The maximum aperture of the lens is f/2.8, constant over the focal length of the lens. This is perfect for shooting in low light especially when hand-holding the lens, as well as for shooting fast-action sports. Overall build quality is also much better. Weather sealed magnesium alloy construction ensures you can use it in almost all conditions. Nanocrystal coating ensures that flares and ghosting are well suppressed.

I think there's sometimes a misconception that experienced or professional photographers never use zooms. Nikon has a long history of making professional 70-80 to 200mm focal length zoom lenses, but aside from the very old 70-210 f/4 AI-S and AF lenses, it has never had an affordable and lightweight constant aperture f/4 model in its line. With its arch-rival Canon making a 70-200mm f/4L lens since 1999, and the high cost of the 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II model, Nikon was often criticized for not providing an f/4 alternative. After many years of delays, Nikon finally announced a lightweight alternative to the f/2.8 version in October of 2012 – the AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/4G ED VR, which is designed to work on both full-frame (FX) and cropped-factor sensor (DX) DSLR cameras. Key Specs: Canon RF mount, 70-200mm focal range, f/2.8 - f/32 aperture range, 77mm thread size, 2.36 lbs.

The Sony FE 70-200mm f/4 Macro G OSS II doesn’t quite fall into the exalted trinity but has some major plus points and is a worthy upgrade to the original lens

You also get a full-time manual focusing override. We already know what this technology is all about. Plus, even though this is the cheaper version, you have a focus delimiter switch. The non-IS f/2.8 version was released in 1995 and replaced the EF 80–200mm f/2.8L. The lenses use nine- or eight-bladed, circular diaphragms which maintain a nearly circular aperture when stopped down. The f/2.8 and f/4.0 image-stabilized versions also feature weather sealing when mated to a weather-sealed camera to such as the Canon EOS 1D-series bodies. [12] [13] These lenses are compatible with the Canon Extender EF teleconverters. Due to its internal zooming mechanism, the lens does not creep or zoom when pointed downward. Along with water and dust proofing, this lens is also freeze-proof for weather conditions down to -14°F. Take it out in the snow! Best DSLR Versions Distortion takes a turn for the worse, with a noticeable pincushion that gets steadily poorer as you extend through the zoom range. To be fair though, many recent lenses designed for mirrorless cameras are unusable without automatic in-camera correction, which can’t be disabled, and the Mark II certainly doesn’t fall into that category.

The most popular and well-known configuration of a 70-200mm lens is a 70-200mm f/2.8. These are the best choice, with their fast, constant f/2.8 aperture that gives you plenty of latitude to work in low light and also allows for the creation of shallow depth of field.The newer 2023 edition of the Sony 70-200mm sets out to take everything up a notch or two from is older (and less expensive) predecessor. It is lighter and has can focus much closer - in fact, can deliver 0.5x magnification close-ups.

For mirrorless users, it’s hard to go wrong with the Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM. The size itself is a huge selling point and we can’t quite beat that. Those on a budget will favor the Canon RF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM I see no signs of false color in lab tests or real-world samples. It effectively suppresses both lateral chromatic aberration (CA), which is often visible as purple fringing around tree branches or power lines that fall within the plane of focus, and longitudinal type (LoCA), which shows up as false purple and green color in specular highlights and transitional areas away from the plane of focus. Sony a7R IV, 200mm, f/2.8, 1/500-second, ISO 125 (Credit: Jim Fisher) Carnathan, Bryan. "Canon EF 70–200mm f/4.0 L IS USM Lens Review". The-Digital-Picture.com . Retrieved 10 September 2011. The Canon EF 70–200mm f/4.0 L IS USM Lens is the second lens in the Canon 70–200mm L lens family to sport weather sealing (the f/2.8 IS is the first). Unlike Canon and Nikon who nail their colors to the mast, Sony generally seems quite cagey about the effectiveness of its stabilization systems. Testing the lens with an A7 IV camera that features an in-body stabilizer, we found the combined sensor-shift and in-lens stabilization gave about a 3-stop benefit throughout the zoom range. As such, we were able to get consistently sharp shots in handheld shooting at 200mm with a shutter speed of 1/25th of a second. That’s not bad but it lags behind the performance we’re used to getting with recent Canon and Nikon mirrorless full-frame cameras and lenses, which often give as much as 6-stop to 8-stop effectiveness. The Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD lens shown above (which is available for Nikon cameras and Canon cameras) is one such lens. You Can Shoot Handheld

The Nikon Z 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S is probably the best 70-200mm zoom in the world. Ever.

When used with a Canon APS-C (1.6x crop) DSLR camera or APS-H (1.3x crop), the 35-mm-equivalent focal lengths of these lenses are 112–320mm on an APS-C sensor and 91–260mm on an APS-H sensor. This is due to the crop factor inherent with APS-C or APS-H (crop) sensor digital SLR cameras. A key attraction of choosing an f/4 zoom over an f/2.8 is that it’s likely to be more compact and lightweight. That was certainly true of the original Sony lens and the Mark II takes downsizing a step further, shaving 15 per cent off the length and 46g off the weight. A frequently pointed-out problem with this lens is the placement of the IS and AF switches, which make them prone to accidental flipping during hand-held shooting. Some photographers solve this by covering the buttons with a piece of gaffer tape. In recognition of this issue, starting with the f/4L IS USM model and f/2.8L IS II USM lens, Canon uses switches designed to reduce the incidence of accidental switch activation. [14] Specifications [ edit ] Attribute The Nikon AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/4G ED is a great lens to buy if you are on a (slight) budget and yet don’t want to compromise on your quality of gear. In comparison to the big three (Canon, Nikon, and Sony), Panasonic doesn’t always pop right into mind when thinking about photography. However, the Lumix series is truly extraordinary and the fact that there is a 70-200 mm version here is outstanding.

Filter size of 67mm is a definite disadvantage for the Nikon 70-200mm f/4G – it is the only one in the group that does not have the standard 77mm filter thread. Given the smaller size of the lens barrel, I can understand why Nikon went with a smaller filter, but for many of us that rely on filters, it means buying additional rings to accommodate filters and filter holders. If you happen to use filters a lot, just get a 67mm to 77mm filter adapter and keep it on the lens for convenience. Perhaps even better, third-party manufacturers like Tamron and Sigma make 70-200 lenses for Nikon and Canon cameras, representing yet another avenue to get a good lens without breaking the bank. Alexander, Andrew (9 September 2009). "Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM". imaging-resource.com . Retrieved 6 June 2018. Let’s take a look at how the lens compares to the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II, Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 and Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 Macro that I used in this comparison: Feature

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The 70-200mm F2.8 falls short of competitors in one area—macro photography. The Tamron 70-180mm G2 and the Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM II focus closer, for 1:2.6 and 1:3 magnification, respectively. The Sigma 70-200mm F2.8 manages 1:5.2 at its 200mm focal length and 39.4-inch minimum focus distance, so it matches up more closely with the Lumix S Pro 70-200mm F2.8 and its 1:5 macro focus. The lens focuses to 25.6 inches at 70mm, but the wider angle results in less magnification. For macro photographers who don't mind an F4 zoom, the FE 70-200mm F4 Macro G OSS II is the best in the class thanks to its 1:2 reproduction. Sony a7R IV, 70mm, f/2.8, 1/500-second, ISO 100 (Credit: Jim Fisher)