary:
well, I'm not usually the kind of person who would write a review, because it's unusual for my to feel so strongly about a product. I thought about going into great detail about technical things like focus speed,sharpness, contrast e.t.c. blah blah blah... but i think it's better if i just cut to the chase... I've had quite a few lenses... a few Canons and a stack of third party ... my opinion is.. if you are shopping for a lens in this focal length;buy this lens... if you currently have a lens in this range from another company;sell your lens and buy this one.. or at the very least,borrow-rent-buy after checking the return policy and see if you don't feel the same way I do

Strengths:
everything

Weaknesses:
I wasted money on other lenses before stepping up to "L" series

Customer Service:
haven't needed it

reflections

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
This is by far my favorite Lens. I've had this lens for a couple of years and am still amazed by the images that come out of it. This lens is extremely sharp even at F4. I've compared this lens to my new Canon 24-105 L, Canon 28-80L, Canon 100-300L, Tokina 300mm F4, and Canon 135 S/F. I found the 70-200 to be the sharpest and have the fastest Auto focus. I was hoping the the 24-105 would have the same extremely fast auto focus and sharpness at F4 as this lens but it doesn't. I was a little disappointed since the 24-105 cost almost twice as much as the 70-200L. The 24-105 isn't bad it just feels like it is a notch below the 70-200L.

I love the light weight of the 70-200L. This lens feels very solid in your hands but doesn't break your neck carrying it all day like the 70-200 F2.8 would.

Strengths:
Fast auto focus
Super sharp even at F4

Weaknesses:
Doesn't come with tripod ring
I wish it had a little more reach like 70-300 instead of 70-200
Had to send it into canon with my 10D to have calibrated together because of back focusing issue. Canon did not cover the cost to calibrate the combo even though it is a know problem with the 10D because the 10D was out of its 1 year warranty this cost $200.

Similar Products Used:
Canon 1D, D30, 10D, 30D
Canon 28-80L, 24-105L, 28mm, 50mm, 135mm, 100-300L
Tamron 28-300, 28-75
Tokina 12-24mm, 300mm

Customer Service:
Canon service took a couple of weeks when I had to have the 10D and 70-200 Calibrated to work with each other and cost me $200. the combo worked great when it came back but seemed kind of high since it was there problem.

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Visitors rate this review
3.67 of 5,
3 votes

Price Paid:  $560.00 from B&H

Summary:
I recently made the switch over to Canon and began with a 30d, a 17-40mm f4 L and this 70-200mm f4L. I was not that impressed with the 17-40mm f4 but am extremely impressed with the 70-200mm f4. For example, I have taken several shot of horses in the fields around where I live and the sharpness is outstanding with the coats of the horses so real, even after zooming in on my computer, that you can almost feel the texture. Out of focus "bokeh" is soft and pleasing. The operation of the lens is silky smooth and virtually silent. This is "L" glass and completely up to expectations. I decided to sell the 17-40mm as I cannot get used to its softness and am replacing it with the highly rated Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 Macro which I await with great anticipation. It seems that Sigma are producing some high quality glass these days and should no longer be looked upon as a cheap alternative to the often questionable quality of the Canon and Nikon brand names. When I had my Nikon D70 my favourite lens was a cheapie Sigma 55-200mm f4-5.6. I sometimes wonder if I should have bought the same lens again for my Canon instead of the 70-200mm f4L--no its not quite that good.

Strengths:
Build quality, smooth operation and tac sharp optics.

Weaknesses:
Its a little long.

Similar Products Used:
Sigma 55-200mm f4-5.6, Nikon 70-210mm f4

Customer Service:
Not used it yet.

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
1 to 3 months

Visitors rate this review
3.75 of 5,
4 votes

Price Paid:  $584.00 from barclaysphoto ebay a

Summary:
The build of this lens is free of any reproach. Its rugged metal build with off-white paint certainly brings a different feel compared to my plastic 350D body!

It is currently the lightest (& most affordable) lens with CaF2 glass (telescope-grade fluorite) at ~700g and helps retain the handheld factor, especially on a light body like the 350D.

Other build details like the velveted lens hood inside fabric, for extra light absorbtion, are very appreciated.

This is a first telezoom for me. Its autofocusing capability is just as fast as my SIGMA 30MM/1.4 prime! (to which it is an excellent complement by the way) New users will need to accommodate for the focus switch (it helps determine if the subject is closer or further than 3m).

I am told the brand new model with Image Stabilisation & weatherproof build is worth all extra! IFF it fits in one's budget, one should certainly get it.

http://www.usa.canon.com/html/eflenses/lenses/ef_70-200_4/ef_70-200_4.html

Strengths:
build/weight, zoom with the qualities of a prime.

Weaknesses:
low-light capabilty.