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Canon EF 70-200mm F4L IS USM lens

Canon EF 70-200mm F4L IS USM lens

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Canon today announces the EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM, Canon’s first interchangeable lens with 4 stop Image Stabilizer. This allows hand held photography with no perceptible image blur at shutter speeds up to 4 steps slower than otherwise possible – ideal for low light shooting without tripod or flash.

Dust and moisture resistant, compact, manoeuvrable, and incorporating Canon’s finest standards of precision optics, Canon’s latest professional L-series lens is expected to be popular for travel, expedition and wildlife assignments where there is a requirement to travel light without compromising image quality.

The EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM features

  • Compact lightweight body - 760g, 172mm length
  • 4 stop Image Stabilizer with 2 modes
  • 1 x Fluorite and 2 x UD lens elements for superior optical performance
  • Ring type USM auto focus with full time manual override
  • Circular aperture diaphragm for even background blur
  • Environmental seals for dust and moisture resistance
  • Super Spectra coatings to suppress ghosting and flare
  • 1.2m minimum focus distance
  • Lens hood and soft pouch

The EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM offers a lightweight alternative to the renowned

EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM, complementing Canon’s other professional L-series lightweight zooms such as the EF 17-40 f/4L USM and EF 24-105L IS USM. f/4L lenses are designed for professional photographers requiring a light zoom lens with a fixed aperture throughout the zoom range. The lens adds Canon’s proven Image Stabilizer technology to the popular EF 70-200mm f/4L USM while maintaining that lens’ compact size.

Image Stabilizer

4 step Image Stabilizer (IS) extends low light options to previously unimaginable levels. Photographers normally shooting handheld at 1/250 sec can switch on IS to obtain a similarly steady and blur-free result with a shutter speed of just 1/15 second.

IS reduces dramatically the image blur caused by camera shake. Gyro sensors detect unwanted vibrations, triggering the corresponding movement of a correcting lens group perpendicular to the optical axis. This alters the light path, returning the image to its correct position on the sensor or film plane.

For shooting immobile subjects, Mode 1 corrects for movement in the image along both the horizontal and vertical axes. For shooting while panning horizontally to follow a moving subject, Mode 2 turns off vertical correction and prevents the effect of dragging the subject back through the frame.

IS switches off automatically when the camera is mounted on a tripod, thus preventing feedback loops between the IS sensor and internal motor vibrations.

Superb auto-focus

The lens’ Ring-type USM employs ultra-sonic frequency vibrations to drive auto focus with unrivalled speed and near-silent operation. A powerful CPU and improved AF algorithm contribute to speed performance. Good holding torque stops the lens with precision and accuracy, the instant it arrives at the correct focus point and without overshoot. Photographers can switch to manual focus instantly and at any time simply by moving the manual focus ring without first having to switch out of auto focus mode.

f/4 from 70 to 200mm

The EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM offers the highest possible optical quality with no change in aperture over the full focal range of the lens. This allows photographers to set exposure at the widest aperture and zoom all the way through to 200mm without having to decrease shutter speed. Lens length does not alter during zooming and the front lens element does not rotate during zooming or focusing. The lens employs an almost perfectly circular barrel aperture, helping create attractive, even background blur.

Image quality

A newly designed optical system limits lens size and improves image clarity over the total image area. 1 x Fluorite element and 2 x Ultra-Low Dispersion glass elements are used to eliminate the secondary chromatic aberrations that otherwise reduce sharpness and introduce colour fringing. By optimising Super Spectra lens coatings and lens element shaping, Canon’s engineers have been effective in suppressing flare and ghosting – more prone to occur with digital cameras due to reflection off the image sensor. By increasing light absorption, coatings reduce reflections off lens element surfaces to deliver crisp, undistorted images with natural colour balance.

EOS system integration

The EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM includes distance metering information, providing compatibility with the E-TTL II flash system of late model cameras such as the EOS-1D Mark II, EOS-1Ds Mark II, EOS 5D and EOS 400D. When used in conjunction with Canon’s range of EX Speedlite flash units, the lens passes distance information to the flash algorithm for markedly improved flash exposure metering. To match the weather resistance afforded by EOS-1 pro camera bodies, an O-ring seals the lens against the lens mount to prevent the ingress of dust and moisture.

AF Mode and IS switches have been reshaped, making them less susceptible to being engaged or disengaged accidentally.

The EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM comes with a lens hood and lens pouch.

In keeping with Canon’s Kyosei philosophy of living in harmony with the environment, the lens features only lead-free glass.



Canon 70-200mm L F4 IS Photo Samples

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These are actual photos taken with Canon 70-200mm L F4 IS.
Photos courtesy of Flickr and belong to respective users. To view a larger image click on thumbnail.

Canon 70-200mm L F4 IS User Reviews

Avg. Rating
5.0
Out of 5
 This item is reviewed by 73 people so far.
Click here for complete reviews.

5
Out of 5
I should have gotten it sooner
- Reviewd on: 2008-12-30 By: L. Yee
Its already been said about this lens 100's of times. I got the f4 because of the lighter weight than the 2.8. I don't shoot indoor sports so I don't miss the extra stop. This lens is super quick to focus and very sharp. Love the build quality, focus and zoom rings very smooth.
5
Out of 5
Worth every penny
- Reviewd on: 2008-12-21 By: John M
This is a fantastic lens. The pictures are razor sharp, and the smoothness of the focusing is incredible. I recently used this lens on vacation in Walt Disney World and I can say it is not something you want to use as a walk around lens, but for the animal shots at the Animal Kingdom park it was the best. If you want to get an affordable "L" series lens that produces fantastic results, this is the one.
5
Out of 5
Spectacular!
- Reviewd on: 2008-12-20 By: B. Basiaga
After reading many good things about this lens, my wife and I decided to try it as the replacement for our consumer grade 75-300 telephoto zoom. It really lives up to all the good things people say about it.

We have tested the lens on both our 5D body and 40D body. The first thing that stands out to me is the beautiful color reproduction. 'L' series lenses usually seem better than the non-L's in color accuracy (at least to my eye they do) but this one seems to have a 'pop' beyond that my 17-40 and 28-70 L series have. The sharpness is also incredible, and that helps 'pop' the image I'm sure.

This is our first lens with an Image Stabilizer. It is one of those things that I never felt like I would benefit from, but now wonder how I lived without it. I was at a convention with a costume contest taking place in dimmed theater style light and was able to hand hold images at 1/15 shutter speed, F4 aperture, ISO 1600 and still get almost all images as keepers. Usually I find I need 1/30 on a good night, but preferably 1/60 at these focal lengths to have a chance. IS seems to work as advertised! In fact, between this and the superb high ISO performance of the newer DSLRs, unless you need the shallow DOF or faster shutter speeds for sports that the F2.8 version of this lens would provide, I'd say save the money and the weight and get this version.

One thing I thought I might not like was the loss of the 200-300mm focal lengths. So far, I am pleasantly surprised that I have not missed it as much as I thought. The 75-300 was my 'spy glass' on the 40D, used for wild life, etc. On the crop body, the exceptional clarity of the 70-200 lens helps offset the shorter focal length by allowing a bit more image cropping while still providing a sharp result. On the full frame 5D this focal range takes on a much more candid, people shooting, medium range feel and so I haven't found myself missing the reach because the lens does not feel like it's trying to be a 'spy glass' and falling short.

In summary, this lens is well worth the money. Light, sharp, excellent IS, and color quality make it a must have.

-Brian
5
Out of 5
Excellent Glass
- Reviewd on: 2008-12-14 By: Nauman Ahmad

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

It was the reviews of this lens here at Amazon that made me go for it but i must say, i had my apprehensions and thought probably those reviews were biased in one way or the other but the moment i mounted it on my CANON XTI, was astonished with the colour quality, the sharpness and the speed of focus this thing has. In low light conditions, when you get below 1/15 ( even with IS ) at 200mm end, you just cannot avoid the shakes but then, this was already advertised by the manufacturers. As for results above this, each time you'd take a picture, you'd thank yourself a million times for going for the huge payment. I dont test stuff in the lab but on my pc, the results had No CA at all and the least of vignetting even at 200mm. I would recommend it to everyone going for a canon lens in 70-200mm range and if he is willing to pay the amount.
5
Out of 5
My favorite lens
- Reviewd on: 2008-12-04 By: J. Roberts
I highly recommend this lens. It surprised me when it arrived that it's so small and light (I'm comparing to the EF 24-70 f2.8 L and the EF 300 f4 L). It internally focuses so there is no change in length throughout the zoom range. It's extremely sharp wide open - I've used it both for close-ups with an extension tube and for more distant shots. Got my first decent close-up of a hummingbird. The IS works so well it's hard to distinguish from shots on the tripod - it really does give you an extra stop or two hand-holding the camera. This is pretty much state of the art in lens design. If you're looking for a lens in this range, go for it! You won't be disappointed.