PBase

Is it really an excellent lens?? Please, advice. I have to take a decision soon about buying it or not.

Yes. Buy it. Great for almost every type of application.

I have trouble with mine. The results always seem washed out... not sharp at all. Almost milky in a way. It makes me wonder if there's actually something wrong with the lens. My 50mm and 400mm take remarkably better pictures.

I've never heard anything but praise for this lens, which further leads me to believe there's something wrong. Any suggestions on how I'd go about checking it?

erivasplata wrote:Is it really an excellent lens?? Please, advice. I have to take a decision soon about buying it or not.

It is an excellent lens, one of the best that Canon produces. It is not very sharp at f/2.8, but sharpens up nicely once the aperture is stopped down a little. Sharpness is a subjective criteria and depends on final output (print size, monitor, etc.) and the eye of the photographer; it's also a heavy lens and a bit costly. If you need an f/2.8 lens in this focal length, this is a very good choice, I've been satisfied with mine. If you don't absolutely need an f/2.8 aperture, the more recent f/4 IS version of this lens is an excellent choice. This one is very sharp at all apertures, lighter and less costly. Most photogs that use this lens, and post in other forums, believe this is one the finest zoom telephotos available today. Either one is a good choice, it's a question if you really need f/2.8.

wienerman wrote:I've never heard anything but praise for this lens, which further leads me to believe there's something wrong. Any suggestions on how I'd go about checking it?

Jeff, I haven't seen or read of results that you describe, have you had Canon service it?

dougj wrote:Jeff, I haven't seen or read of results that you describe, have you had Canon service it?

I haven't yet, Doug... this may be my call to do just that.

I'm going to take some comparative test photos and post them here... then go from there. It'll probably be this weekend.

Thanks,
Jeff

That's a good approach Jeff, some photos will help. I don't know if you're familiar with Digital Photography Review, their Canon lens forum is very active and the 70-200 is frequently discussed. DPR forums can be a bit rough around the edges (probably an understatement), but it's a good resource in many areas with some very good, and some not so good, posts & advice. If you're not familiar with it I suggest you check it out.

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/forum.asp?forum=1029

Very popular highly reviewed lens ... differences of opinion including weight factor and sharpness (as compared to other lenses in the same range).

I just sent my 70-200 lens to Canon service to see if they can find something wrong with it. Took a bunch of pictures with it a couple of weeks ago, and they're just crap. Hopefully it will be a simple fix, I'd really love to count on this lens especially when traveling. I use my 400mm f2.8 for most zoom work, but it's not always practical. I'd use the 70-200 a lot more if the results can be remarkably improved.

I sent my 70-200 f2.8L IS to Canon complaining of soft images. They claimed "front focusing" and made an adjustment. I didn't see ANY improvement. It was very sharp at 135mm f5.6, but I could find much cheaper lenses that could do that! I sold it and am considering the new version...

phodeaux wrote:I sent my 70-200 f2.8L IS to Canon complaining of soft images. They claimed "front focusing" and made an adjustment. I didn't see ANY improvement. It was very sharp at 135mm f5.6, but I could find much cheaper lenses that could do that! I sold it and am considering the new version...

Try Sigma! Good luck.

Lol ur Sigma wont even comes close to a Canon 70-200 and if u cant see that ur not worth the lens anyway.

I love my canon 70-200 2.8

I use it at work a lot. I try not to use any flash during speakers, performances or programs and this lens is a life saver.

I have heard every once in a while that people find this lens a bit soft. I have never had that issue (well except when shooting handheld at 1/15 sec, f/2.8 at 6400 iso - thats rough on any camera or lens)

It is a pricey lens, but I feel it has been worth every penny and more. I would highly recommend buying this if you feel you ave a use for it.