Anyone have Canon 70-200mm F4 NON-IS

00bolt

TPF Noob!
Joined
Jun 4, 2007
Messages
24
Reaction score
0
Can others edit my Photos
Photos OK to edit
im considering buying this lens and have a couple basic questions. Basically the F2.8 IS version would be ideal, but out of my price range. As is the F4 IS version. I found one of the F4s for sale locally at a good price...

basically this will be my first SLR lens. Ill be using a Canon XTi. Since its my first SLR the only thing I have to compare it to is my Canon S2 point and shoot. My concern is the NON-IS. Im not worried about the F4 as much because I can get a smaller fast prime for that 'blur effect'... but without the IS im wondering how hard is it to use full tele and not get shaky pictures???

with my canon s2 it has some kind of built in IS and at full telephoto, its still darn near impossible to get a smooth shot without a tripod... will it be about the same or even worse?
 
well, always depends on how steady your hands are.

If I switch off IS on my 300mm, and this corresponds to roughly 200mm on an APS digital sensor, then I cannot get shots decently sharp handheld. Even with IS it is not ideal.

A monopod does help me a great deal though!
 
It depends on the level of light that you are shooting in.

The rule of thumb for hand held shots is that you want a shutter speed at least as fast as the focal length. So when shooting at 200mm, you will want a shutter speed of at least 1/200. Some people even say that the 1.6 factor should be applied to this rule, so you would need a shutter speed of 1/320.

So if you are going to shoot at F4 and 1/200...you are going to need a fair amount of light.

The good news is that you can crank up the ISO to help make up the difference. ISO 800 or even 1600 on the XTi, should be better than ISO 400 on your old S2.

The 70-200 F4 is said to one of Canon sharpest zoom lenses...so as long as you keep it steady or keep the shutter speed up...you should get great results out of it.
 
I've just upgraded from that lens to the 2.8 IS, my advice would be to buy it, use it and look after it. In a year or two when you've saved enough for the IS version, it will still be worth more or less the same that you paid for it.

As Big Mike says, keep the shutter speed up or use a tripod / monopod and you'll be ok - it's a fantastic lens.
 
I purchased this lens a few months ago and I absolutely love it. I found a good deal used on craigs list.

I have taken extremely clear shots at 1/50th and even a liiitle bit slowly. It just depends on how steady you can be and good technique. I don't usually think about camera shake until I get around 1/150th or so when I'm at 200mm.

I battery grip and flash will definately help you balance the weight and of course monopod or tripods work wonders.
 
I love mine, almost as much as my 100-400 IS L I promise you will never be disappointed with any L lens's IS or not. It's deff. a bargain for a L series lens.

This was hand held at 200mm with that lens
IMG_5100.jpg
 

Most reactions

Back
Top