About buying a new Lens

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by M.Patrick Michael John on June 9, 2009 at 10:56pm

Hi,

Good Morning, thanks for your comment,

Permalink Reply by Richard Crowe on June 14, 2009 at 2:10pm

Both the 70-200mm f/2.8L (which I will refer to as the f/2.8L) and the 70-200mm f/4L IS (which I will refer to as the f/4L IS) are excellent lenses. The fact that the f/4L IS has slightly better IQ should not be a consideration because I doubt that you will ever notice the difference between these two lenses in real life shooting.

I am comparing the f/2.8L (non-IS) lens with the f/4L IS since these two lenses are very close in price and differ mainly in the following three considerations.

The extra stop of the f/2.8.

The difference in weight.

The IS capability of the f/4L IS.

APERTURE

The f/2.8 aperture will allow you one stop faster shutter speed which may or may not make a difference in shooting. It will also allow you a slightly narrower DOF which may allow you to isolate specific subjects but, which is also has a fairly steep learning curve.

You CAN use a 2X TC on an f/2.8L lens and cannot use one with an f/4L IS on a 1.6x camera and retain normal autofocus (You can use a non-OEM 2x TC or tap off the contacts of a Canon 2x TC but, the IQ and AF is still degraded). However, IMO and in my experience, the f/2.8L + 2X TC is not a good option. The A/F and IQ are degraded for too much for my taste in any type of shooting.

In low light levels, the extra stop of the f/2.8L might not be enough to allow a shutter speed capable of stopping action. However, IMO, in those light levels, an f/1.8 or f/2 prime would be the way to go.

In decent light levels, f/4 is plenty sufficient. In fact, shooting at f/2.8 is only good for specific shots when you want to isolate a player. Using ISO 400 (which a Canon DSLR has no problems with) your daylight shutter speed would be in the area of 1/6,400 second which will stop virtually any action. However, I suspect, that except for isolating subjects, you may want to shoot at around f/8 to get a wider depth of field. That would give you a shutter speed of 1/1,600 second with either lens.

WEIGHT

The difference in weight may be a critical concern. The f/2.8L weighs over a pound more than the f/4L IS (2.8 lbs vs. 1.7 lbs). This can be a major factor when carrying the lens all day or when hand holding this lens. It may not be as much of a factor when shooting sports because photographers often will use a monopod when shooting sports. However, I find that 200mm is on the short side for much sports photography and will use the 70-200mm lens as an adjunct to a 300mm or 400mm lens which I will have on a monopod or tripod. I will use the 70-200mm on a strap when I need a wider view and will normally hand hold this lens.

NOTE: Professional sports photographers seldom rely on a 70-200mm lens as their main lens. They will often shoot with a 300mm or 400mm lens on a monopod and simply use the 70-200mm lens hand-held when they need a wider angle of view. See this series of UTube videos by Scott Sewell for a great explanation of the uses of lenses in shooting sports.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMgZ13X_pr4

The extra pound of the f/2.8 really makes a difference when carrying two lenses and two cameras for a day of shooting and also makes a difference hand holding at the end of the day. I can carry the f/4L IS AND a 30D camera at just aboutthe weight of the 70-200mm f/2.8L lens alone.

IS CAPABILITY (hand holding)

I can hand hold my f/4L IS lens in lower light levels than I can, an f/2.8L lens. At 200mm, I can expect virtually 100% sharp images at 1/60 second using f/4 and if I shoot at 1/30 second, I can still get a fairly decent percentage of sharp shots. I could never get 100% hand held sharp shots using 1/120 second at f/2.8 and I could get NO sharp shots hand holding the f/2.8 at 1/60 second.

Much is said about IS not stopping action, however if you cannot hand hold a sharp overall image, it doesn’t make any difference.

There are many sports subjects which can be captured at slower shutter speeds. Shooting at the peak of the action is one method. There are also many times you can get sports shots when the subjects are not moving at all. Two of the greatest sports images of all time, Lou Gehrig’s farewell speech and Babe Ruth’s retirement were not moving. I have done a survey of sports pictures published in the newspaper and magazines and about 50% of these pictures appear that they could easily have been captured at 1/120 second.

Additionally, an image that is sharp overall except for the blur of a player is often an effective way to show motion. The mode 2 of the f/4L IS lens is also great for panning wherer you will have a blurred background and a relatively sharp subject.

MY SELECTION

I do not shoot sports exclusively and I want a lens which I can use in virtually 100% of my shooting. Having a lens that I would leave at home because I consider it too heavy to carry is not an option for me. I believe that I am not alone in this choice because I have read multiple posts in which photographers are stating that they are leaving their f/2.8L lenses at home when traveling. I have never read a post like that about the f/4L IS lens and I have never left the lens at home when I took a trip.

The combination of the 17-55mm f/2.8 IS and my f4L IS lenses on two 1.6x cameras is the best camera/lens combo I have used in 50 years of active photography.

Permalink Reply by M.Patrick Michael John on June 15, 2009 at 10:04pm

Good Morning,

Thank you sooooooooooo much you spent lot of time for me thanks a lot again, But I am a newly hatched chicken for photography so it is too technical for me but I understood from your words above that it’s better to buy 70-200mm f/4L IS, I will be using mostly for wedding, and other indoor occasions only so is it good for me to have this, this is my last investment, so I like to get the best one,

Thanks,
Patrick

Permalink Reply by Kristy H on June 30, 2009 at 4:36pm

that was alot of great information...

Permalink Reply by M.Patrick Michael John on July 3, 2009 at 3:46am

All your complement goes to people who left comment for my question, any way thanks to you also, hope these information on this page helped you,

Thanks,
Patrick

Permalink Reply by Jordan Stead on July 1, 2009 at 4:17pm

There is none better.

Permalink Reply by M.Patrick Michael John on July 3, 2009 at 3:47am

Yap you are right, Thanks again,

Regards,
Patrick

Permalink Reply by George Villagrana on July 3, 2009 at 9:02pm

It's the only lens I use for sports and now doing portraits. Great lens!

Permalink Reply by Dennis Arculeo on July 4, 2009 at 4:51am

Refurbished Camera Equipment: As Good as New if not Better

Posted: 28 Jun 2009 02:01 PM PDT

Today Art Askopec shares some tips on buying Refurbished Camera Gear.



Image by Stephen DesRoches

During the 1980’s, I was the Canon USA Service Manager in charge of setting up and running their Refurbishing Center in New York. For 5 years, I worked with other Service Departments to establish procedures and standards related to refurbished equipment. Though we dealt with more than photographic equipment, it will be the focus of this piece.

Where does the equipment come from?
The majority to be refurbished equipment are retail returns. These returns are usually because the buyer or gift recipient can’t get equipment to work for them! (Seriously) The other source of gear is from retired in-store demo units. In both cases, the equipment is usually in perfect running order, possibly with slight cosmetic issues. No matter how good their condition though, they are no longer “New”, and can’t be sold as such.

This is where refurbishing comes to the rescue of the manufacturer and retailer, putting the equipment into a salable state so they can get their investment out of them. In the process, the buyer benefits with a price break.


How is the equipment serviced?
Camera Service standards are more stringent than the Manufacturing Standards of new product coming off the assembly line. Each piece of equipment is tested in a standard manner and adjustments are made when and if required. Depending on the cost involved, more involved repairs will be undertaken to permit the equipment to pass Quality Control. In rare cases, equipment has cosmetic damage that warrants the replacement of external parts. At the end of the repair the piece of equipment is readied for packaging and sale.

In a majority of cases, all original accessories are included with refurbished equipment.

Warranty
There is a different Warranty with Refurbished equipment. Be sure to read the details because there can be a couple different versions for the same model. The difference is usually the duration, making a significant difference in retail price.

Where can I purchase Refurbished products?
I know that Canon sells refurbished equipment at their eStore. Adorama always has an excellent selection of refurbished equipment. Finally, Refurbdepot specializes in all categories of refurbished equipment.

I hope my insights have been useful and that you will consider purchasing refurbished equipment in the future. If you do you’ll get a much better bang for the buck!

Post from: Digital Photography School - Photography Tips.

Refurbished Camera Equipment: As Good as New if not Better

Permalink Reply by Richard Crowe on July 6, 2009 at 6:48am

I TOTALLY AGREE that refurbished "Canon" camera equipment is as good as new if not better!!

I bought two "new" Canon DSLR cameras over the years and I needed to send both of these cameras into a Canon Service Center for repair within the first 90 days of purchase. So, in effect, I was shooting with refurbished cameras for which I paid a NEW PRICE. After return from the Service Center (I used Irvine) I had absolutely no problems with either camera. I am still shooting with the 10D (as a back-up) and have been for quite a few years.

When I decided to get a 30D and later a 40D camera (which completes my setup); I decided to skip steps one and two of my normal camera purchasing process (Buying New and Sending In For Repair) and decided to buy cameras which had already taken the seemingly mandatory trip through Canon Service Centers.

I bought both my 30D and 40D cameras as refurbished units and I HAVE HAD ABSOLUTELY NO PROBLEMS in the several years I have owned them. Through my experiences, I have gained a lot more confidence in the Canon Service Centers than I have in the Canon Assembly Line.

Permalink Reply by M.Patrick Michael John on July 7, 2009 at 4:32am

What about lense's, do they have refurbished lenses also????

Regards,
Patrick

Permalink Reply by Robert (Butch) Crawford on July 4, 2009 at 5:43am

Just bought one 2 weeks ago. Love it. If they make a better one I've never heard about it. But you are going to spend a little more than $1300 ($1599). But it will be well worth it.

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