Why I own it: When I started with Canon, my telephoto was the 70-200 f4 L, a lens many suggest should be everyone's first L. That lens did not disappoint. Image quality was excellent, focus was fast, well built, and a great bargain. But ultimately I wanted faster than f4, mainly for shooting my two young kids. f2.8 was a siren call I wanted to answer. Even with selling my f4, my budget couldn't justify $500+ dollars to upgrade to any of the big white f2.8s, which led me to try this magnificent piece of glass. I purchased an EX sample from KEH for $650, came with original hood but no collar. After the first test shots I was disappointed, quickly realizing my copy was backfocusing. Thank goodness for bodies with MFA. After some MFA fine tuning, the lens was dialed in and I very quickly forgot about the f4. Simply put, the image quality is gorgeous! Lovely colors with much nicer bokeh than the f4. Sharpness of this old lens was a pleasant surprise, wide open it still looks tack sharp on 20MP FF sensors at every focal length. Even on the pixel dense 7D2, it's pretty sharp wide open, and very good at f4. Older lenses seem to render differently than newer glass. slightly less contrast and the coatings seem to produce more "glow" in certain lighting. Honestly, it's a look I like. AF speed is "fast enough", but accuracy is spot on every time after MFA adjustments. The build is rock solid, all metal with enough heft to remind you this is a serious piece of equipment built to take a beating. I'm now using it to shoot my son's sports, ranging from soccer, baseball and basketball. While I have no comparison to newer lenses, for action I'd grade its performance as "acceptable" in regards to focusing. It keeps up with fast action most of the time, but some days I wonder how much better newer lenses would do. Often the AF feels a half-step behind the play. The verdict after 3 years with this lens using it on a variety of bodies: Pros: Affordable for a f2.8 telephoto Lovely image quality with great color, it shines for portrait work Very sharp at all focal lengths and apertures Accurate focus Built like a tank, from an era where men were men and plastic was frowned upon. Cons: Focus speed is not as fast as newer lenses, if moving targets are your priority you best look elsewhere Won't take teleconverters Along with that tank build comes tank-like weight. My copy backfocuses...best to use on bodies with MFA feature If something breaks, good luck getting it fixed. Canon won't service it and parts are scarce. AF/MF switch is notorious for breaking on these lenses. So would I recommend this lens? Hard to say, but not because of any faults of the lens. Image quality leaves little to be desired. If you shoot mostly static subjects, it's a great bargain. Wide open it's sharp without looking clinically harsh. Contrast is slightly lower than newer lenses, but I feel that's part of the "look" this lens produces. If your subjects are in constant motion, the AF may not be up to par. Also, the risk of owning a paperweight should something break is a real concern. A newer model that can still be repaired would be a safer choice for most people. Enough talk, show me some photos! A small sample of shots from the last couple of years: Did I mention it's sharp? Wide open crop at 200mm It's shot a wedding also Some sports examples Canon EOS 5DS Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX85 Canon EOS R6 Mark II Canon EF 85mm F1.8 USM Canon EF 135mm F2L USM +22 more Keyboard shortcuts: FForum PPrevious NNext WNext unread UUpvote SSubscribe RReply QQuote BBookmark MMy threads Color scheme?Blue /Yellow Latest sample galleriesLatest in-depth reviews The Fujifilm X100VI is the sixth iteration of Fujifilm's classically-styled large sensor compact. A 40MP X-Trans sensor, in-body stabilization and 6.2K video are among the updates. The Nikon Zf is a 24MP full-frame mirrorless camera with classic looks that brings significant improvements to Nikon's mid-price cameras. We just shot a sample reel to get a better feel for its video features and have added our impressions to the review. This $250 electronic lens adapter is perfect for Nikon Z-mount curious Sony shooters — shhh, we won’t tell anyone. Sony updates the ZV-1, giving the vlog-centric compact camera a 18-50mm equivalent F1.8-4.0 lens that's now wide enough for less cramped selfie mode videos. OM Digital Solutions has updated its flagship high speed camera just two years after launch. The latest version includes more memory and some performance and handling tweaks. Latest buying guidesIf you want a compact camera that produces great quality photos without the hassle of changing lenses, there are plenty of choices available for every budget. Read on to find out which portable enthusiast compacts are our favorites. What's the best camera for travel? Good travel cameras should be small, versatile, and offer good image quality. In this buying guide we've rounded-up several great cameras for travel and recommended the best. 'What's the best mirrorless camera?' We're glad you asked. What’s the best camera for around $2000? This price point gives you access to some of the most all-round capable cameras available. Excellent image quality, powerful autofocus and great looking video are the least you can expect. We've picked the models that really stand out. Above $2500 cameras tend to become increasingly specialized, making it difficult to select a 'best' option. We case our eye over the options costing more than $2500 but less than $4000, to find the best all-rounder. |
