Solution to a mind boggling 70-200/75-300 mm problem.

[Klose]

Let me lay it down for you....

70-200/2.8 HSM
The Pros:
1) F2.8 Fast aperture = less DOF = more creative control in your pictures
2) F2.8 Fast aperture = faster shutter speed = you can stop motion in low light conditions
3) F2.8 Fast aperture = faster AF, Brighter Viewfinder
4) Constant Aperture = More convient
5) F2.8 means you can use up to a 2X TC and retain AF if you are planning on getting one (unless you have a 1 series body... you can focus up to F8)
6) Tripod ring = Only lens that feature this. If you are going to shoot handheld, it is basically useless but on a tripod, it is worth it wieght in gold. You have better balance and switching to portrait mode is so fast and easy
7) True HSM = Ring Ultra sonic motor = Full Time manual Focus and super fast AF
8) Non rotating front element = Circular polarisers are good to use
9) 77mm thread = if you have other 77mm lens, you can share threads
10) Big and intimidating = if you want to use your camera gear to bully your way into shooting location, you need the biggest lens possible that screams PRO PRO, GET OUT OF THE WAY
11) Black in color

The Bad (subjective):
1) more expensive
2) heavy
3) big filter threads 77mm
4) black in color
5) not a canon lens

So you can see the pros and cons for the sigma, some are subjectives while other are not. Now to the 70-200L/4.

70-200/4L
The Pros:
1) True USM = Ring Ultra sonic motor = Full Time manual Focus and super fast AF
2) Non rotating front element = Circular polarisers are good to use
3) 67mm thread = if you have other 67mm lens, you can share threads
4) Big and intimidating = if you want to use your camera gear to bully your way into shooting location, you need the biggest lens possible that screams PRO PRO, GET OUT OF THE WAY
5) White in color
6) Is an L lens
7) Constant Aperture = More convient
8) One of the best combination of having a light and sharp lens if you are not planning to shoot at big apertures.
9) Light

The Bad (subjective):

1) F4 slow aperture = more DOF = less creative control in your pictures
2) F4 slow aperture = slower shutter speed = you might not be able to stop motion in low light conditions
3) F4 slow aperture = slower AF, darker Viewfinder
4) F4 means you can use up to a 1.4X TC and retain AF if you are planning on getting one (unless you have a 1 series body... you can focus up to F8)
6) Tripod ring = Optional. After paying for me, it might not be as a good a deal
7) wierd size for filter threads 67mm

Now for the 70-300 IS


70-200/4L
The Pros:
1) IS = Easy to handhold
2) IS = can get away with lower shutter speed
3) Bigger focal range = Goes up to 300mm
4) 58mm thread = if you have other 58mm lens, you can share threads
5) Small and Light

The Bad (subjective):

1) F5.6 slow aperture = more DOF = less creative control in your pictures
2) F5.6 slow aperture = slower shutter speed = you might not be able to stop motion in low light conditions
3) F5.6 slow aperture = slower AF, darker Viewfinder
4) F5.6 means cannot use TCs
6) Tripod ring = no tripod ring available
7) Aperture is variable. This is more inconvienent
8) Front element rotates = not good for usage with Circular polariser
9) Lens moves in and out when you zoom in and out. AF is not internal... front elemen moves in and out. Not as good a build quality.

I think this sums up the 3 lens that you should be considering ( the old 75-300 and the tokina, I dont think are worth it and never used it before). The sigma is the one to get if you need the F2.8. It is heavy and big. The F4L is the one to get if you want a light weight zoom lens that is reasonably fast and has very good IQ. The IS lens is the one to get if you feel that IS is the most important.

:thumbsup:

Something to add on, the EX coating on the Sigma doesnt really go very well with our humid weather hence after some use the coat will start to wear off. It's just cosmetic damage by fussy ppl wont like it seeing that the 1.3k spent has resulted in a peeling lens.

 

[Kongo]

Zerstorer,

Any tips on how to test them? Any place offer rental or loans to try out the lens?

I would strongly recommend you to shortlist the lenses you are interested in and test them thoroughly prior to purchase instead of relying on popular opinion. There is no guarantee that the lens you buy would be the same as what someone else has, moreover, not many people would have experience with different lenses in the same range for their choices to be useful.

 

[NE clicks clicks]

Let me lay it down for you....

70-200/2.8 HSM
The Pros:
1) F2.8 Fast aperture = less DOF = more creative control in your pictures
2) F2.8 Fast aperture = faster shutter speed = you can stop motion in low light conditions
3) F2.8 Fast aperture = faster AF, Brighter Viewfinder
4) Constant Aperture = More convient
5) F2.8 means you can use up to a 2X TC and retain AF if you are planning on getting one (unless you have a 1 series body... you can focus up to F8)
6) Tripod ring = Only lens that feature this. If you are going to shoot handheld, it is basically useless but on a tripod, it is worth it wieght in gold. You have better balance and switching to portrait mode is so fast and easy
7) True HSM = Ring Ultra sonic motor = Full Time manual Focus and super fast AF
8) Non rotating front element = Circular polarisers are good to use
9) 77mm thread = if you have other 77mm lens, you can share threads
10) Big and intimidating = if you want to use your camera gear to bully your way into shooting location, you need the biggest lens possible that screams PRO PRO, GET OUT OF THE WAY
11) Black in color

The Bad (subjective):
1) more expensive
2) heavy
3) big filter threads 77mm
4) black in color
5) not a canon lens

So you can see the pros and cons for the sigma, some are subjectives while other are not. Now to the 70-200L/4.

70-200/4L
The Pros:
1) True USM = Ring Ultra sonic motor = Full Time manual Focus and super fast AF
2) Non rotating front element = Circular polarisers are good to use
3) 67mm thread = if you have other 67mm lens, you can share threads
4) Big and intimidating = if you want to use your camera gear to bully your way into shooting location, you need the biggest lens possible that screams PRO PRO, GET OUT OF THE WAY
5) White in color
6) Is an L lens
7) Constant Aperture = More convient
8) One of the best combination of having a light and sharp lens if you are not planning to shoot at big apertures.
9) Light

The Bad (subjective):

1) F4 slow aperture = more DOF = less creative control in your pictures
2) F4 slow aperture = slower shutter speed = you might not be able to stop motion in low light conditions
3) F4 slow aperture = slower AF, darker Viewfinder
4) F4 means you can use up to a 1.4X TC and retain AF if you are planning on getting one (unless you have a 1 series body... you can focus up to F8)
6) Tripod ring = Optional. After paying for me, it might not be as a good a deal
7) wierd size for filter threads 67mm

Now for the 70-300 IS


70-200/4L
The Pros:
1) IS = Easy to handhold
2) IS = can get away with lower shutter speed
3) Bigger focal range = Goes up to 300mm
4) 58mm thread = if you have other 58mm lens, you can share threads
5) Small and Light

The Bad (subjective):

1) F5.6 slow aperture = more DOF = less creative control in your pictures
2) F5.6 slow aperture = slower shutter speed = you might not be able to stop motion in low light conditions
3) F5.6 slow aperture = slower AF, darker Viewfinder
4) F5.6 means cannot use TCs
6) Tripod ring = no tripod ring available
7) Aperture is variable. This is more inconvienent
8) Front element rotates = not good for usage with Circular polariser
9) Lens moves in and out when you zoom in and out. AF is not internal... front elemen moves in and out. Not as good a build quality.

I think this sums up the 3 lens that you should be considering ( the old 75-300 and the tokina, I dont think are worth it and never used it before). The sigma is the one to get if you need the F2.8. It is heavy and big. The F4L is the one to get if you want a light weight zoom lens that is reasonably fast and has very good IQ. The IS lens is the one to get if you feel that IS is the most important.

Wow, Very precise,point form, easy to digest and yet detail analysis .....:thumbsup: :thumbsup:
How about giving us your view of the picture quality, sharpness, colour saturation......if that's not too much to ask for . A big THANKS

 

[Discreet]

I never used the above mentioned lenses for an extended period of time and do not have much experience with it other than playing with my friend's copy indoor. Thus most of my comments are restricted to the build quality, AF and minor detail stuff. Personally, I used a 75-300 NON IS USM, 70-210 USM and a 70-200 2.8 IS ( which i used the longest for more than a year now).

As for picture quality, sharpness and color saturation, I must confess I am not in any position to make any comments as I never had much experience shooting with these lenses. What i do know is looking at pictures from my friends and hearing their experiences is that the 70-200L/4 is almost as good as it gets. In fact, it is supposedly as sharp if not sharper than the 70-200/2.8 IS. I have the IS and it is a very good lens, so i supposed the F4L should be equally good in terms of color, sharpness and image quality. A true L lens.

The sigma on the other hand is pretty subjective. I think in term of image quality and sharpness, it should on par with the F4. However the color saturation is a bit subjective as it being a 3rd party lense and having different lens coating, the color will be different. Some people prefer the colors, other swear by the L. Personally, what i think you should do is to go and try find pictures. I dont really care much about these color issues as I photoshop most of my work anyway and I generally prefer a warmer cast. So YMMV.

As for the 70-300 IS, i been reading that it has been suffereing from a few AF problems. In portrait mode, it has problem focusing, so check your copy to see if it has this problem. Again, i never used this lens before but what i can tell you is that most of my friends are pretty happy with this lens and unlike the old 75-300 (non IS) that i had, the sharpness is suppossedly much more improved.

Again, I should put a disclaimer that most of my knowledge on these image quality issue is not personal and from 3rd party sources. While I have a pretty good idea on their handling, I personally think the IQ is pretty much equal amongst the 3 lens. The Sigma and the L should be equally sharp.The 70-300 might be slightly lower in sharpness. As for color saturation, it is subjective. But i think the Sigma and the L should be as good as it gets. Thus in a nutshell, i think the 70-300 is going to be slighly behind compared to the other 2 lens. But it is the only one with IS and that might mean getting a shot in some situation. My advise is to not get too caught up with IQ here as if you really want a killer telephoto lens, look at the 100 Macro, 135/2L , 85L/1.2 or the 85/1.8. Rather, you should make a list of features you are looking for in the lens and rank them (price, focal range, tripod ring, aperture, weight...). The way i use my 70-200 might not be the way you work the lens. So YMMV. Try to test out the lens if you can and only then can you know which one works for you...

 

[user111]

use 70-200/2.8L with 2x. this will cover many things