First Shot with 70-200 2.8 IS II

(skull) · (skull) **Join Date: May 2002** 03-17-2011, 6:37 PM

It came today so when I got home from work I slapped it on the 1D4 and walked to our neighborhood lake. Three kids were fishing and said "watch for snakes... one is in that tree". Here he is... a Texas Watersnake (non-venomous).

First shot with the 70-200 2.8 IS II.

(wakedad33) · (wakedad33) **Join Date: Oct 2005** 03-17-2011, 8:02 PM

So jealous

, congrats on the new toy. Didn't you have a 2.8 verson I? I love mine, it's by far my favorite glass.

(richd) · (richd) **Join Date: Oct 2003** 03-17-2011, 9:44 PM

The V2 is just an amazing zoom. I didn't think a zoom could get much better then the 70-200 f4 L IS but this one is. Prime level sharpness from wide open on at any zoom length and off course, as Rob's shot shows, the great bokeh the 70-200 f2.8s are known for.

(skull) · (skull) **Join Date: May 2002** 03-18-2011, 5:20 AM

I had the great 70-200 2.8 IS and never had any interest in upgrading whatsoever- I loved that lens. Then, I starting talking to Artie Morris and seeing his work with the new 70-200 and a 2X extender for birds in flight and started thinking about it. Artie believes the new 70-200 at 400mm (with a 2X) is sharper than either the 100-400 or the 400 5.6 prime!! It took a lot of convincing but eventually I came to the conclusion to get a 70-200 2.8 IS II and sell my 70-200 and my 100-400. I am not upgrading extenders though. I will keep the Gen II 1.4X and 2X for the time being. I really got this lens to use with extenders at least 60-70% of the time since it appears to be very good in that area.

Artie posted some of our conversation regarding the new 70-200 2.8 IS II on his site... check it out.

http://www.birdsasart-blog.com/2011/...non-believers/

(richd) · (richd) **Join Date: Oct 2003** 03-18-2011, 7:43 AM

You don't need to convince me, I bought the 400 f5.6L I had off Artie 3 years ago and email him occasionally (amazingly accessible guy). I sent him a message after I started using the new 70-200 and 2X and told him he needed to check this combo out. I'm sure he already heard about this but hadn't tried it and posted anything yet.

So when he actually reported this was the best BIF (a term he pretty much invented) set up going I thought maybe that would shut up some of the doubters over on FM. I have been creamed so many times on FM for claiming the same thing with regards to the 400 and 100-400 I just got tired of posting about it. No such luck, they all just called him a Canon shill.

Anyhow I bought the new 2X III but it's no sharper then the 2X II I had. Little better when it comes to handling chromatic aberration but other then that AF speed and IQ differences aren't worth mentioning so you're smart to stick with the ones you've got.