70-200 2.8 IS vs 70-200 2.8 IS MII

steventimothy said:
Assuming you have a professional quality tripod, and rails to support the lens, and a follow focus, then I agree. Anything less than a pro setup and you can end up with jitter on the lens, and jello in the shot, especially on windy days. The follow focus would be a must, as putting your hand on the lens will cause micro jitter as well.

That micro jitter disappears with the IS, so it might be cheaper in the long run if you're semi-pro and don't have all that gak & shrap.

Also, if you ever plan to take photos with it, don't think twice, get the IS.
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I do lots and lots of shooting with long lenses and even with the most "Pro" set-up it is a percentage game. I've haven't noticed any appreciable improvement in the percentages with IS on a tripod and if I'm doing a move I generally need to turn IS off. I think IS is effective in a relatively limited set of conditions, hand held and probably 200mm and under. Over 300mm on an APSC or 4/3rds camera wind is usually the biggest culprit, tripod mass becomes a factor. If you can live with the 1 stop light loss the f4 version is indeed cost-effective.
 
Kind of late to the game here, so sorry to bring this one back up.

The new 70-200 L F2.8 IS II is noticably sharper at f2.8 than any of these zooms Canon has made.

Here's the comparison between the L F4 IS at 200mm and F4 and the L 2.8 IS II at 200mm and F2.8. If these images are at all accurate, I'd consider this to be a significant improvement.

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/...meraComp=453&SampleComp=0&FLIComp=3&APIComp=0

The question is does it translate to higher sharpness video in the end of the day? Any side by side video samples of the F4 IS vs. F2.8 IS II out there?

Cheers,
Pete
 
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I own the 70-200 F4L IS (a few years old) and just recently used the new 70-200 F2.8L IS.

The new guy is a fantastic lens, incredibly sharp wide open, as is the F4. It is about twice as big and heavy.

For video on the canons (or any dslr for that matter) the sharpness of the lens will NOT come into play. But dslr 1080P in its current state is one thing. 4K later on down the road, who knows? Buy the best lenses you can afford (there are MANY things to buy...) For video, sharpness is not what separates these lenses - it's F-stop/DOF. Both are built like tanks. The F2.8 L comes with a really nice case. And a hernia.

EDIT: DO get the IS version of whichever lens you purchase. At these focal lengths, and as others here have pointed out, IS is a life saver. It will spoil you.
 
wjm said:
For video on the canons (or any dslr for that matter) the sharpness of the lens will NOT come into play.

EDIT: DO get the IS version of whichever lens you purchase. At these focal lengths, and as others here have pointed out, IS is a life saver. It will spoil you.
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I would strongly disagree with you on the sharpness issue here, between my Tamron and by Canon there is a massive difference in sharpness. It's very obvious that the Canon is much much sharper for both stills and video. Agree on the IS though, I can safely shoot on a simple shooter rig at 200mm with no problems.
 
Just stumbled upon this thread while searching something else. The Canon EF 70-200 f2.8 L IS II USM is a fantastic lens. Very sharp. I disagree that sharpness of this lens doesn't come into play in the video mode. You can see the review here with still samples and a ungraded video clip: http://www.indiawilds.com/diary/canon-70-200-f2-8-l-is-ii-usm-review/

I haven't done a side by side of the 70-200 f2.8 L IS II USM with the 70-200 f4 L IS USM lens. However, I can say that at 70mm the 70-200 f2.8 L IS II USM lens is sharper than my EF 24-105 f4 L IS USM or my EF 24-70 f2.8 L USM lens in video mode.

The IS of the lens is very useful while handholding. I do use a heavy OConnor 1030 HDS fluid head on OConnor Hi Hat or on a Sachtler 100 ENG 2 CF tripod. So even if one has good tripods, the IS is always a very nice addition. The optics is also phenomenal. I am just wondering, how much sharpness the new Canon Cinema lens 30-300 will have over the excellent 70-200 f2.8 L IS II USM lens.

We are living in good times.
 
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