This ultra-fast telephoto, a new member of Canon legendary L-series lenses, has totally new optics to provide better image quality. It uses Fluorite and UD lens elements for excellent Chromatic aberration correction and consists of 17 elements in 12 groups. The built-in Optical Image Stabilizer gives it up to 4 stops of stabilization correction. The inner USM and optimized AF algorithms result in fast and quiet autofocusing, and the Circular aperture can even produce beautiful out-of-focus images. This ultra-high-performance lens also improves its durability - better dust- and water-proofing. The EF 200mm f/2L IS USM is outstanding for many available-light applications, including indoor sports, theater work, fashion, and candids at events.
The Canon EF200mm f/2L IS USM is an exceptionally sharp lens that is significantly lighter (2520g/5.5 lbs. vs. 3000g/6.6 lbs.) than its predecessor, the renowned EF200mm f/1.8L USM lens, while adding OIS and a weather-resistant design. Ideal for all kinds of low-light photography including portraiture as well as indoor sports, the EF200mm f/2L IS USM has a close-focus setting of 1.9 m/6.2 feet and a circular aperture system that enhances its background Blur rendition at wide apertures.
The new Canon EF200mm f/2L IS USM is scheduled to be available in April at an estimated retail price of $5,999.00 and the new Canon EF800mm f/5.6L IS USM is scheduled to be available in May for an estimated retail price of $11,999.00.
Lens Type: Prime IS / VR / OS: IS Canon L Class: Yes Min Focal length (mm): 200 Max Focal Length (mm): 200 Number of Elements: 17 Element Groups: 12 Max Aperture: 2 Closest Focus Distance (m): 1.9 Filter Type: Drop In Filter Diameter (mm): 52 Diameter at widest (mm): 128 Lens Length (mm): 208 Weight (g): 2520 Release Date: March 2008
Development objectives
The EF 200mm f/2L IS USM (Photo 1) is a new L-series telephoto lens
with image stabilization. It replaces the discontinued EF 200mm f/1.8L
USM lens. The lens's large f/2 aperture and lightweight design make it
ideal for portraits or for indoor sports photography.
The primary development objectives of this lens are described below.
Feature 1: Top picture quality suitable for an L lens
The optical system - which was redesigned from the ground up with one
fluorite and two UD elements - delivers the high-fidelity,
high-Contrast images one expects from an L lens while minimizing
chromatic Aberration and eliminating color fringing (figures 1 and 2).
Lens elements G7 and G8 form the inner-focusing system.
Figure 1: Optical assembly of the EF 200mm f/2L IS USM
Figure 2: MTF characteristics of the EF 200mm f/2L IS USM
Feature 2: Five f-stop stabilization gain
Image stabilization on this lens is achieved with a mechanism that
shifts the compensation optics (G11, G12, and G13). The
high-performance IS unit - which is highly responsive to even subtle
blurring - and the gyro-sensors - which precisely detect blurring -
together with an optimized image-stabilization algorithm, give the lens
a stabilization gain equivalent to roughly five f-stops* of shutter speed (photos 2 and 3).
Photo 2: Image stabilization on
Photo 3: Image stabilization off
(Photos 2 and 3 were taken with an EOS-1Ds Mark III at 1/100 sec.)
This lens's image stabilization function has the following outstanding features:
·
Two selectable image stabilization modes - Mode 1, for still shooting, and Mode 2, for pan shooting
·
Image stabilization when using a monopod is equivalent to hand-held image stabilization
·
Image stabilization available when using a tripod**
·
Image stabilization can be used with the EF 1.4x II or EF 2x II extender attached
*The minimum unaided hand-held shutter speed is roughly [1/focal length] seconds. **In certain shooting conditions and with certain tripod types, it is better to work with image stabilization off.
Feature 3: Lightweight design
For
easier hand-held shooting, we designed the major components of the lens
from lightweight magnesium alloy. This allowed us to pare the lens down
to 2,520 grams (from the 3,000 grams of the EF 200mm f/1.8L USM)
despite the large aperture and image stabilization unit.
Feature 4: Superior waterproof and dustproof construction
Waterproof and dustproof construction (Figure 3) around the mount, the
switch panel and switches, the AF stop buttons, the focus-recall and
focusing rings, and the drop-in filter prevent dust and moisture from
getting into the lens, making it suitable for taking pictures in harsh
conditions. *Be sure to use the lens with a weatherproof/dustproof camera body.
Figure 3: Waterproof and dustproof construction on the EF 200mm f/2L IS USM
Feature 5: Optimal optics for digital SLRs
The lens configuration and coatings have been optimized to ensure
excellent Color balance as well as to minimize the flaring and ghosting
found with digital SLRs due to surface reflections from the imaging
sensor.
Other features • Manual focusing in AF mode
After the one-shot AF operation, the full-time mechanical manual focus
construction allows the user to continue to focus manually without
leaving the AF mode.
• Fast, silent autofocusing
The lens's inner-focusing system, ring-USM drive, high-speed CPU, and
optimized AF algorithms enable fast, silent autofocusing performance on
par with the EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM.
• AF stop function
The photographer can pause the autofocus drive while the lens is
autofocusing by pressing one of the four AF stop buttons located near
the front of the lens. This allows the photographer to stop the lens
from accidentally focusing on obstructions appearing between the
photographer and the subject.
• Focus Preset function
The lens comes with a focus preset that instantly moves the lens to a
previously stored focus position. This is useful for pre-focus shooting
• Circular aperture produces beautiful bokeh blurring effects
The lens features an electro-magnetic diaphragm with a circular
aperture that provides attractive bokeh blurring effects (Photo 4).
Photo 4: Bokeh effect of the circular aperture at f/3.5
• Switch shapes designed to prevent accidental settings
The switch panel switches have been shaped to prevent them from being moved accidentally while shooting or during transport.
• Large hood provides more effective light blocking
The inner wall of the large circular ET-120B hood (Photo 5) has been
flocked for superior anti-reflective performance, vastly reducing
harmful reflections.
Photo 5: Dedicated ET-120B hood for the EF 200mm f/2L IS USM
• Environmentally friendly design
The lens optics use only lead-free glass in consideration of the environment.
Furthermore,
the lens design meets the environmental requirements of the European
Union's RoHS Directive (Directive on the Restriction of the Use of
Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment).
Photo 7: The telephoto/super-telephoto large aperture L-lens series
This concludes this month's look at our two new high-performance
L-series lenses. With the addition of these two new lenses, our EF lens
line now features six large-aperture L-series lenses that cover
telephoto and super-telephoto ranges (Photo 7).
Worth every penny! If you're on the fence; Leap, d, Wednesday, 10 February 2010
Overall rating (weighted)
4.5
Sharpness
4.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
4.0
I bought this lens after seeing images captured with it in a well known internet photography forum. Although the price made me think many times (twice wasn't enough) before I decided to purchase it, the performance of this lens has been worth every penny. I have an 85mm f/1.2L II that performs impressively, focuses sharp and has an equally beautiful bokeh, but the AF focus speed coupled with its smooth creamy bokeh put this 200mm prime in a class of its own. If you have the need for a sharp, fast focusing, prime lens that is sharp wide open and great in low light... this is the lens for you.
Simply the best, as expected, Thursday, 17 December 2009
Overall rating (weighted)
4.8
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
4.0
Value for Money
5.0
Anyone considering this lens already knows its attributes from the normal photography equipment web sites and/or magazines, so there's nothing new to say about that. All I can say is that my experience with it so far is exactly what I expected - this is one of the world's very best lenses.
Nice lens but rent before you buy, Wednesday, 30 September 2009
Overall rating (weighted)
4.0
Sharpness
4.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
4.0
Value for Money
3.0
No question canon lenes rock! My favorite is the 300mm f/2.8 canon lens, which is typically sold at $1000 less than the 200mm F/2.0 lens. The 300mm is truly amazing.
Along with the f/2.0 200mm and f/2.8 300mm lens, I also own the 70-200mm canon f/2.8 zoom lens. I capture both night and day sports shots. I use the 300mm and 70-200mm over 95% of the time, as the flexibility and quality of the 70-200mm zoom lens with the spectacular shots obtained from the 300mm just can't be beat. Don't get me wrong, the 200mm is really nice as well. But for almost the same price, go for the combination of the 300mm f/2.8 and the 70-200mm f/2.8 canon lens. This combination provides comparable image quality and additional flexibility.
As a side note, unlike the 400mm f/2.8 lens, I have never been stopped or questioned when bringing the 300mm to a sports event. Large enough to get noticed by the spectators but not a concern to the security guards.
Granted your needs may be different than mine. In that case, rent before you buy.
I do a lot of sports photography, and this is one of my favorite lenses for it. The Canon EF 400mm f/2.8L IS USM Super Telephoto Lens for Canon SLR Cameras is the classic sports photographer's lens, but it's extremely expensive, and so huge and heavy it's not practical to bring to many sporting events.
I had been using the Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM Telephoto Lens for Canon SLR Cameras instead, which is cheaper, lighter, and easier to get past stadium security.
But this lens is probably the most useful. It's smaller than the 300mm f/2.8L. (But not lighter; it weighs almost exactly the same. You will need a monopod if you're going to use it for any length of time.) The street price is a little higher, though the list price is lower. But the extra speed is great for night games or indoor sports. And you can use an extender and get roughly the equivalent of the 300mm f/2.8.
Excellent lens, and definitely one of my favorites.
Otherworldly, insane, impossible, rare, perfect, o, Thursday, 16 April 2009
Overall rating (weighted)
5.0
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
Pros:
Super fast auto focus Speed, F/2 at 200mm!! Unbelievable perfect 10 Images!! This lens WILL get you attention Otherworldly image stabilization! Great build quality weather sealed Fantastic perfect buttery smooth Bokeh What a lens case! More like a high quality hard cover suitcase
Cons:
Heavy and huge This lens WILL get you attention This is a lens cap; you gotta be kidding me! Ok, what lens bag can I purchase to have this lens and my camera and the hood extended in a ready to shoot position?
Assembly:
I've always lusted after this lens and finally have my hands on one but there are a few things you don't think about. Probably like when you first win the Lotto and purchase your first Lamborghini there will be some details not in your dreams. The case was smaller then I expected but is very nice having very high quality aluminum build with lock and carrying handle (see photo I uploaded). The case even includes a set of two keys; not that locking it would do any good if the thief knew what was inside. The first thing you notice upon opening is the strange lens cap and hood assembly. The lens system takes some assembly to get ready to shoot each time since you have to remove this strange weird leather with a draw string lens cap, unscrew the hood attaching screw and reverse. If you buy and like to shoot at a moments notice you will want to purchase a large quality photo bag.
Mounting and setup:
Mounting the lens is almost a mount the camera to the lens affair but not quite as you can still do it either way. It feels a little fat and a little Bit heavy if you are coming from say a Canon 70-200 F/2.8 L or 100-400 L lens. If you are used to those two lenses you will have a similar feel at first except that the hood is pretty large on the end making the lens seem bigger then it is and it's a little bit front heavy in comparison. If you are coming from smaller lenses you are going to say holy cow this thing is huge! If you have just used a Canon 500mm f/4.0 L IS then you are going to think man this lens is very light and even hand hold able. But I say handhold with caution as my back was aching after an hour of use. For extended portrait sessions I would suggest using a monopod. And it has an excellent tripod ring with perfect tensions knob and spring loaded detents when rotating.
Controls:
All the controls were for me well placed and I rarely touched them. The manual focus ring is perfectly placed and perfectly dampened and you will never need it. Auto focus on this lens is blazing fast the fastest I have ever experienced.
IS off switch, leave it ON! Unless you are shooting birds in flight or maybe trying to track a football player just leave IS ON. It even knows when you mounted it on a tripod and continues to work well. More about IS later.
There's a 2-position focus limiter switch that limits the minimum focus distance to 11.5' (3.5m) to infinity. Forget that! You don't need it. This lens focuses so fast from minimum to infinity it's a non-issue. So just leave it set to 6.2' (1.9m) so you don't end up forgetting and wondering what the heck is wrong.
Image Stabilizer:
Otherworldly, insane, impossible, rare, perfect, out of sight, crazy, what other adjective could I possibly use to describe the most perfect Image Stabilizer (IS) I have ever used. You can get crazy and get all the way down to 1/15s and still get sharp shots although for consistency I found 1/30 second to be more like the actual limit.
Image Quality:
You probably thought I would never get here. Remember those adjectives I just used to describe the IS earlier. Well they all apply here. Image quality taken with this lens with a high-end camera such as a Canon 5D Mark II are: Other-worldly, insane, impossible, rare, perfect, out of sight, crazy.
They are so perfect I'm sure for the first time I am seeing what this sensor can actually do. I thought I was seeing everything with my Canon 85mm F/1.2 II L lens stopped down to F/4 as it's been the sharpest most resolving power lens I have used so far on my Canon 5D Mark II and I thought it didn't get any better then that. Well not so, the Canon 200mm F/2 IS L lens blows it away! You will see every eyelash, every pimple, and every defect, but also every lovely feature of each person's face when you use this lens for portraiture. It's as good wide open at F/2 as the 85 at F/4 and gets even sharper and clearer at F/2.2 and even clearer at F/2.5. After that the only thing you get is a little more Depth of field, which you just might need as at minimum focus distance wide open the depth of field or DOF is razor blade thin.
It's so good in fact that higher ISO shots which didn't show noise or very little noise in out of focus areas are now showing noise. At first I thought I was seeing things but after going back and looking at 3200 ISO shots with other lenses on my 5D Mark II there is very little noise. But the resolving power of this lens shows every little thing including more noise at higher ISO's. But shoot at 50 to 200 ISO and the photos are impossible to describe. The little JPEG's samples you can download off the web do NOT do this lens justice. Pixel peeping 100% exploration with the original RAW files is not a must to truly appreciate. And speaking of JPEG's make sure you always shoot in RAW and process using Canon's Digital Photo Professional (DPP) or you won't be seeing what this lens can really do.
Bokeh:
Oh my GOD! Nothing prepares you for it, you get back to your high def computer screen and pop up the first images taken with this lens and the Bokeh takes your breath away. So buttery smooth you wonder how it's not an optical illusion. So perfect people will ask how did you pull that off in Photoshop and their mouth drops open when you say it's all from the lens.
DOF:
The depth of field or DOF on this lens is so well defined on this lens it looks like someone drew a line and said BOKEH on one side and RAZOR SHARP on the other. At the risk of over using this statement I've never seen anything like it.
Sharpness:
I like my photos sharp. Sometimes I am asked why so sharp. Because I like it that's why. With my other lenses I end up either leaving the sharpness in the middle or adding some. With this lens especially at F/2.2 or F/2.5 you can slide the sharpness down to 0 and its sometimes still too sharp for portraiture!!
Attention:
This lens will get it. Almost everywhere you go people will talk, stare, and ask questions even more so then with my other white L lenses. This could be good or bad. Good for your ego but bad if you don't like answering the same questions over and over. I personally like it and use the time to hand out my business card and chat up potential customers. Think of this lens as part of your advertising budget.
Conclusion:
It's heavy on the pocketbook, and it gets heavy on your back and shoulders and it attracts attention. But if you want to see what your very high-end digital camera or film camera can really do there is only one way to see it. Buy this lens. For all the positive reasons above I am highly recommending the Canon 200mm F/2 IS L lens if you can afford it. If you shoot quality high-end portraits or need this focal length for in-door sports you can't go wrong.
Other lenses owned:
Canon 15mm Fisheye F/2.8, crazy ultra wide wall bending fun! Canon EF-S 17-55 F/2.8 IS Ultra sharp, great colors, great low light, poor zoom action Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Rebel XTi Kit lens Muddy, slow, pile of junk Canon EF 17-40mm f/4 L Fantastic colors, sharp zoomed 17 to 24mm, ultra smooth zoom action, light weight Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L Fantastic colors and contrast, sharp zoomed 40 to 70mm, zoom a little stiff at first, heavy, repair prone! Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Good budget portrait lens, light weight, disposable, sharp from F/2.5 Canon EF 85mm F/1.2 L II The best portrait lens for female and children clients, buttery smooth Bokeh, heavy and expensive it shares sharpness with 135mm Canon EF 135mm F/2.0 L The best portrait lens for males and tied with Canon 85mm F 1/.2 for sharpest lens I own, buttery smooth Bokeh Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L fantastic colors, sharp for a zoom, very versatile ego boosting and attention getting and heavy! My favorite zoom lens!!! Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L great IS, super colors, sharp for a zoom, extremely versatile, variable Bokeh, even more ego boosting and attention getting when extended and 400mm reach!!
Otherworldly, insane, impossible, rare, perfect, o, Thursday, 16 April 2009
Overall rating (weighted)
4.8
Sharpness
4.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
Pros:
Super fast auto focus Speed, F/2 at 200mm!! Unbelievable perfect 10 Images!! This lens WILL get you attention Otherworldly image stabilization! Great build quality weather sealed Fantastic perfect buttery smooth Bokeh What a lens case! More like a high quality hard cover suitcase
Cons:
Heavy and huge This lens WILL get you attention This is a lens cap; you gotta be kidding me! Ok, what lens bag can I purchase to have this lens and my camera and the hood extended in a ready to shoot position?
Assembly:
I've always lusted after this lens and finally have my hands on one but there are a few things you don't think about. Probably like when you first win the Lotto and purchase your first Lamborghini there will be some details not in your dreams. The case was smaller then I expected but is very nice having very high quality aluminum build with lock and carrying handle (see photo I uploaded). The case even includes a set of two keys; not that locking it would do any good if the thief knew what was inside. The first thing you notice upon opening is the strange lens cap and hood assembly. The lens system takes some assembly to get ready to shoot each time since you have to remove this strange weird leather with a draw string lens cap, unscrew the hood attaching screw and reverse. If you buy and like to shoot at a moments notice you will want to purchase a large quality photo bag.
Mounting and setup:
Mounting the lens is almost a mount the camera to the lens affair but not quite as you can still do it either way. It feels a little fat and a little bit heavy if you are coming from say a Canon 70-200 F/2.8 L or 100-400 L lens. If you are used to those two lenses you will have a similar feel at first except that the hood is pretty large on the end making the lens seem bigger then it is and it's a little bit front heavy in comparison. If you are coming from smaller lenses you are going to say holy cow this thing is huge! If you have just used a Canon 500mm f/4.0 L IS then you are going to think man this lens is very light and even hand hold able. But I say handhold with caution as my back was aching after an hour of use. For extended portrait sessions I would suggest using a monopod. And it has an excellent tripod ring with perfect tensions knob and spring loaded detents when rotating. When using without the monopod or tripod I have found it's best to keep the ring rotated upside down as it makes a good carrying handle and if you also rotate the lens hood upside down so that the tightening knob is on top the entire assembly lens camera and all will sit pretty flat.
Controls:
All the controls were for me well placed and I rarely touched them. The manual focus ring is perfectly placed and perfectly dampened and you will never need it. Auto focus on this lens is blazing fast the fastest I have ever experienced.
IS off switch, leave it ON! Unless you are shooting birds in flight or maybe trying to track a football player just leave IS ON. It even knows when you mounted it on a tripod and continues to work well. More about IS later.
There's a 2-position focus limiter switch that limits the minimum focus distance to 11.5' (3.5m) to infinity. Forget that! You don't need it. This lens focuses so fast from minimum to infinity it's a non-issue. So just leave it set to 6.2' (1.9m) so you don't end up forgetting and wondering what the heck is wrong.
Preset focus system, there is a focus record Off On Record button on the control panel and preset go to buttons near the end of the lens. Don't worry about them, you won't need them this thing is an auto focus lighting bolt!
Stabilizer Mode 1 and 2 buttons, 1 is for vertical and horizontal and 2 for horizontal panning only. This system works so well and so much better then my old Canon 100-400 IS L that I just leave it in the 1 position no matter what I am doing and it's just fine. On my Canon 100-400 IS L I have to turn if off when panning rapidly as it can't keep up and produces a dark area in the exposure sometimes. I could not get it to fall behind no this lens, like I have said before the IS on this lens is the best there is!
Image Stabilizer:
Otherworldly, insane, impossible, rare, perfect, out of sight, crazy, what other adjective could I possibly use to describe the most perfect Image Stabilizer (IS) I have ever used. You can get crazy and get all the way down to 1/15s and still get sharp shots although for consistency I found 1/30 second to be more like the actual limit.
Image Quality:
You probably thought I would never get here. Remember those adjectives I just used to describe the IS earlier. Well they all apply here. Image quality taken with this lens with a high-end camera such as a Canon 5D Mark II are: Other-worldly, insane, impossible, rare, perfect, out of sight, crazy.
They are so perfect I'm sure for the first time I am seeing what this sensor can actually do. I thought I was seeing everything with my Canon 85mm F/1.2 II L lens stopped down to F/4 as it's been the sharpest most resolving power lens I have used so far on my Canon 5D Mark II and I thought it didn't get any better then that. Well not so, the Canon 200mm F/2 IS L lens blows it away! You will see every eyelash, every pimple, and every defect, but also every lovely feature of each person's face when you use this lens for portraiture. It's as good wide open at F/2 as the 85 at F/4 and gets even sharper and clearer at F/2.2 and even clearer at F/2.5. After that the only thing you get is a little more depth of field, which you just might need as at minimum focus distance wide open the depth of field or DOF is razor blade thin.
It's so good in fact that higher ISO shots which didn't show noise or very little noise in out of focus areas are now showing noise. At first I thought I was seeing things but after going back and looking at 3200 ISO shots with other lenses on my 5D Mark II there is very little noise. But the resolving power of this lens shows every little thing including more noise at higher ISO's. But shoot at 50 to 200 ISO and the photos are impossible to describe. The little JPEG's samples you can download off the web do NOT do this lens justice. Pixel peeping 100% exploration with the original RAW files is not a must to truly appreciate. And speaking of JPEG's make sure you always shoot in RAW and process using Canon's Digital Photo Professional (DPP) or you won't be seeing what this lens can really do.
Bokeh:
Oh my GOD! Nothing prepares you for it, you get back to your high def computer screen and pop up the first images taken with this lens and the Bokeh takes your breath away. So buttery smooth you wonder how it's not an optical illusion. So perfect people will ask how did you pull that off in Photoshop and their mouth drops open when you say it's all from the lens.
DOF:
The depth of field or DOF on this lens is so well defined on this lens it looks like someone drew a line and said BOKEH on one side and RAZOR SHARP on the other. At the risk of over using this statement I've never seen anything like it.
Sharpness:
I like my photos sharp. Sometimes I am asked why so sharp. Because I like it that's why. With my other lenses I end up either leaving the sharpness in the middle or adding some. With this lens especially at F/2.2 or F/2.5 you can slide the sharpness down to 0 and its sometimes still too sharp for portraiture!!
Attention:
This lens will get it. Almost everywhere you go people will talk, stare, and ask questions even more so then with my other white L lenses. This could be good or bad. Good for your ego but bad if you don't like answering the same questions over and over. I personally like it and use the time to hand out my business card and chat up potential customers. Think of this lens as part of your advertising budget.
Conclusion:
It's heavy on the pocketbook, and it gets heavy on your back and shoulders and it attracts attention. But if you want to see what your very high-end digital camera or film camera can really do there is only one way to see it. Buy this lens. For all the positive reasons above I am highly recommending the Canon 200mm F/2 IS L lens if you can afford it. If you shoot quality high-end portraits or need this focal length for in-door sports you can't go wrong.
Other lenses reviewed:
Canon 15mm Fisheye F/2.8, crazy ultra wide wall bending fun! Canon EF-S 17-55 F/2.8 IS Ultra sharp, great colors, great low light, poor zoom action Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Rebel XTi Kit lens Muddy, slow, pile of junk Canon EF 17-40mm f/4 L Fantastic colors, sharp zoomed 17 to 24mm, ultra smooth zoom action, light weight Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L Fantastic colors and contrast, sharp zoomed 40 to 70mm, zoom a little stiff at first, heavy, repair prone! Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Good budget portrait lens, light weight, disposable, sharp from F/2.5 Canon EF 85mm F/1.2 L II The best portrait lens for female and children clients, buttery smooth Bokeh, heavy and expensive it shares sharpness with 135mm Canon EF 135mm F/2.0 L The best portrait lens for males and tied with Canon 85mm F 1/.2 for sharpest lens I own, buttery smooth Bokeh Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L fantastic colors, sharp for a zoom, very versatile ego boosting and attention getting and heavy! My favorite zoom lens!!! Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L great IS, super colors, sharp for a zoom, extremely versatile, variable Bokeh, even more ego boosting and attention getting when extended and 400mm reach!!
Otherworldly, insane, impossible, rare, perfect, o, Thursday, 16 April 2009
Overall rating (weighted)
4.3
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
4.0
AF Speed
4.0
Value for Money
4.0
Pros:
Super fast auto focus Speed, F/2 at 200mm!! Unbelievable perfect 10 Images!! This lens WILL get you attention Otherworldly image stabilization! Great build quality weather sealed Fantastic perfect buttery smooth Bokeh What a lens case! More like a high quality hard cover suitcase
Cons:
Heavy and huge This lens WILL get you attention This is a lens cap; you gotta be kidding me! Ok, what lens bag can I purchase to have this lens and my camera and the hood extended in a ready to shoot position?
Assembly:
I've always lusted after this lens and finally have my hands on one but there are a few things you don't think about. Probably like when you first win the Lotto and purchase your first Lamborghini there will be some details not in your dreams. The case was smaller then I expected but is very nice having very high quality aluminum build with lock and carrying handle (see photo I uploaded). The case even includes a set of two keys; not that locking it would do any good if the thief knew what was inside. The first thing you notice upon opening is the strange lens cap and hood assembly. The lens system takes some assembly to get ready to shoot each time since you have to remove this strange weird leather with a draw string lens cap, unscrew the hood attaching screw and reverse. If you buy and like to shoot at a moments notice you will want to purchase a large quality photo bag.
Mounting and setup:
Mounting the lens is almost a mount the camera to the lens affair but not quite as you can still do it either way. It feels a little fat and a little bit heavy if you are coming from say a Canon 70-200 F/2.8 L or 100-400 L lens. If you are used to those two lenses you will have a similar feel at first except that the hood is pretty large on the end making the lens seem bigger then it is and it's a little bit front heavy in comparison. If you are coming from smaller lenses you are going to say holy cow this thing is huge! If you have just used a Canon 500mm f/4.0 L IS then you are going to think man this lens is very light and even hand hold able. But I say handhold with caution as my back was aching after an hour of use. For extended portrait sessions I would suggest using a monopod. And it has an excellent tripod ring with perfect tensions knob and spring loaded detents when rotating. When using without the monopod or tripod I have found it's best to keep the ring rotated upside down as it makes a good carrying handle and if you also rotate the lens hood upside down so that the tightening knob is on top the entire assembly lens camera and all will sit pretty flat.
Controls:
All the controls were for me well placed and I rarely touched them. The manual focus ring is perfectly placed and perfectly dampened and you will never need it. Auto focus on this lens is blazing fast the fastest I have ever experienced.
IS off switch, leave it ON! Unless you are shooting birds in flight or maybe trying to track a football player just leave IS ON. It even knows when you mounted it on a tripod and continues to work well. More about IS later.
There's a 2-position focus limiter switch that limits the minimum focus distance to 11.5' (3.5m) to infinity. Forget that! You don't need it. This lens focuses so fast from minimum to infinity it's a non-issue. So just leave it set to 6.2' (1.9m) so you don't end up forgetting and wondering what the heck is wrong.
Preset focus system, there is a focus record Off On Record button on the control panel and preset go to buttons near the end of the lens. Don't worry about them, you won't need them this thing is an auto focus lighting bolt!
Stabilizer Mode 1 and 2 buttons, 1 is for vertical and horizontal and 2 for horizontal panning only. This system works so well and so much better then my old Canon 100-400 IS L that I just leave it in the 1 position no matter what I am doing and it's just fine. On my Canon 100-400 IS L I have to turn if off when panning rapidly as it can't keep up and produces a dark area in the exposure sometimes. I could not get it to fall behind no this lens, like I have said before the IS on this lens is the best there is!
Image Stabilizer:
Otherworldly, insane, impossible, rare, perfect, out of sight, crazy, what other adjective could I possibly use to describe the most perfect Image Stabilizer (IS) I have ever used. You can get crazy and get all the way down to 1/15s and still get sharp shots although for consistency I found 1/30 second to be more like the actual limit.
Image Quality:
You probably thought I would never get here. Remember those adjectives I just used to describe the IS earlier. Well they all apply here. Image quality taken with this lens with a high-end camera such as a Canon 5D Mark II are: Other-worldly, insane, impossible, rare, perfect, out of sight, crazy.
They are so perfect I'm sure for the first time I am seeing what this sensor can actually do. I thought I was seeing everything with my Canon 85mm F/1.2 II L lens stopped down to F/4 as it's been the sharpest most resolving power lens I have used so far on my Canon 5D Mark II and I thought it didn't get any better then that. Well not so, the Canon 200mm F/2 IS L lens blows it away! You will see every eyelash, every pimple, and every defect, but also every lovely feature of each person's face when you use this lens for portraiture. It's as good wide open at F/2 as the 85 at F/4 and gets even sharper and clearer at F/2.2 and even clearer at F/2.5. After that the only thing you get is a little more depth of field, which you just might need as at minimum focus distance wide open the depth of field or DOF is razor blade thin.
It's so good in fact that higher ISO shots which didn't show noise or very little noise in out of focus areas are now showing noise. At first I thought I was seeing things but after going back and looking at 3200 ISO shots with other lenses on my 5D Mark II there is very little noise. But the resolving power of this lens shows every little thing including more noise at higher ISO's. But shoot at 50 to 200 ISO and the photos are impossible to describe. The little JPEG's samples you can download off the web do NOT do this lens justice. Pixel peeping 100% exploration with the original RAW files is not a must to truly appreciate. And speaking of JPEG's make sure you always shoot in RAW and process using Canon's Digital Photo Professional (DPP) or you won't be seeing what this lens can really do.
Bokeh:
Oh my GOD! Nothing prepares you for it, you get back to your high def computer screen and pop up the first images taken with this lens and the Bokeh takes your breath away. So buttery smooth you wonder how it's not an optical illusion. So perfect people will ask how did you pull that off in Photoshop and their mouth drops open when you say it's all from the lens.
DOF:
The depth of field or DOF on this lens is so well defined on this lens it looks like someone drew a line and said BOKEH on one side and RAZOR SHARP on the other. At the risk of over using this statement I've never seen anything like it.
Sharpness:
I like my photos sharp. Sometimes I am asked why so sharp. Because I like it that's why. With my other lenses I end up either leaving the sharpness in the middle or adding some. With this lens especially at F/2.2 or F/2.5 you can slide the sharpness down to 0 and its sometimes still too sharp for portraiture!!
Attention:
This lens will get it. Almost everywhere you go people will talk, stare, and ask questions even more so then with my other white L lenses. This could be good or bad. Good for your ego but bad if you don't like answering the same questions over and over. I personally like it and use the time to hand out my business card and chat up potential customers. Think of this lens as part of your advertising budget.
Conclusion:
It's heavy on the pocketbook, and it gets heavy on your back and shoulders and it attracts attention. But if you want to see what your very high-end digital camera or film camera can really do there is only one way to see it. Buy this lens. For all the positive reasons above I am highly recommending the Canon 200mm F/2 IS L lens if you can afford it. If you shoot quality high-end portraits or need this focal length for in-door sports you can't go wrong.
4-17-2009 Update:
I'm falling in love with this lens, head-over-heals in love. The tripod mount is fantastic, easily adjusted and has spring loaded detents every 45 degrees making it easy to rotate from portrait to landscape without messing with your tripod and to rotate to the upside down position for carrying by the mount.
Just got back from a model photo shoot at the park the park I usually go to. And... I thought my Canon 100-400 IS L lens and 70-200 F/2.8 L lens got attention. But they have absolutely nothing on this lens! Not ONE person was unaffected by it's presence! Everyone either had a comment or question or was very quick to jump out of the way and say excuse me during the shoot or had to simply stop and stare. I never handed out so many business cards or answered so many questions. Typical questions were "How far does it shoot?" and "What do all those buttons do?" If you crave attention this lens is absolutely for you. If you crave fantastic image quality this lens is for you.
Other lenses reviewed:
Canon 15mm Fisheye F/2.8, crazy ultra wide wall bending fun! Canon EF-S 17-55 F/2.8 IS Ultra sharp, great colors, great low light, poor zoom action Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Rebel XTi Kit lens Muddy, slow, pile of junk Canon EF 17-40mm f/4 L Fantastic colors, sharp zoomed 17 to 24mm, ultra smooth zoom action, light weight Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L Fantastic colors and contrast, sharp zoomed 40 to 70mm, zoom a little stiff at first, heavy, repair prone! Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Good budget portrait lens, light weight, disposable, sharp from F/2.5 Canon EF 85mm F/1.2 L II The best portrait lens for female and children clients, buttery smooth Bokeh, heavy and expensive it shares sharpness with 135mm Canon EF 135mm F/2.0 L The best portrait lens for males and tied with Canon 85mm F 1/.2 for sharpest lens I own, buttery smooth Bokeh Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L fantastic colors, sharp for a zoom, very versatile ego boosting and attention getting and heavy! My favorite zoom lens!!! Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L great IS, super colors, sharp for a zoom, extremely versatile, variable Bokeh, even more ego boosting and attention getting when extended and 400mm reach!!
Expensive and worth it!, Tuesday, 02 December 2008
Overall rating (weighted)
5.0
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
The pictures are great. The speed is what you need for low light sports. Its allowing me to take a much better shot of the kids in poor light. Comes in a great case. The only modification I would make is allow room for the Mark III to be on the lense in the case. Would make traveling easier. Now I would like to see Canon make the 28 300 in a F/1.2 IS USM Gotta Dream!
Expensive and worth it!, Tuesday, 02 December 2008
Overall rating (weighted)
5.0
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
The pictures are great. The speed is what you need for low light sports. Its allowing me to take a much better shot of the kids in poor light. Comes in a great case. The only modification I would make is allow room for the Mark III to be on the lense in the case. Would make traveling easier. Because I am shooting sports in a gym I am shooting by hand. You can see some of the shots @ http://Jim.me Remember, I am not a pro I just shot our school sporting events so I need all the technology I can get to capture the memories for the kids. Now I would like to see Canon make the 28 300 in a F/1.2 IS USM Gotta Dream!
In a word, this lens is "amazing"...not good, not great, but amazing. This lens is a culmination of Canons continued improvement in design.
As many know, this f2.0 replaces the ever popular f1.8 version. For the added .2 stop, you gain, IS, and a much lighter lens (granted, its still heavy, but much lighter than the 1.8) In addition to loosing .2 stops of light gathering ability, the lens supposedly looses another 1/3 of a stop, vs. the f1.8, due to the many element surfaces and/or the different glass used. This info was compiled by a friend who tested the two side by side. So if shutter speed is your real need, and you always shoot on a tripod, the f1.8 might still be the better option, as the f2.0 version could cost you up to .6 stops. The f1.8 was also a truly remarkable design, legendary, as ebay prices reflect such. However, it still performs as a f2.0 lens in regards to shallow DOF. So two separate issues.
As for image quality, as canons MTF charts demonstrate, this lens is nearly Diffraction limited at f2.0, which is quite an achievement considering f2.0 is considered ultra fast, and IS itself is a potential image degrader, due to the added elements required to stabilize the image. But through better technology, they managed to make this lens near perfect wide open. This applies also to the 300mm f2.8 and some of the longer lenses. The 200mm is the shortest fl that has acheived this remarkable image quality wide open. Below this fl, the only close contender is the 135mm f2.0, which is good, but not the league of the 200mm f2.0.
The IS on this lens is superb, better than any other IS I have experienced from Canon. It has been mentioned that Canon has different grades of IS, based on the price of the lens. I am starting to believe this. Canon rates this IS as a 4-5 stop advantage in the manual. I thought this was marketing hype, till I started using it, and whamo.... I am now a believer. Its truly remarkable how they can make the image stabilized, which makes this lens even more monopod friendly.
Clearly, this is a tough lens to hand-old, although it is possible if your strong enough. However, the lens is very monopod friendly IMO. If you are on the move constantly, considering a strong monopod vs. a tripod. If using a tripod, some consideration should be given to the head type, as all these big lenses are top heavy over a ball head, making them unbalanced and hard to control. A nice Gimbal type head from Wimberly or Kirk is a nice fit. I also suggest you convert the bottom foot plate to the RRS (Really Right Stuff) foot plate, as its the Arca-Swiss type dovetail design has become the new universal standard.... and for a lens of this price, it pays have an ultra secure platform the lens is placed in. These plates have safeties so the lens can not slide in/out of the clamp, when the clamp is not fully tightened. Its worth the $120 considering the value of the lens. Hearing a $5k lens crash onto concrete is a sound you will never forget.
Image quality at f2.0 is stunning. And lets face it, that is what this lens is all about. If you do not need the fast shutter speed that f2.0 offers or very shallow Depth of Field at the focal plane, there is NO reason to buy this lens. If you find f4 acceptable, as an alternative, consider the 70-200 f4.0 IS lens.... it also is truly stunning at f4 and weighs 80% less than this beast. The 70-200 f4 IS is the latest design of that series, and remarkable, Canon produced a near diffraction limited lens on that series at the 200mm at f4. The f2.8 versions of the same lens are heavier and are not as sharp as the f4, however, if the added stop of shutter speed is desirable, this is a trade-off one must decide. The 70-200 f4 is my MOST used lens, even though I own this 200 f2.0. This 200/2.0 lens is designed for sports and wildlife shooters with large $ budgets. However, if you can deal with the weight, and you enjoy f2.0 lenses at this fl, you will not be disappointed.
The lens has a lot of added controls vs. other lesser Canon lenses. These can be viewed on the Canon web site, or the Canon manual, so i won't get into the controls.... the controls alone designate this lens in the professional category.
In addition to the lens being superb, the case the lens comes in probably worth a few hundred dollars by itself. I noticed it for sale separately for $400. The lens has a rock solid metal hood, which is reversible to keep the package small when stowed. Over-all, this lens (as well as Canons other FAST and longer fl's) is the top of the optics world in optical performance and build quality. While the price tag may seem high, you truly get what you pay for at this level. Its not for everyone, but if you have the ability to own one, or even rent one, it is quite a joy to view the images it produces....
I hand-held these shots... sorry they are bit over exposed, I was working on a dying monitor... these were shot at dusk on a 50d.
In a word, this lens is "amazing"...not good, not great, but AMAZING. This lens is the culmination of Canons continued improvement in lens design and build quality.
As many know, this 200mm f2.0 replaces the ever popular f1.8 version. For the added .2 stop, you gain, IS, and a much lower weight lens due to a smaller overall glass diameter (granted, its still heavy, but much lighter than the 1.8) In addition to loosing .2 stops of light gathering ability, the lens supposedly looses another 1/3 of a stop, vs. the f1.8, due to the many element surfaces and/or the glass types. This info was compiled by a friend who tested the two side by side. So if shutter speed is your real need, and you always shoot on a tripod, the f1.8 might still be the better option, as the f2.0 version could cost you up to .6 stops of shutter speed if both are shot wide open. The f1.8 was also a truly remarkable design, legendary, as ebay prices reflect such. However, this f2.0 version still performs as a f2.0 lens in regards to shallow DOF, it simply acts as a f2.2 lens as it relates to shutter speed. So two separate issues.
As for image quality, as Canons MTF charts demonstrate, this lens is nearly diffraction limited at f2.0, which is quite an achievement considering f2.0 is considered ultra fast. The IS itself is a potential image degrader, due to the added elements required to stabilize the image. But through better technology, they managed to make this lens near perfect wide open even with IS on. This applies also to the 300mm f2.8 and some of the longer lenses. The 200mm is the shortest fl that has achieved this remarkable image quality wide open. Below this fl, the only close contender is the 135mm f2.0, which is good, but not in the league of the 200mm f2.0 and the longer fl's.
The IS on this lens is superb, better than any other IS I have experienced from Canon. It has been mentioned that Canon has different grades of IS, based on the price of the lens. I am starting to believe this. Canon rates this IS as a 4-5 stop advantage in the user manual. I thought this was marketing hype, then I started using it, and whamo.... I am now a believer. It's truly remarkable how Canon can make the image stabilized on such a long lens, which btw, makes this lens VERY monopod friendly.
Clearly, this is a tough lens to hand-hold, although it is possible if your strong enough. However, the lens is very monopod friendly IMO. If you are on the move constantly, considering a strong monopod vs. a tripod. If using a tripod, some consideration should be given to the head type, as all these big lenses are top heavy over a ball head, making them unbalanced and hard to control. A nice Gimbal type head from Wimberly or Kirk is a nice fit. Look for a head that has a vertical axis adjust-on-the-fly balance system, such as the Wimberly. I also suggest you convert the bottom foot plate to the RRS (Really Right Stuff) foot plate, as it uses the Arca-Swiss type dovetail design has become the new universal standard.... and for a lens of this value, it pays have an ultra secure platform the lens is placed in. These plates have safety stops on the front and back of the plate, so the lens can not exit out of the clamp, when the clamp is not fully tightened. It's worth the $120 considering the value of the lens. Hearing a $5k lens crash onto the concrete is a sound you will never forget.
Image quality at f2.0 is stunning. And lets face it, that is what this lens is all about. If you do not need the fast shutter speed that f2.0 offers or very shallow Depth of Field at the focal plane, there is NO reason to buy this lens. If you find f4 acceptable, as an alternative, consider the 70-200 f4.0 IS lens.... it also is truly stunning at f4 and weighs 80% less than this beast. The 70-200 f4 IS is the latest design of the 70-200 series, and it's remarkable lens considering its price. At 200mm f4, I would classify it nearly at the diffraction limited point, or near 95%+ MTF across 90% of the image diag. The 2.8 versions of the same 70-200 series are heavier and are not as sharp as the f4, however, if the added stop of shutter speed is desirable, this is a trade-off you must evaluate. This 200/2.0 lens is designed for sports and wildlife shooters with large $ budgets. However, if you can deal with the weight, and you enjoy the fast shutter speeds and shallow DOF that f2.0 lens provide, you will not be disappointed with this lens.
The lens has a lot of added controls vs. other lesser Canon lenses. These can be viewed on the Canon web site, or the Canon manual, so i won't get into the controls.... the controls alone designate this lens in the professional category.
In addition to the lens being superb, the lens storage case is probably worth a few hundred dollars by itself. I noticed it for sale separately for $400. The lens has a rock solid metal hood, which is reversible to keep the package small when stowed. Over-all, this lens (as well as Canons other FAST and longer fl's) is "tops in the world of camera optics". Its scores a "10" in both image quality and build quality. While the price tag may seem high, you truly get what you pay for at this level. It's not for everyone, but if you have the ability to own one, or even rent one, it is quite a joy to view the unique images it can produce....
I hand-held these shots... sorry they are bit over exposed, I was working on a dying monitor... these were shot at dusk on a 50d.
