Canon 70 200 f4 question

cmcm789

cmcm789

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I have my heart set on buying a Canon 70 200mm f4 non-IS for outdoor/ sports photos. I already have the 55-250mm IS which I shall keep for other shots. I have seen a few Used advertised on here recently and seem to be fetching £300-£330 or there abouts for what are being described as very good or mint condition. I have no issues buying off a TP member, but what should I know/ ask about the lens in advance? Is there any issue with buying an older 2000-2003 lens over a lens which is 5 years old?
 
Would be interested in the answer to this as well. Was considering one of them but the date code put it as a 1999 model which seems very old.
 
Age doesn't seem to affect the value of L series lenses that much. It seems more to do with condition. Buying one that old doesnt seem to save you much over buying one only 2-3 years old.

Personally if I was shelling out 330 for a 10-15 year old lens I would rather add a bit more and get a later one.
 
try one out if in doubt. I would not want any marks on glass and ideally not on the body. They should be pin sharp throughout. It doesn't matter when it was made but how it was cared for. You should be fine though with > 90% samples.
 
And to add to the above, £350 will buy you a good late model and you'll be very pleased with it.

I used to have one and loved it, certainly think about another in the future...
 
Fungus might be an issue on an older lens depending on how its been cared for.
 
daugirdas said:
try one out if in doubt. I would not want any marks on glass and ideally not on the body. They should be pin sharp throughout. It doesn't matter when it was made but how it was cared for. You should be fine though with > 90% samples.
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Given how few of these come up for sale and me being in Northern Ireland, I will be buying without seeing the lens in person first. Although I will make sure and get good sample shots of the lens and the photos it produces at both ends wide open. thanks for the advice.
 
Why keep your 55-250, if you get a 70-200f4 L you will not use the other one, the 70-200 f4 is stella . Sell it and put the cash to the IS version of the 70/200
 
andyred said:
And to add to the above, £350 will buy you a good late model and you'll be very pleased with it.

I used to have one and loved it, certainly think about another in the future...
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You can buy mine Andy, I'm going 4/3s!
But got to agree with most of the comments on here, I love mine and will be sad to see it go (if I can bear to sell it) It will fit on my E-PL5 with adapter, but looks silly and defeats the object of getting lighter gear! As for fungus, cant remember anyone with that complaint as it is (to an extent) weather sealed?
A friend of mine bought one that was battered and suffered from paint loss, it was one of the original produced. I honestly could not tell the difference in IQ from more recent models.
Plus, he sold it for the same price he bought it for, 12 months later.
 
I bought one of those you describe off here. I love it, but it took a bit of getting used to as it's the first non-IS lens I've had in a while, so getting the best set up for Equestrian photography took a little while. Now I've got it matched to the 1DS Mk II I get a large number of keepers....

Age wise, I've never really worried too much about the age, condition is more important to me (assuming the lens is still serviceable by Canon.) So I would have loved a 35-350mm but the risk was too great if something goes wrong.

I'd try and borrow one to see what you think... For the money, I think they're great value.

A
 
wontolla said:
As for fungus, cant remember anyone with that complaint as it is (to an extent) weather sealed?
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The IS has weather sealing (and I can confirm its very good if my example is anything to go by), the non IS does not have weather sealing. Fungus - I dont recall anyone mentioning it but I'd still look out for it on an "old" lens. Not all L lenses are weather sealed.

Matt
 
wontolla said:
You can buy mine Andy, I'm going 4/3s!.
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Why you going to 4/3rds ?
Do I get special price for services rendered ? :D

wontolla said:
A friend of mine bought one that was battered and suffered from paint loss, it was one of the original produced. I honestly could not tell the difference in IQ from more recent models.
Plus, he sold it for the same price he bought it for, 12 months later.
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Yes, if you buy one and for whatever reason decide it's not for you, you can easily sell it on and not loose much / if anything.

Go for it , you won't regret it :)
 
andyred said:
Do I get special price for services rendered?

Go for it , you won't regret it :)
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But of course you do! Plus I'll even drop it off for you, personal service or wot?
 
cmcm789 said:
Given how few of these come up for sale and me being in Northern Ireland, I will be buying without seeing the lens in person first. Although I will make sure and get good sample shots of the lens and the photos it produces at both ends wide open. thanks for the advice.
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There seemed to be loads of these around when I bought mine a couple of months ago. If you don't fancy the ones on here, LCE and MPB usually have a few and will give you a warranty.
Don't get hung up on the age of canon L lenses-they tend to be well looked after and who you buy from is more important than the date code.
 
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