Photography BLOG

The Canon EF 70-200mm f/4.0 L USM Lens is
arguably Canon’s best value “L” Lens combining professional grade
build and optical qualities.

Though solidly built, the Canon EF 70-200mm f/4.0 L USM Lens is
relatively light (25 oz / 705g). Actually it is very light and small
compared to the much more substantial Canon EF 70-200 f/2.8 L Lens or the Canon
EF 70-200 f/2.8 L IS Lens. This lens is not a burden to carry for long
periods of time but has a high quality, solid feel.

At 3″ (76mm) in diameter, the 70-200 f/4 is relatively narrow for its
6.8″ (172mm) length. I more frequently use larger diameter lenses, so this is
one of the 70-200 f/4′s instantly recognized features for me personally. It is
not a bad thing – just different. I’m sure those with small hands appreciate
this feature.

Pictured above from left to right are the
Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 L USM Lens, the Canon 70-200mm f/4 L USM Lens and the Canon
EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM Lens.

Results from the Canon EF 70-200mm f/4.0 L USM Lens will make you smile when
reviewing at 100% on a monitor. This lens is very sharp wide open and
improves only slightly when stopped down – and primarily in the corners at the
wide end of the focal length range. Very slight barrel distortion is noticeable
at 70mm on a Full Frame body. Distortion disappears by around 100mm and is
insignificant on a 1.3x or 1.6x FOVCF body. Vignetting is very well controlled -
full frame users might notice slight vignetting in the corners at f/4. CA is
very well controlled.

Images from the Canon EF 70-200mm f/4.0 L USM Lens have great color and bokeh
(foreground/background blur quality). The 8-blade aperture opens to a constant
f/4 at all focal length ranges. This is a very nice feature as exposure settings
do not require a change as the lens is zoomed through the focal lengths. F/4 is
not fast and is not slow. F/4 is narrow enough to allow the smaller size and
weight. F/4 is wide enough to create some background diffusion in this focal
length range. F/4 is wide enough to not require bright light for handholding.
However, I do not consider this a low light lens. You will likely need a flash
when shooting indoors after the sun sets.

The Canon EF 70-200mm f/4.0 L USM Lens focuses very fast, very quietly and
very accurately thanks to Canon’s excellent Ring USM (Ultrasonic Motor). FTM
(Full Time Manual) focusing is enabled. The focus and zoom rings are very nicely
sized and turn very smoothly. The 70-200 f/4 does not extend with zooming or
focusing – and the front element does not rotate.

With a minimum focus distance of 3.9′ (1.2 m), the 70-200 f/4 yields a maximum
magnification of .21x. This value is reasonable for flower pictures and close
portraits. Adding a 12mm Extension Tube will take this figure to .28x at 200mm,
but better results come from the addition of a 25mm Extension Tube – yielding a
.42x magnification at 70mm.

As the Canon EF 70-200mm f/4.0 L USM Lens is compatible with the Canon Extender
EF 1.4x II and the Canon Extender EF 2x II, these are popular accessories for
this lens. With the 1.4x, the 70-200 f/4 becomes a 98-280mm f/5.6 lens that
retains excellent image quality (adding more barrel distortion and some
additional CA). But, image quality starts declining more noticeably with the 2x
and the resulting 140-400mm f/8 lens only autofocuses on Canon’s 1-Series
bodies. This combination also results in a very dark viewfinder. The extenders
increase the maximum magnification to .31x and .45x.

Above from left to right are the Canon EF
70-200mm f/4 L USM Lens, Canon EF 70-200mm f/4 L IS USM Lens, Canon EF 70-200mm
f/2.8 L USM Lens and Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM Lens. The two f/2.8 lenses
are shown with their included tripod rings. The f/2.8 IS lens is shown with an
optional Wimberley P20 Lens Plate attached to the tripod ring. The same lenses
are shown below with their included lens hoods attached.

Filters are always popular lens
accessories … The 70-200 f/4 has a somewhat-unique 67mm filter thread size.
There will not be many lenses to share your 67mm filters with, but the
relatively small-sized filters do not cost a fortune either.

The Canon ET-74 Lens Hood and an inexpensive lens pouch are included in the box
when the Canon EF 70-200mm f/4.0 L USM Lens is purchased from a reputable
retailer. The Canon Tripod Mount Ring A II (W) (or the prior non-II A version),
although relatively expensive, can be purchased as an accessory. The tripod
collar is nice to have, but with a solid tripod/head combination it is not
required.

There are MANY uses for the Canon EF 70-200mm f/4.0 L USM Lens, but portrait
photography is one of the best. Classic portrait focal lengths range from
85mm to 135mm effective focal lengths (field of view crop factor included). The
70-200 f/4.0L lens comes with most (or all for full frame and 1.3x body users)
of those mms included. I often use even higher focal lengths for tight portraits
- 200mm and/or a 1.6x FOVCF body allows for these tightly-framed shots.

Outdoor sports photography is another popular use for the Canon EF
70-200mm f/4.0 L USM Lens. It is an ideal lens for young children’s soccer
matches when mounted on a 1.6x FOVCF body. You might want to add a Canon
Extender EF 1.4x depending on the size of the subjects and their playing field.
The Canon 70-200 f4 lens is generally too slow for indoor action photography
unless you can utilize an accessory flash such as the Canon 580EX Flash. Early
or late outdoor action sports photography is better handled with the Canon EF
70-200 f/2.8L Lens or the Canon EF 70-200 f/2.8L IS Lens. Heavily overcast days
are also a challenge for action sports photography with the 70-200 f/4L.

Need a walk-in-the-park or a beach lens? The Canon EF 70-200mm
f/4.0 L USM Lens is ideal for my uses. Combining excellent image quality with
relatively light weight and small size, the Canon EF 70-200mm f/4.0 L USM Lens
has a good focal length range for grabbing candids of the kids and family at
play.

General wildlife and nature photography is area where the Canon EF
70-200mm f/4.0 L USM Lens may not be ideal, but often finds use in. Depending on
their size and distance, wild subjects may not frame tightly enough with the
bare 70-200 focal length. But, this lens starts having some nice reach while
retaining very good image quality when paired with the Canon Extender EF 1.4x II
on a 1.6x body. Wary small birds and animals will likely require a longer lens
alltogether.

When thinking about a landscape lens, many photographers immediately
think wide angle lenses. Wide angle lenses can take in vast scenes, but the
70-200mm focal length range is a favorite of professional landscape
photographers as it yields beautiful compressed landscape images. When
photographing landscapes, wide apertures are generally not needed as narrower
apertures are generally used for greater depth of field. When photographing
landscapes, packing light makes the long hikes often required to get to the
beauty easier. As some of the beauty of landscape photography is in the form of
flowers and other smaller objects, the magnification ability of the 70-200 f/4
is useful for this purpose. Thus, the Canon EF 70-200mm f/4.0 L USM Lens is
ideally suited for landscape photography use.

Those contemplating a Canon EF 70-200mm f/4.0 L USM Lens purchase are typically
considering the Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM Lens as well. Priced similarly
with an extended focal length range and an excellent implementation of IS, this
lens fills many of the same requirements as the 70-200 f/4. I usually recommend
the 70-200 f/4 over the 70-300 IS because of its physical and optical
advantages, but read the 70-300 review to find out which is better for your
needs.

The Canon EF 70-200 f/2.8 L IS USM Lensis a GREAT upgrade from the 70-200 f/4 L,
but only if you need f/2.8 (lets twice as much light in) and/or IS – or weather
sealing (the 70-200 f/4 is not weather sealed). You will not find the IS
version’s image quality to be much better – Full frame corner sharpness is
better on the IS lens until the end of the focal length range where they equal
out. The f/4 version performs better than the IS lens with Canon Extenders when
used at the 200mm setting until both are stopped down to f/8 or so. An f/2.8
aperture will create a more diffuse background blur. The IS version carries
significantly more weight and costs much more than the smaller f/4 version.

If you cannot afford a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L Lens or a Canon EF 70-200mm
f/2.8 L IS Lens, the Canon EF 70-200mm f/4.0 L USM Lens is for you. If you do
not need your 70-200mm lens to be faster than f/4 and don’t need IS, the Canon
EF 70-200mm f/4.0 L USM Lens is your lens. The 70-200 f/4 L is a great value
and a highly recommended lens.