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

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If you own or have used this lens, let us know what you think! Leave your comments and thoughts below.

Get information and user reviews for this lens from Amazon: Canon EF 70-200mm f/4 L IS USM Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras

Photo Zone:

Every now and then EOS, the goddess of mercy, seems to speak to the Canon lens designers and this time they listened carefully. The Canon EF 70-200mm f/4 USM L IS may well be the very best tele zoom on the market today – it is certainly the best Canon zoom lens tested locally to date. The lens was capable to deliver a near-flawless performance is all categories. The resolution figures are stunning regardless of the setting. Distortions, vignetting and CAs are nothing to worry about. The build quality is excellent with the new sealing as a another highlight. On top of that the lens now features a image stabilizer with an efficiency equivalent to 4 f-stops (at cost of shutter speed). The only heartbreaking drawback for some is the price tag which increased significantly to a whopping grand – price/performance-wise this is still very sound though. READ FULL REVIEW

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

SLR Gear:

It isn’t easy to improve on an almost flawless lens like the Canon 70-200mm f/4L, unless you add 4-stop Image Stabilization without degrading any of the optical or build qualities. This lens tests and performs as well, or better than, any lens tested recently. It is quite sharp across its entire aperture-focal length spectrum; chromatic aberration, vignetting, and distortion are all quite reasonable; focusing is fast and accurate; the build is L-class; and the new 4-stop image stabilization is downright startling in its effectiveness. The only downside may be the price, which breaks the kilo-buck barrier and is almost double that of the non-IS version. Despite the hefty price though, we expect a lot of non-IS owners will be selling their lenses to upgrade to the Canon 70-200mm f/4L IS — it’s that good. Very few medicines cure “shaky hands” – this one does, and with fantastic optical quality as well! READ FULL REVIEW

Digital Picture:

Take one of Canon’s most popular lenses, the Canon 70-200mm f/4 L, add an up-to-4-stop Image Stabilizer and you get the Canon EF 70-200mm f/4.0 L IS USM Lens. If you don’t need the subject-action-stopping and background-blurring capabilities of the faster Canon EF 70-200 f/2.8 L IS Lens, this lens will deliver everything else you need in a smaller, lighter and less-expensive package. The image stabilizer and great build quality are enticing, but the highest importance for me lies in the image quality. And the Canon EF 70-200mm f/4.0 L IS USM Lens delivers superbly in this area. This lens is extremely sharp wide open and from corner to corner even on a full frame body. A Canon EF 70-200mm f/4.0 L IS USM Lens review would not be complete without mentioning its biggest downside – a high price. The premium over the non-IS version is substantial – and will be insurmountable to some. But, this lens will be worth the price to many – including myself. IS and improved image sharpness are very valuable to me. This is a great lens. READ FULL REVIEW

Photo.net:

Autofocus with these lenses is nearly instant. This makes the 70-200s great lenses for street photography, even if somewhat obtrusive. These lenses are so good in terms of flare, contrast, and sharpness that it is tough to find anything to criticize. However, if you look at Lens Work II, the book of optical formulae published by Canon, it is pretty clear that any of the prime telephotos (including special-purpose lenses like the 100 macro and the 135 SF) outperform the 70-200 in terms of modulation transfer function (resolution/contrast). READ FULL REVIEW

Pop Photo:

Optically excellent, superbly constructed, with 3 stops’ gain handheld, it’s well worth the price. READ FULL REVIEW

CNET:

The Canon EF 70-200mm f4 IS USM L lens is a professional grade 70-200mm lens without the size and heft, as well as price, as found in f2.8 versions. READ FULL REVIEW

Ken Rockwell:

The Canon 70-200mm f/4 L IS is one of those lenses that just works and delivers great images without getting in your way. READ FULL REVIEW

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