Need a another opinion

[Scuba]

fyi time to change your sig

I know I have been itching to change it. I don't want to jinx it by posting it before I have it in hand.

 

[bigal1000]

+1 on the 70-200f4

 

[TCampbell]

That very heavy 70-200 f/2.8 lens.... that's what you WANT. Trust me on this.

We get people all day long who try to shoot weddings or sports with inadequate lenses -- mostly lenses with inadequate focal ratios for the shooting situation.

f/2.8 glass is heavy... it has to be. The focal ratio is the focal length of the lens divided by the aperture. The focal LENGTH (when comparing the f/4 and f/2.8 70-200 lenses) are the same... but the f/4 lens has a max aperture of 50mm (200 ÷ 50 = 4). The f/2.8 lens collects twice as much light and it's aperture is about 71.5mm. That's quite a bit bigger. If you do the math for area you'll see that each lens element has a lot more glass in it and of course there are a lot of elements in the lens. That makes for a heavy lens. But just about every serious pro photographer buys that lens anyway... not because they like paying more for lenses and not because the weight of the lens gives them a workout and substitute for going to the gym... but because of the versatility that lens provides.

 

[Scuba]

Yes I understand the importance of the 2.8 for weddings, however I have never done one and it is only a slim chance that I will any time soon. Most of my shots are outdoors with good lighting or on a tripod. Eventually I will get the 2.8, but at this moment I wanted the lighter glass as well as the best image quality I could afford which is the f/4 IS. The 2.8 IS and the 2.8 IS II are both out of my price range right now. Either way I ended up going with the f/4 IS and am loving it so far. It is working very well for horses etc outdoors.

 

[TCampbell]

If it's out of your price range then it's out of your price range. The f/2.8L IS (or IS II) is basically what you'll ultimately want someday.

I'd never recommend anything less than but f/2.8 or better for wedding glass (if someone says they can't afford it, then I say rent it... if they don't want to rent it then I'd discourage someone from doing the wedding at all.) As you've said to never-mind the previously mentioned wedding needs, then forget it (but I hope that's because you've decided against using it for weddings and not because you're hoping the f/4 will be "good enough" -- it will not be "good enough".)

The f/4 is a fantastic lens for those situations when you have adequate light. Outdoor daytime use is fine. It's the indoor or night time use when it will be a problem.