LensTip.com

Lens review

Canon EF 70-200 mm f/4L IS USM

9 October 2007
Arkadiusz Olech

11. Summary

Pros:

  • great picture quality in the center and at the edges of the frame
  • well controlled chromatic aberration
  • almost absent coma and astigmatism
  • very small vignetting
  • small astigmatism
  • fast, quiet and efficient autofocus
  • very solid build
  • high quality build
  • efficient stabilization
Cons:
  • if we try hard to find some flaws, we might say that the performance for f/4.0 and at 70 mm focal length could be a bit better
It is very pleasant to test the lens and have nothing bad to say about it in the summary. In all honesty, the only major flaw we would point out would be the performance for the maximum aperture at the 70 mm focal length. In our overall judgment, the results are very good, but when seeing very high results at other diaphragms and focal lengths, we would want more!

Can the high price be a con too? I did write this as a con and I would leave it if the stabilization was the only difference between the 70-200 f/4L IS and its predecessor. But there is more! The picture resolution is a bit better and the bright light performance is better. Therefore, for the additional 2200 Polish zloty we not only get the stabilization, but better optical performance as well. Is it worth it? I can’t answer this question since it is a practical question that each individual reader must decide on his own.


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Sample shots:

Canon EF 70-200 mm f/4L IS USM - Summary Canon EF 70-200 mm f/4L IS USM - Summary Canon EF 70-200 mm f/4L IS USM - Summary
Camera: Canon 20D
Parameters: 70 mm, f/4.0, exp. 1/60 sec, ISO 400
File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 2.5 MB
Camera: Canon 20D
Parameters: 70 mm, f/4.0, exp. 1/2000 sec, ISO 400
File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 3.3 MB
Camera: Canon 20D
Parameters: 135 mm, f/4.0, exp. 1/1250 sec, ISO 400
File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 3.6 MB
Canon EF 70-200 mm f/4L IS USM - Summary Canon EF 70-200 mm f/4L IS USM - Summary Canon EF 70-200 mm f/4L IS USM - Summary
Camera: Canon 20D
Parameters: 121 mm, f/7.1, exp. 1/1250 sec, ISO 200
File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 3.1 MB
Camera: Canon 20D
Parameters: 70 mm, f/8.0, exp. 1/1000 sec, ISO 200
File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 2.7 MB
Camera: Canon 20D
Parameters: 200 mm, f/4.0, exp. 1/6400 sec, ISO 200
File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 2.6 MB
Canon EF 70-200 mm f/4L IS USM - Summary Canon EF 70-200 mm f/4L IS USM - Summary Canon EF 70-200 mm f/4L IS USM - Summary
Camera: Canon 20D
Parameters: 81 mm, f/8.0, exp. 1/800 sec, ISO 200
File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 3.1 MB
Camera: Canon 20D
Parameters: 200 mm, f/5.6, exp. 1/800 sec, ISO 200
File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 2.5 MB
Camera: Canon 20D
Parameters: 200 mm, f/7.1, exp. 1/800 sec, ISO 200
File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 2.2 MB
Canon EF 70-200 mm f/4L IS USM - Summary Canon EF 70-200 mm f/4L IS USM - Summary Canon EF 70-200 mm f/4L IS USM - Summary
Camera: Canon 20D
Parameters: 70 mm, f/4.0, exp. 1/1600 sec, ISO 200
File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 2.5 MB
Camera: Canon 20D
Parameters: 70 mm, f/7.1, exp. 1/500 sec, ISO 200
File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 3.3 MB
Camera: Canon 20D
Parameters: 135 mm, f/4.0, exp. 1/200 sec, ISO 100
File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 2.4 MB




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