New Canon 70-200 2.8 IS Mark II - first impressions

Tobers

Tobers

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Andy
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Brilliant! I bought myself an early xmas pressie after getting some nice cash in from a few recent jobs, and now have a 70-200 IS 2.8 Mark II.

I used it in anger for the first time today at an all-day brochure & prospectus shoot for a school (bit different from the usual sports stuff). Pretty much all the shots were at high ISO (2000+) on a 1D Mk IV and Mk III.

It's the sort of shoot where you just have to get the results. With a full agenda of classes, labs, music rooms etc to visit in rapid order throughout the day, there's no time to mess about.

Previously, with my 70-200 non-IS Mark 1, I'd find a number of mis-focused shots in post processing for no particular reason. Also, the older lens is quite slow to focus by comparison to the new one, which is lightning fast. For sports use, I'd find some crucial shots like a goal being scored or a celebration mis-focused which was losing me money.

The clarity and sharpness from the new lens is fantastic. IS is great and unobtrusive. The results are very consistent and a big improvement over the old one. The focusing is really fast - like the Canon 300 or 400 2.8 lenses, it just snaps almost instantly into focus. Fab.

I'll be giving it a try out at Twickenham on Saturday with some proper sports stuff, and I expect fab results. An excellent (though pricey at £1,699) buy. I'm sure it'll pay for itself quite quickly.
 
I'll be ordering mine this week. I already have the 70-200 f/2.8 IS mk I, but the reviews of the mk II have been nothing short of amazing.
 
I have lens envy! The mark I 70-200 f/2.8 is a stunning lens, by far the best in my collection, so I can only imagine how sublime the mkII is.
 
I'm waiting for mine to arrive from Kerso, it's taking longer to get here than normal because of the snow.
 
Please let us know how you get on with it at Twickers.

Will you use it on the Mk III or Mk IV? And what on the one you don't have the 70-200 on?
 
I don't want to diss your experience, Tobers. But you have to admit it's funny that, prior to the launch of the Mk II, nobody EVER complained about the Mk I, in any way whatsoever.
 
That is exaggerating a wee bit Stewart.

Most people come to the Mk I from a something like a kit lens so yes it will be much better.

This is from Fred Miranda reviews
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I've owned, rented, and borrowed several copies of this lens with always the same result. Soft at f/2.8, particularly at 200mm. You have to stop it down to f/4 to get good results. I finally replaced mine with the 200mm f/2.8L II which is much sharper. If you really need an f/2.8 zoom, there's no other option. Yes, it's a staple of every news/sports photographer in the business, but many still hate it none-the-less. Hopefully the new version is an improvement.
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I have read - I think on your site explantions of why someone may say a lens is soft when in fact it is perfectly good.

But not everyone thought the Mk I was perfect.
 
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bigrob said:
Will you use it on the Mk III or Mk IV? And what on the one you don't have the 70-200 on?
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Dont know yet actually. I tend to have the 400 on the Mk IV but more recently I've been putting the 70-200 on it to get more croppability from the extra pixels. I'll let you know how I get on.
 
The old one was very good, but the resolution increases in recent years began to show that at f/2.8 it could be sharper. The new one is indeed excellent from f/2.8 and I like the new focus ring, locking lens hood and the overall feel of the mkII. It resists flare much better too, only for the sake of portability do I often find using the f/4 IS ;-)
 
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Just looking at your images from the match. Excellent as usual.

So how did the 70-200 II perform?

n.b. I love the O2 canon thing.
 
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Strangely I've found mine with a handful of test shots to be softer at 70mm than 200mm. I was taking the shots of my son though at 4-5ft away and pixel peeping.

Overall mighty impressed
 
1D Mk4 Plus 70-200 Mk2 bliss.;)
 
bigrob said:
Just looking at your images from the match. Excellent as usual.

So how did the 70-200 II perform?

n.b. I love the O2 canon thing.
Click to expand...

Really pleased with the lens so far. Excellent results, and a definite step up from the 70-200 2.8 non-IS that I had been using. Very pleased.
 
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