Canon EF 70-200mm f2.8 L USM Lens With IS?

J

Jay Laville

Well-known member
Hi guys looking at getting another lens for my collection currently have:

Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS
Canon 85mm f/1.8
Sigma 35mm F/1.4

now looking for a more telephoto lens not sure whether to go zoom or prime, if I go zoom will be Canon EF 70-200mm f2.8 L but not sure if i should get i.s which is 1k more or without, will be on tripod and shoulder rig most of the time so is i.s worth it for me, any experience without for film purpose only?
 
You don't need it on a tripod, but off the shoulder IS is mandatory, imo, ESPECIALLY when on telephoto.

Rent one and try it out.

The f2.8 is a BEAST.

Try the f4.0 as it is much lighter.
 
Its not the new IS system (like on the 100mm 2.8 macro), so its not really meant for video, so i think even on shoulder your not gonna have to much luck.

Id say wait till the newer technology trickles down and just get a cheaper zoom to hold you over.

I love my nikon mount vivitar 70-210 3.5 with macro. Its old school push/pull zoom, but only cost me like $65
 
I can't speak for the "without" part, but I can speak for the "with." I used the 70-200 f2.8 IS Mk.I lens on a shoot in Brazil, almost all of which was shot handheld in moving boats. The IS made a huge difference, making nice shots out of ones that would have otherwise simply been unusable.

Now, on a tripod, you almost certainly won't need IS. On a shoulder rig? That depends on how steady an operator you are. But if you EVER want to shoot handheld, get the IS version.

Oh, and since the new Mk.II version of the 70-200 f2.8 IS just came out, there probably won't be any updates to that lens' IS system anytime soon. I'd look for it in about six years.
 
thanks guys, Im gonna order without IS for now and keep it on a stable rig when shooting, thanks so much, also am interested in the sigma 10mm fisheye, these dont come with IS but again will make sure this is on stable rig
 
The IS on this lens is a life saver! It has 2 different modes (read into it), and I use the IS on every rig I have (except glidecam... I would never use that lens on a glidecam anyway!). Even on a tripod the IS is beneficial.

Depending on the type of shooting you will be doing and the conditions you will be shooting in could rule out what you need... if you always shoot in low light (dark sanctuaries for example) then the F2.8 would be a good idea. The F2.8 does have quite a bit of distortion in the bokeh where as the F4 looks amazing. I use the 2.8 IS and it works great for what I shoot.
 
Well, let me offer this up…

If you can afford the f2.8L IS version, get it. You can pick up good, sharp Mk. I copies at Fred Miranda's online marketplace and at P.O.T.N.'s classifieds sections. These lenses hold their value very very well, and chances are you could buy one, shoot with it for a year or two, and resell it for just a little bit less than you paid.

Besides, you can always turn IS off.
 
stephenmick said:
Well, let me offer this up…

If you can afford the f2.8L IS version, get it. You can pick up good, sharp Mk. I copies at Fred Miranda's online marketplace and at P.O.T.N.'s classifieds sections. These lenses hold their value very very well, and chances are you could buy one, shoot with it for a year or two, and resell it for just a little bit less than you paid.

Besides, you can always turn IS off.
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Thanks for advice, but was hoping with money I saved buying non is version I could get the sigma 10mm fisheye lens as well, thats if IS is not that important on tripod rig
 
I bought the non IS (half the price) and have been pretty happy with it. Most of the time I use it on a tripod though. I have done a little hand held and had good results.

I have heard that the IS can create some weird stuff because of the stabilization over compensating when shooting video. Has anyone experienced that, or did I hear wrong?
 
We can speculate all day on what could work for you, but based on the lack of information you have given us as to what you will be shooting makes it kind of difficult to help you pick the right lens for you. Let us know what you plan on shooting primarily so we can help you make a better educated decision. You may not even need the zoom, but a prime that is faster than 2.8... who knows...

With the wider lenses, IS isn't too important if you use it with some kind of support system. Once you start getting past 50mm-85mm on a full frame sensor is when you need to start thinking about having a steadier hand, better rig, or IS.

I recently bought my 70-200 2.8 IS on Fredmiranda.com and I DEFINITELY recommend buying from there over used gear @ adorama and B&H! I had a very good experience and got a super good deal on it. Make sure you get one with a more recent date code and see if the seller will include the paypal fee and shipping.

Stabilization can overcompensate and make your footage look terrible on a steadicam/glidecam, but not so much on other support systems. The benefits of IS on far outweigh the unusable footage you can get with it off... you ever tried to clean up shaky DSLR footage with a plug-in? It looks terrible!
 
As was mentioned earlier, the 70-200 f4 IS is much lighter and unless you are shooting at night or in low light primarily, its much cheaper and probably a better choice for saving a few bucks then a 2.8 without IS :thumbsup:
 
BradM said:
As was mentioned earlier, the 70-200 f4 IS is much lighter and unless you are shooting at night or in low light primarily, its much cheaper and probably a better choice for saving a few bucks then a 2.8 without IS :thumbsup:
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Thanks mate will look into it but going higher will that give me less bokeh?

For use Im going to need it for sport competition use, cage fighting and karate tournaments primarily and a few times for my brother who does alot of track racing
 
The 70-200 F4 IS has better bokeh than the 2.8 IS, but if you're shooting action stuff, more than likely people won't even notice the bokeh. Since you will be shooting in variable conditions, the fastest lens you can get would be nice, but you should definitely rent one for the indoor event and see how it looks at F2.8 and F4.
 
Ya I agree too that you should rent one first. The 2.8 could be valuable indoors as you mention sports events that might have mixed lighting...

The bottom line though, get the IS if you can afford it.
 
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