Why I buy this one ?
- EF mount; telephoto zoom lens
- Ultra-low Dispersion glass; image stabilizer; inner focusing; full-time manual focus; circular aperture
- 70-200mm focal length
- f/2.8 constant maximum aperture
- Micro UltraSonic Motor (USM) Includes case and lens hood

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What our customer's say!

"Simply, a great piece of equipment!", Having been a photographer by hobby for 20+ years, I have to say that this is by far the best glass that I have ever shot with. To be succinct, if you are at least a "prosumer" Canon shooter, you shouldn't be without this lens. It has been versatile enough for me to shoot everything from a deceased soldier's burial to youth sports without being a disrupting influence. I've used it to shoot airshows (static displays) and news events. It is simply a must have for the Canon-carrying photojournalist.

The mechanics of this "L" lens are solid and the focus is sharp and fast. It may be a little heavy for some but I've gotten used to it. It is an investment that will pay for itself many times over if you take the time to learn it and how to use it.

If your wallet can bear it, then I say go for it. You won't regret it.

"Favorite lens", I have nothing negative to say...this is a winner!....
a must have, dont bother thinking, just buy this lens
and enjoy....also get the 2x zoom attachment so you can be in bliss.

"It's been said", I have nothing to add. The lens is everything for which one could wish. Simply superb. Rather than reiterate what everyone else has said, I thought I'd just quietly put in my 5 stars.

"I can't believe it!", Wow, I have been spending way too much time reading and reviewing this lens, seriously, just get it. My lens had a code of UW####, which means it was made in September of 2008, so new!

I just tested it real quick, and it seems to focus very well at all focal lengths, quiet, and focus fast! This is my first L lens, and I am so excited! This lens is definitely worth every penny. Yes, everyone says that, but really, it is. Get it now!

"Get it if you can afford it and aren't scared of weight", I had the 70-200 F4 L for a few years (non IS), which is an excellent lens, and a bargain "L" but I sold it to upgrade to either the 2.8 IS or the 4.0 IS. Both are great lenses, but I bit the bullet and went 2.8 IS, knowing the lens is a beast, but also knowing I'd carry almost anything if it was the right tool. For those who are trying to make this decision, all I can say is that after the first 100 shots, I'm hooked on this lens. Faster, better focus than my copy of the 4.0, which was no slouch. INCREDIBLE bokeh, and ability to handhold shots that would be blurry without IS.

Read this reviews before You buy...

"Simply one of the best", What else can I say that has already not been said. I am should have not purchased a couple of consumer lenses and went straight for the gusto. It might be a bit heavy, but this lens is the greatest.

"My favorite for shooting action", I shoot a lot of horse events (dressage, jumping, etc.) and this lens has rapidly become my favorite, both for range and speed. Stops action with crisp detail and beautiful color. Somewhat heavy, but pretty much ANY lens in this category is going to give your arms a workout. I use a monopod for more stability.

"The Cream Machine", I will preface this by saying that I bought the 70-200/4L non IS before getting the f/2.8 IS version. The f/4 version is not shabby at all for its price point. A lot of people think that the price of the f/2.8 IS version is very high, and it is. However, for some people, and you'll know who you are, f/2.8 is necessary in order to capture the picture that you want. For those who have not noticed yet, there are four different 70-200s in Canons lineup. Starting off with the f/4 non IS as a base price, you have to add about $500 for either IS or f/2.8, or $1000 for both.

Here is a quickie for those deciding if they need either f/2.8 or IS:

f/2.8 is useful for two things compared to f/4...
1) thinner DOF, yielding a more out of focus background, which is pleasing for portraits
2) shooting action in low light environments, in which case f/2.8 can make your shutter speed twice as fast as f/4, all things else the same (ISO, etc).

IS is useful for one thing: canceling out the hand movements that you yourself make. It will not freeze the movement of your subject; you need a flash or a faster aperture lens to do that. One thing that comes out of this is the ability to shoot stationary objects much clearer than a lens without IS. Another thing is that on long lenses such as this one, IS can help you compose your picture more accurately, because the viewfinder will be stabilized along with the lens, allowing you to perfectly frame your shot. This is one advantage to Nikon and Canon's implementation of in-lens IS, compared to Sony and Pentax's implementation of in-body IS.

Anyways, that tutorial aside, let me focus on two things that matter most: build quality and image quality.

Build quality is amazing. If you are used to consumer grade lenses like the EF-S series of lenses or the kit lens, and have never touched an L lens, this thing feels rock solid. The f/4 version had the same build, but the f/2.8 feels more solid. I think this is all due to the weight: this lens weighs approximately twice that of the f/4 versions. The zoom and full-time manual focus rings are very smooth in action. Like its non-IS f/2.8 sister, this lens come with a tripod mount. If you use a tripod, I highly suggest you use the tripod ring to mount your setup on the tripod, because it will provide a better place to balance your lens+body. There is a knob you can twist on the tripod ring that will loosen the ring so that you can swing your camera from landscape into portrait mode and vice versa, without adjusting anything on your tripod. The one thing about build quality that didn't impress me was the included lens hood. It is plastic and my hood doesn't fit the bayonet mount perfectly...it has some play and sometimes rattles when I move the camera back and forth. Not a huge deal, but you would expect more since Canon paid attention to all the small details elsewhere. By the way, this lens is weather sealed. Both the 70-200/4 IS and 70-200/2.8 IS are weather sealed, while their non-IS sisters are not sealed. Note that this sealing is only effective when you have a weather sealed body to mount it on (read: 1D series camera). There is a rubber ring around the lens mount that provides some of this sealing, and the 1D series has the complementary sealing around its lens mount. A note on this: I discovered a speck of dust on an inner element that wasn't there when I first got the lens, which is curious for a weather sealed lens. Not that it really affects anything.

Image quality is amazing. Some very choosy pixel peepers will tell you that this particular lens is not the sharpest 70-200 in the Canon line-up. They are being very nitpicky; all 70-200s perform amazingly in terms of IQ (contrast, colors, sharpness). I have done some real world testing myself to clear the fear of shooting wide open at f/2.8, and I have found it produces sharp pictures at f/2.8 until you get to about 200mm, in which case the sharpness goes down a little. However, that said, it is hard to shoot accurately at f/2.8 and 200mm...the depth of field is extremely thin and lack of sharpness could be due to misfocusing. Once stopped down to f/4, it is plenty sharp at all focal lengths. Until you try this lens out, you will not know the meaning of creamy bokeh (an exaggeration, since there are other lenses out there creating awesome bokeh too). At 70mm, the bokeh is still amazing, but once you get to 150mm or longer at f/2.8...the background really starts to get creamy and extremely easy on the eye. My main use for this lens is for portraits, as its longer focal length starts to compress the perspective and is extremely good for tighter portraits. Colors on this lens are amazing straight out of the camera. Of course, in post processing they get even better. One time I did a shoot using my 17-55/2.8 IS and my 70-200/4L non IS, and the colors were very noticeably better on the 70-200. Upon getting the 70-200/2.8 IS, I didn't notice any change in colors between it and the f/4 version, and didn't bother to shoot portraits anymore with the 17-55, but if A>B and C=A, then C>B (A being 70-200/4L, B being the 17-55, and C being the 70-200/2.8IS). Sorry had to put some math in there :). One thing I noticed is that this lens shoots warmer than my other lenses, which is not a bad thing when it comes to portraits. Performance wide open is very good, and stop it down a bit and you'll get a little more contrast and sharpness, as it is with any lens.

If you guys are curious about the large number of switches on it, here they are, from top to bottom:
1) focusing limiter switch: either 1.4m to infinity or 2.5m to infinity. Use the latter if your subjects are farther away from you, in order to get the fastest AF possible. I don't bother with this switch, since AF is lightning quick. There is a reason lots of sports shooters use this lens
2) AF switch: either manual focus or automatic focus. Not of much use, since this lens includes full time manual, meaning that you can adjust focus manually by turning the ring, even when the lens is set to autofocus.
3) IS stabilizer switch: on or off. I leave mine on all the time, but sometimes when its bright outside, I just turn it off to conserve battery
4) Stabilizer mode: mode 1 or 2. Mode 1 stabilizes your lens in all directions, while Mode 2 is for when you pan, in which case the lens will sense which direction you are panning in, and disable that axis of the stabilizer. (I wish my 17-55/2.8 IS had this feature, as the viewfinder jerks when you have IS on and are trying to pan).

In use, this thing is much heavier than the f/4 version (of course, since it weighs twice as much). On a 40D, it will require two hands (one under the lens, one on the camera) most of the time due to the center of gravity being in the lens and not the body. The 70-200/4 was a much better balance on the 40D, and it was easy to hold that setup by one hand on the camera grip. The 70-200/2.8 IS is also large and noticeable with its white coating. One time I took it to my university's basketball game, and an official told me to put it away, since it was too long for their regulations. He told me that those regulations were put in place by the media, since the media basically wants to be the only people selling shots. I looked at the sideline and all the media shooters were using the same exact lens to cover the game. Basically, you will get lots of attention with this lens, wanted and unwanted. With the hood on, it is very long. The tripod ring gets in the way sometimes, so I settled on leaving it on but twisting it 180 degrees so the leg is on the top side of the camera, out of the way. In such a location, it can serve as a handle of sorts, though I wouldn't carry it by that all day. One minor annoyance I have with the lens in operation is that the MF/AF switch is easily moved. A couple times I pulled it out of my bag to shoot with only to notice that it would not AF because it was in MF mode. I have heard of people fixing this by putting tape over the switch, to keep it in AF mode. I have not done so myself, as it has only happened to me a couple times.

Notes on the IS: I barely shoot this on the tripod, since I can take advantage of its IS. Canon advertises this lens as having a 3 stop stabilizer, meaning that you can shoot stationary objects clearly in 1/8 the amount of light you would normally need. Therefore, at 200mm, you would only need a shutter speed of 1/25 on full frame, and 1/40 on crop bodies, instead of 1/200 and 1/320, respectively. I have been able to shoot still objects clearly at 1/15 at 200mm (320mm equivalent on crop). Amazing, considering the focal length!

I use this lens on a Canon 40D, and cannot wait to use it on a full frame. On the 40D, it provided an excellent lens to cover dance shows, fashion shows, etc on stage in the venues I frequented at my university. However, now that I have graduated and will likely attend less shows, I am looking to convert this lens more into my go-to for portraits. A 70-200 on a crop body puts a little too much distance inbetween you and the subject. This can be a good thing, since not everyone is the most comfortable when a big lens is pointing at them from a few feet away. However, in order to maximize blur, I had to stand farther away and use the longer focal lengths. On full frame, one can stand closer and still use long focal lengths, thus taking advantage of this lens's bokeh at closer range. Also, personally, I find the thought of carrying this much glass around for a crop body a bit wasteful, and can't wait to use its full imaging circle in all its glory.

A note on other lenses: If you don't want the f/2.8, the f/4 versions are just as good in the build and image quality departments, at a much lower price and weight. Also, if you want lens with good, creamy bokeh at a focal length less than 100mm, consider the 85mm f/1.8 prime, which provides the same pleasing bokeh at 85mm wide open that the 70-200/2.8 does wide open at 150mm or more. The 85 is significantly cheaper and lighter, too.

Summary: Stellar build quality, excellent image quality (colors, contrast, sharpness). Image stabilizer is very effective. An f/2.8 zoom in this focal length range is very useful for covering stage events and sports with moving subjects in dim lights, so that you can minimize motion blur. It is also a great lens for portraits, providing extremely pleasing, creamy out of focus blurring, and excellent perspective for tight headshots. It is relatively heavy and a bit front-balanced on a 40D, but this is the price to pay for so much fast glass in a zoom. The ultimate low light zoom, if you can swing its price and weight!

"Still one of my favorites!", This lens is still one of my favorites and used most of the time. Good all around zoom lens.

"You Get What You Pay For!", At first I was hesitant to get this lens because of its price. I looked at the cheaper non-IS and the f4 version. But after a lot of research I bit the bullet and made the purchase. I have to say I do not regret it one bit. If you look on ebay, craiglist and many forums you'll find a lot of people selling their f4 versions. The reason they often gave was "going to upgrade to the f2.8 IS". So I thought id just save myself the pain of buying and selling, and just get the lens I really wanted.

Now that I have it, this lens is awesome. Nothing short of it. Whether its sports, portraits or wildlife, this is THE lens to have. I'll just break it down more simple:
Pro's:
- Awesome image quality
- f2.8 w/IS makes shooting low light events now possible.
- Autofocus is very fast.
- Zoom range is good
- This version of the lens is dust/water resistant.
- Built like a tank.

Cons: (not sure if these are all truly cons, just observations)
- Its heavy. After shooting a full day race event my arm was sore. Id guess it somewhere around 3.5 to 4 pounds
- It will attract looks and attention. People will assume you work for a news paper or magazine.
- Its a big lens. There's no hiding this under your jacket to get it in somewhere.
- Price. Unless your Richie Rich, a $1700 lens is considered a major purchase.