# Canon 70-200 f/2.8L IS II USM



## CMT (Mar 30, 2010)

Hello, this is my first thread since I introduced myself three years ago. I haven't had much to offer by way of experience so I've been content to lurk and gain as much possible knowledge to be applied to my personal enjoyment of Photography as a cherished hobby. My pictures have come a long way in the three years that I have read this forum, and I thank every one of you for the invaluable help.

My first DSLR was a Canon 20D that I sold to fund the purchase of my current 5D and 1D MKII, and I picked up a 24-70 f/2.8L to replace the 20D's 17-85 kit lens. A few years ago while working for a newspaper I had the chance to buy a pristine 80-200 f/2.8L "Magic Drainpipe" from one of the photographers, and it has served me very well over the years for everything from track/Motorsports photos to very amateur wedding photos and everything in between. 

Despite lacking ultrasonic focus I was still always able to get the shot I wanted with the 80-200, and I am still very happy with the image quality from the old lens. I'd been saving for the 70-200 f/2.8L IS USM, but held off purchasing once the rumors of an updated version started surfacing. I waited, continued to save, and now the 70-200 f/2.8L IS II USM is mine. To be honest I had forgotten to check the news on the glass, so I went from reading Canon's shortage announcement to finding it available at Adorama and having it in my hands within 48 hours. 

Unboxing pics:






























































As a serious hobbyist with far greater aspirations than talent, this is my second piece of L glass and I am utterly blown away by the image quality and the overall upgrade it represents over the 80-200. The focus is viciously fast on my 1D MKII, and it is an amazing sports lens as the original was before it. When mated to my 5D it reminds me of a large version of my 24-70 f/2.8L, and I dare say its images are even sharper due to the IS as I constantly shoot in low light settings. I have no doubt that I would be this impressed and gushing over the original 70-200 f/2.8L IS USM had I been fortunate enough to own one, but for some reason I chose to wait. In retrospect I don't know how smart this was given how much greater my "keeper" ratio is just from one weekend of shooting, but since I do not rely upon my photos to make my living I guess saving for so long made it easier to assume extra cost of the IS II. 

Sample images mated to my 5D:






































Sample images mated to the 1D MKII:































I have read my share of gear reviews, but now that I'm making my own I am sure that I am missing something critical here and apologize in advance. I haven't had more than two days/events under my belt with the glass, so while I am enjoying every chance to use it I can only imagine what it would produce in more capable/experienced hands or on one of the more current/updated Canon bodies. I do look forward to growing into it though!

Thanks for reading.


----------



## cfusionpm (Mar 30, 2010)

Mine came in the mail a few days ago and I am incredibly pleased with it.  It's a HUGE upgrade from my 70-300 f/4-5.6 IS USM.


----------



## CMT (Mar 30, 2010)

cfusionpm said:


> Mine came in the mail a few days ago and I am incredibly pleased with it.  It's a HUGE upgrade from my 70-300 f/4-5.6 IS USM.



I love it, zero buyer remorse whatsoever. I do not notice the heft at all due to the excellent balance of the lens. I was shooting for a full two days and did not feel fatigued at all, no doubt buffered by the excitement of having killer new glass.


----------



## Formatted (Mar 31, 2010)

Lucky git!

I'm doing a horse trial in a couple of weeks and renting one for my 40D!

Congrats on your lens concert picks are great by the way.


----------



## gsgary (Mar 31, 2010)

Formatted said:


> Lucky git!
> 
> I'm doing a horse trial in a couple of weeks and renting one for my 40D!
> 
> Congrats on your lens concert picks are great by the way.



Badminton ? 200mm could be a bit short at a lot of places get there early so you can plan where to shoot


----------



## Formatted (Mar 31, 2010)

> Badminton



haha I wish, I asked at a local camera shop if they would take me on a shoot and they invited me to come along to one they are doing in a few weeks, just a small local one.

Don't forget its on a cropped body so its really 320, hope that should be enough.


----------



## CMT (Apr 1, 2010)

Formatted said:


> Lucky git!
> 
> I'm doing a horse trial in a couple of weeks and renting one for my 40D!
> 
> Congrats on your lens concert picks are great by the way.



Thanks Formatted, sorry to have made the thread and then basically abandoned it, work started kicking my tuckus and I haven't had a lot of free Internet time as a result. I haven't shot much more with the 70-200 IS II, but I have corresponded with a friend from work who also has the lens along with a host of better gear. We were discussing the 1.4x and 2x extender options and when I mentioned that I was fearful that the 2x would degrade image quality too severely, he sent me this:



> *
> I took some shots with the 70-200 II and the 2.0x extender at what I think were in the worst possible conditions. This is dim indoor tungsten light except for IMAGE3 (chair) which was window light.
> 
> I am blown away by the quality I can get now from that extender. Just look at image3 up close. That's a strand of cobweb that I couldn't even see with my eyes and it's sharp as hell to me at least!
> ...




I'm amazed by the quality of those pictures given the as-described abysmal light condition of the shot. It shows how capable the 1D MKIV+70-200 IS II combo really is. I wonder if either my 5D or 1D MKII would perform anywhere near as well in decent light with the 2x extender, because if that thing is a viable option due to the sharpness of the 70-200 IS II then I'd like to get as much bang for my extender buck, so to speak. 

Did I mention I love this thing? I need to create more opportunities to shoot with it!


----------



## Groupcaptainbonzo (Apr 4, 2010)

I Thought that you were doing really well until you spoilt it with a shot of a    ...   N I K O N   ...   uggggh! !


----------



## CMT (Apr 4, 2010)

Groupcaptainbonzo said:


> I Thought that you were doing really well until you spoilt it with a shot of a    ...   N I K O N   ...   uggggh! !



Just trying to please everybody here. 

A friend stopped over yesterday and gave me the perfect subject for shots, again on the 5D.





























































Sorry for the size and amount/redundancy of the pics, as a "car guy" I will not ever be able to take enough of this machine.


----------



## Jeremy Z (Apr 4, 2010)

Nice lens. You don't need to be so apologetic about your photography skills either.


----------



## den9 (Apr 5, 2010)

nice lens, nicer car.

congrats, the last badminton shot is awesome.


----------



## Live_free (Apr 5, 2010)

That is a 110k car..... wtf..... I'm jealous...


----------



## Fedaykin (Apr 5, 2010)

I am so jealous right now....


----------



## WesVFX (Apr 5, 2010)

Live_free said:


> That is a 110k car..... wtf..... I'm jealous...


 

that's exactly what I was thinking!!!

Nice ass Camera"s", Nice ass Lens, Nice ass Cars!!!

Can't wait to see the Nice ass Mansion!!! 


I want to do, whatever it is you do for a living


----------



## prodigy2k7 (Apr 6, 2010)

nice car...i hate you -.-


----------



## bitteraspects (Apr 6, 2010)

congratulations on being the proud new owner of what is undoubtedly one of the pest pieces of glass on the market.


----------



## Groupcaptainbonzo (Apr 19, 2010)

I too would join in and say how nice the car is, the camera is and the lens, and the images.  ...   But 'cause I'm pig sick jealous, I WON'T....


----------



## MrLogic (Apr 19, 2010)

Review: 

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 USM L IS II - Review / Test Report



(3 pages)


----------



## CMT (Apr 22, 2010)

Hi guys. Sorry it's taken me so long to get back to the thread. Sorry I wasn't clear, again that GT3 is not mine but I do adore the thing. 

I have done a bit more shooting with the lens - I tried out the Canon Closeup Lens 500D:







I did not go into it thinking I suddenly transformed the 70-200 into a true macro lens, but 500D's overwhelmingly positive reviews justified the gamble of its sub-$200 cost. I got one acceptable watch shot:







And I tried my hand at my first round of flower shots ever:

Pics from 5D/70-200:

















































Pics from 5D/70-200/*500D*:



















































Very satisfied with the results for a first time doing the flower thang as one must start somewhere.


----------



## CMT (Jul 11, 2010)

I was finally able to make it to the track. I live about an hour southeast of Lime Rock Park and an old family friend was there one day racing with the Vintage series. I took a lot of shots with the 1DII/70-200 II, and here are some of the better pictures.

Taken with the 2x Extender:




































Taken without the Extender, 1DII/70-200 II:

















































































































Again I am really impressed with the quality of the shots while using the Extender in good light, but the shots without it are far better. This lens has seriously upgraded my track/sports picture quality and the family friend who I shot that day was very impressed with the output. He is a Canon guy as well, and he let me try out his 28-300 L that day and I loved that lens. So versatile! It was really nice to be hitting deep track pics and then pan back to grab action in the nearfield without changing lenses.


----------



## Fedaykin (Jul 11, 2010)

CMT said:


> I was finally able to make it to the track. I live about an hour southeast of Lime Rock Park and an old family friend was there one day racing with the Vintage series. I took a lot of shots with the 1DII/70-200 II, and here are some of the better pictures.
> 
> Taken with the 2x Extender:
> 
> Again I am really impressed with the quality of the shots while using the Extender in good light, but the shots without it are far better. This lens has seriously upgraded my track/sports picture quality and the family friend who I shot that day was very impressed with the output. He is a Canon guy as well, and he let me try out his 28-300 L that day and I loved that lens. So versatile! It was really nice to be hitting deep track pics and then pan back to grab action in the nearfield without changing lenses.



Holy crap those are some nice shots.


----------



## Overread (Jul 11, 2010)

CMT said:


>



Hmm very impressive result with the 500D - I might have to get one of them myself if this lens is capable of getting that much magnification! Out of interest was this a full shot or a crop of a larger shot?

Also I'm impressed with your 2*TC results, I'm starting to work with this setup myself recently and the M2 of this lens certainly performs far and away better than the original with this TC. Image quality certainly takes a hit, as does focusing speed, but both remain quite usable!


----------



## CMT (Jul 11, 2010)

Fedaykin said:


> Holy crap those are some nice shots.



Thanks! I have one more - A handheld moon shot that's been (obviously) cropped and processed:






1DII/70-200 II with 2x Extender.

I have no idea why the .exif info for this picture is nonexistant. :/



Overread said:


> Hmm very impressive result with the 500D - I might have to get one of them myself if this lens is capable of getting that much magnification! Out of interest was this a full shot or a crop of a larger shot?



Thanks! It's absolutely, substantially cropped. I just tried to dig up the raw file for comparison but cannot seem to find it. I'll keep looking.  



> Also I'm impressed with your 2*TC results, I'm starting to work with this setup myself recently and the M2 of this lens certainly performs far and away better than the original with this TC. Image quality certainly takes a hit, as does focusing speed, but both remain quite usable!



Very usable - Surprisingly so. I was going to go with the 1.4x but I had friends already testing the 2x on this lens and sending me some super sharp pics with very satisfied feedback (albeit on much newer bodies), so I decided to take the chance. Very happy that I did!


----------



## Overread (Jul 11, 2010)

Aye it was seeing some compared shots between this setup and the 100-400mm 
70-200 f/2.8 IS II + 2X TCII vs 100-400 Wide Open - Canon Digital Photography Forums

that made me upgrade my 70-200mm to the new version for the teleconverter shots. Certainly it was well worth the upgrade cost; though I still think the lenses current market price is a little bit high in comparison to the old.


----------



## CMT (Jul 12, 2010)

Overread said:


> though I still think the lenses current market price is a little bit high in comparison to the old.



Agreed. I would have loved to have saved ~ $500 or so on the II. At its current price I have to admit that I expected/demanded utterly awesome  stupendousness.


----------



## AlexL (Jul 12, 2010)

the 70-200 f2.8 IS II USM is my dream lens...... sadly I can't afford it!

Same for the Porsche GT3......


----------



## CMT (Sep 28, 2010)

Back to Lime Rock Park again, this time shooting the PCA advanced run group driver's event. I continue to be impressed with the image quality of the 1D II / 70-200 IS II combo, and can only imagine what the lens would be like on the 1D IV:


----------



## prodigy2k7 (Sep 28, 2010)

excellent shots


----------



## CMT (Sep 28, 2010)

Thanks man!


----------



## aadhils (Oct 1, 2010)

Awesome! How does this stack up with the 200mm Prime?


----------



## Neil S. (Oct 1, 2010)

Heres one I shot with my 7D + 70-200 2.8L IS II at a Temple in northern Japan.







Some old Japanese guy was driving it, and had a smokin hot young Japanese woman with him lol.

I love the lens so much and simply cannot say enough good things about it.

My fav thing is how razor sharp it is.

You got a ton of awesome car shots there by the way. Outstanding job.

I need to get out more, and put in some shutter time. Just always busy with work/college/kid.


----------



## Gruen Photo 7 Design (Oct 1, 2010)

great pics of the symphony.  
what was played that evening?  
might make the picture worth that much more (or less) to you.  LOL


----------



## CMT (Oct 1, 2010)

Gruen Photo 7 Design said:


> great pics of the symphony.
> what was played that evening?
> might make the picture worth that much more (or less) to you.  LOL



While I enjoy the symphony, that performance was titled "An Afternoon at the Opera," and my opera knowledge is thin. As in nonexistent. I was fortunate enough to gain access to the lighting room with a bird's eye shot of the stage, and it coincided very well with the new lens delivery. 



Neil S. said:


> Heres one I shot with my 7D + 70-200 2.8L IS II at a Temple in northern Japan.
> 
> GTRawesomeness.jpg
> 
> ...



Thanks for the good press! Man - Work, college, AND a kid? Where do you find time to breath? I cannot begin to tell you how much I respect that kind of dedication. 

I am also a huge fan of this lens. It upgrades the 1D II picture quality to an unexpected level, and when used on the 5D I have to be very careful how much unsharp masking I introduce to the final picture because it rarely needs much (if any), and it is very easy to overdo it! 

Thank you for the good press on the car shots. It's probably obvious, but I'm a huge car guy and have been for as long as I can remember. It probably goes without saying that I am a huge fan of the GTR, and as with the GT3 I am constantly taunted by friends who have far more means than I, and who have no problem using them. 

5D, 24-70:






This particular GTR is owned by a friend with contacts in Hollywood. He was able to get a prop mask from one of the original Halloween movies, and we spent last Oct. 31 shooting him rolling around Michael Myers style. 

Roll Video:





Takeoff Video:





Rolling shots (again 5D, 24-70)

























It was a great weekend.


----------



## CMT (Oct 11, 2010)

*5D, 70-200, 500D Closeup Lens*

















*5D, 70-200*


----------

