( 72 reviews )
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( 11 of 11 found this review helpful ) Posted: Jun 26 2009
Bought this lens for a trip to South America. I got so many great shots, it was ridiculous. This thing made my trip. Granted, it was on a 1.6x body. Anyone considering, who shoots birds/animals, you should go for it. IS, by the way, is a must. If you are considering the 2.8 as I was, here is some food for thought: The IQ is the same. The focus speed is essentially the same (I hear). The 2.8 is bigger, heavier, and more expensive. If you don't need the 2.8 for bokeh or indoor sports, don't get it. I went to the store and held them both. The 2.8 is significantly larger, heavier, and more attention grabbing. The 4, on the other hand, is a little lower profile, and thats my style too. If you walk/carry lenses for miles, the weight will make a difference, I see a lot of journalists with this lens, but thats cause they work low light. My friend is ga-ga over the 2.8...but he does a lot of event shoots. I rarely take my camera to a party, and when I do, its with fast primes. Don't get me wrong, the 2.8 would have been useful in the Costa Rican jungle. But the 4 did the job just as well as far as I am concerned. And if you go camping etc...I just never have a reason to leave the 4 behind. I took the money and put it towards the 100-400. That will get me a lot more keepers than f4 vs f2.8 in the same focal range. But thats me. And I figure I can get the 2.8 later in my life if I really feel the need. I do not really feel the need. The one annoying thing: it takes 67mm filter, which is a unique filter size, and too small for a 77mm filter from the other Ls without vignetting. So any filters I want to use with it, it has to have its own.
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Posted: Jun 7 2009
This is so far the best lens I have used and I was speechless to look at the quality of pics it produced with my 5D mark II I will learn to take more pics with it
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Posted: Jun 6 2009
In the first few pictures taken, this lens has already surpassed my expectations. It's image quality is better than all of the other lenses that I currently own and is extremely sharp. The IS more than makes up for the extra cost, especially on the upper end. It's nice not to have to carry a tripod around for most events.
