Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM Lens

Product Information

That being said, for DSLR users, the Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM SPORT is an excellent choice, available in most DSLR brand mounts! This lens is durable and great quality. In comparison to the big three (Canon, Nikon, and Sony), Panasonic doesn’t always pop right into mind when thinking about photography. However, the Lumix series is truly extraordinary and the fact that there is a 70-200 mm version here is outstanding. The Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM is pricier than the latest EF version, but it's only three-quarters the length (at 70mm) and two-thirds the weight –and that doesn't include the extra length and weight of the EF mount adapter. The 70-200mm f/2.8 takes this a step further: It offers an impressively wide aperture, which is why so many pros use it constantly.

In situations like this, the lens automatically switches to the second image stabilization mode. This mode automatically detects when the camera is being panned and does not attempt to ‘stabilize’ the horizontal movement. First, it has six extra-low dispersion elements to take care of chromatic aberrations. Plus, it has fluorite and HRI coatings. To prevent the lens from getting easily smeared with fingerprints and grime, a fluorine coating has been used. Lens construction consists of fluorite elements along with ultra-low dispersion lens elements. Together they suppress chromatic aberrations quite well.

Yes, 70-200mm lenses are expensive – especially 70-200mm f/2.8 lenses – but they’re a long-term investment, and I encourage you to take the leap! With the introduction of the 70-200mm f/4G VR, Nikon completed two sets of lenses for professional and enthusiast/budget use. The high-end professional “trinity” is comprised of Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8G, 24-70mm f/2.8G and 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II, while the enthusiast/budget set contains Nikon 16-35mm f/4G VR, 24-120mm f/4G VR and the new 70-200mm f/4G VR – all stabilized constant aperture lenses, albeit with a little overlap. In this review, I will not only go over the features, specifications and performance of the Nikon 70-200mm f/4G VR lens, but will also compare it side by side with its bigger brother, as well as other third-party lenses like Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 EX DG APO OS HSM and Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 Di LD (IF) Macro. Unfortunately, I was not able to obtain the latest Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 SP Di VC USD lens for comparison, because the Nikon mount version was not available yet. Unlike its big and heavy brother, the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II, which has a weather-sealed construction and solid metal barrel, the Nikon 70-200mm f/4G VR is designed to be lightweight and portable. Therefore, it does not have the same tough build, which is expected from such a lens. Most of the barrel is made of plastic and both focus and zoom rings are covered with textured rubber, as seen on other recent AF-S Nikkor lenses. This does not, however, mean that the lens feels cheap in any way or that its quality is sub-par. Many of the Nikon professional lenses are also made with a hard plastic shell to make them lighter, so there is no need to worry.

Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM (on Canon EOS R5) at 1/200 sec, f/2.8, ISO100 (Image credit: James Artaius / Digital Camera World) Verdict Nikon has a long history of making professional 70-80 to 200mm focal length zoom lenses, but aside from the very old 70-210 f/4 AI-S and AF lenses, it has never had an affordable and lightweight constant aperture f/4 model in its line. With its arch-rival Canon making a 70-200mm f/4L lens since 1999, and the high cost of the 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II model, Nikon was often criticized for not providing an f/4 alternative. After many years of delays, Nikon finally announced a lightweight alternative to the f/2.8 version in October of 2012 – the AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/4G ED VR, which is designed to work on both full-frame (FX) and cropped-factor sensor (DX) DSLR cameras. A key attraction of choosing an f/4 zoom over an f/2.8 is that it’s likely to be more compact and lightweight. That was certainly true of the original Sony lens and the Mark II takes downsizing a step further, shaving 15 per cent off the length and 46g off the weight. Clearly, having the ability to range from 70mm to 200mm is going to make this lens a highly versatile one. Nikon also offers an f/4 option, but only for DSLRs (or adapted mirrorless cameras): The 70-200mm f/4G ED VR. The best 70-200mm lens for SonyChromatic aberration, flaring, ghosting, smudging, fringing, and other such elements are a long thing of the past with the various glass coat technology that Nikon has implemented. The internal stabilizer also helps eliminate human error like camera shake. Whether you shoot Canon or Nikon,the chances are good that there are at least a couple 70-200mm lenses from which to choose. A second benefit of an f/2.8 maximum aperture is the low-light performance. An f/2.8 aperture lets in significantly more light than an f/4 aperture (which in turn lets in more light than f/5.6 or f/6.3 apertures) – so when the light starts to fade, you can still get sharp shots at a reasonable shutter speed– without needing to boost your ISO and degrade image quality. The Nikon AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED VR is a personal favorite. This pricey lens comes with an array of coatings and elements we’ll take a look at. Even f/4 versions of this lens are hand-holdable to a point. You won't be able to use them without a tripod in dim lighting conditions like you can with an f/2.8, but in normal lighting conditions, you'll likely find that f/4 is still enough to allow you to forego your tripod. Lens Compression and Bokeh are Excellent