How reliable/sharp is 70-200mm F4?

This was the first L lens I bought as it was the most affordable. I have been extremely pleased with it and it is my sharpest lens. It has a metal barrel and is very solid. I'd recommend getting the lenshood with it. A friend of mine who has the 75-300 lens tried it one day and he has been dissatisfied with his lens ever since that day.
This picture was about f5.6 and it was taken from 1/2 kilometer across the harbour.

Purdys Wharf Towers

David, the first generation 70-200mm f/4L DOES in fact, have USM. All of Canon's EF lenses have USM assembly for the autofocus. The lens balances well on any camera body, and is very sharp. Additionally, it has excellent color and contrast. The reason it is cheaper than the 2.8 version of the same zoom focal length, is because it is a bit slower speed.

EF70-200/4 L has USM. It is the old EF70-210/4 non-L that had no USM. Don't get mix up. 70-200/ 4L is a high quality lens. It just doesn't have IS.

There is an older, discontinued 70-210/4 non-L, non-USM

The current production 70-200/4 L has USM.

The current model is a great lens. Can't say enough good about it - sharp,light cheap, great close focus.

I own both versions. The non IS version also has a ring type USM AF motor and as expected, AF is fast and quiet. Both lenses are very sharp with excellent contrast and color, with the edge (with respect to my copy of each lens) going to the IS version, especially with the 1.4x converter, which I am much happier with the performance on the IS lens. IS provides additional flexibility in dealing with low light levels and in choosing smaller apertures when needed for DOF, since you can comfortably shoot at lower shutter speeds than with the non IS lens.

For the money, the choice comes down to the non IS 70-200 F4L vs the 70-300IS, which also has a good optical reputation and longer range. The L lens has the edge in build quality, AF speed, and non rotating front element. It's your wallet and your choice.

I bought a second hand 70-200 f4L last week and used it for the first time yesterday. I was VERY impressed when looking at the images on my PC. However this was also the first time i'd used my new 40D so i just shot in JPEG and had a "getting to know my new camera" day, so i don't know if the in camera sharpening had a hand in it too. Its a very nice size and weight too.

I've uploaded a couple of images to my portfolio if you want to see some examples.

I did find that as it was an overcast day i started thinking "hmmm f 2.8 would be nice!" as well as "this new autoISO setting is good!"

Thanks guys. yeah I realized it is USM which is good. lol. I may consider this someday. Very nicely priced!

The 70-200 F4 L is very reliable, after all it is a 'L' series lens. It is a professional level lens, well built and sharp. It was my first L series lens and is still one of my favorite lenses. The fit and finish is first class.

Just picked up one last week, second-hand also. I'm very pleased with the sharpness at f/4. I like that it's small and light.

I've got the 70-200/4 non IS too. I think it's an excellent lens, both in terms of construction and image quality. An additional benefit of this lens is that it is also very light. I'll often use that lens instead of the 2.8 IS, if I'm trying to travel light.

If you can get a good one at a good price, then snap it up fast.

I have one. It has USM but no IS.

Lens is v. good, thin, light weight, IQ is excellent if you ask me. If you are shooting in lowlight, i.e in evening, indoors, cloudy days, I bet you would love IS, unless you a ready to bump up the ISO to 400-800, which may yield bit noisy images depending on your body performance. IS makes a big difference, but is $400+ worth it for an upgrade ? I am not sure.

This was my first L lens & I have only recently replaced it for an IS version.

GREAT contrast, sharpness, light lens easy to handhold. I use it a lot for outdoors kid's sports & love it!

Be careful though, once you get addicted to L glass ... it never stops!

There's an EF 70-210 F4, c., late 80s push-pull, with gritty MF and AFD motor. I've not owned one but it here looks and feels really cheap.

The 1990 EF 70-210 3.5-4.5 USM is a sweet optic for a bargain price: good sharpness, ultra fast AF (rear element focus), FTM and true ring-USM. Not L build but impressive for the price. I've seen used ones going for $150 or so.

Finally, the EF 70-200 4L USM isn't cheap, even used, but is the best moderate telezoom this side of $600: sturdy build, internal focus & zoom and sharp wide open. It focuses fast, but not as fast as the old EF 70-210 3.5-4.5 USM.

I owned a 1990 EF 70-210 3.5-4.5 USM for 15 years and it was totally and 100% reliable. Never failed me. I bought a 70- 200 4L USM in 2002 and, after a couple years of use, the element drifted out of alignment, rendering the left side blurry. It was never dropped or banged and only received light use during those 2 years. I don't know how typical this problem is but have heard of a few similar cases. Anywho I wanted to sell it and took it to Canon Hawaii along with sample images, hoping the repair wouldn't be too expensive. The cute counter girl smiled and told me the fix was on the house--although 4 years out of warranty--and I had a sharp lens a week later.

Just prior to noticing the blurry left side I had done a lot of running with the lens--moving targets--so perhaps the vibration/shock worked something loose? It was so sharp I decided to keep it.

I have the 70-200 f/2.8L IS which is great if you need to stop action. Since buying the 70-200 f/4L IS, the f/2.8 hardly ever comes out of the case. The f/4 is half the weight, noticeably smaller, and, in my opinion, sharper than the f/2.8. It is by far the sharpest zoom I own (all L glass).

The EF 70-200 f/4L USM is a great lens - light, cheap and sharp, the down side is that it doesn't have IS therefore you need to have a shutter speed of at least 1/320 to minimize camera shake @ 200mm. It's a great outdoor lens, I shoot with a 400 f/5.6L USM, though it lacks IS as long as my shutter speed is 1/640 and above I get blur free images.

Thanks guys. very helpful responses

I have the non IS version and I love it. It was my first L lens and I love it. I shoot a lot of horse shows and the only drawback to this lens is that when shooting inside the f/4 just doesn't cut it.

I also have the 70-200 f/4L non IS version. Brilliant lens. Generally I take it on hikes during sunny days, so it is much better for me than the heavier 2.8 version. As others have said... I find it is incredibly sharp even wide open. Purchased this lens used and have absolutely no issues with it thus far. My first piece of L glass and it is plain to see that the reputation is very well deserved. My advice... if you see this lens at what you consider a deal, grab it quickly!

It's well worth the investment. I just bout the 70-200 f/4L USM this past summer and I love it. Another thing that I like about this lens is that all the moving parts are internal so the length doesn't change and if you use a circular polarizer, there's no adjustment because it doesn't turn. And, I've used it to shoot under outdoor lighting at night, on a tripod at my son's football games, I was more than impressed with the results.

I have been shooting with the 70-200mm f/4L now for about five years and you will have to pry it from my dead body to get it from me. IMO it is one of the best values out there for lenses. To get that build quality and performance from a lens that cost less than $600 makes it a steal for the price. Here is a small section I cropped at 100% from a pano I made at Death Valley. The original image is 17"x44" and this was a 2" section I cropped. Only sharping that was done was capture sharping I did in CS3 ACR.

I forgot to include the settings I used when I shot this pano at Death Valley, so here they are. The image was shot at f/11 @ 160sec with mirror lock up, focal length was 90mm @ ISO 400. It was shot on my Canon 40D.

I own this lens and I am very very happy with it's quality!

Penthouse centerfold model Justine Jolie and admirer

taken outside Webster Hall on east 11th st, nyc. Canon 5D, ISO 3200 -1ev, 70-200mm L IS, illuminated by street lamp. shooting at 200mm and f/4 @ 1/25 sec, the IS gave me 3 stops.

I love my 70-200 F4 L USM but as I have reignited my love affair with my older Pentax kit, I'm looking to sell mine off (Vancouver, BC). If anyone is interested, please let me know offline.

Wow awesome pictures - I'll def have to pick one up...

Yes, the L version that is now being sold is a great lens. Takes wonderful pictures and is very sharp. Also tough. I had mine on the seat next to me in a Land Rover truck in Africa as I was changing lens, we were off-road and hit a very hard bump. The lens went flying off the seat, bounced off a metal bar in front of me then hit the metal floor and bounced around on the metal floor some more. Not a noticeable mark on it and still works fine. Great lens, and tough too.