Thread: Lens Q: 70-300DO IS vs. 70-200 f/4 IS L

Speaking of resale value, I dont mind acquiring L lenses as all as they hold their prices very much like Rolexes. If you find a good used one with all of the manuals and boxes, you can resell it and get most if not all of your money back. If you are lucky and the lens get discontinued with no replacement or when Canon raises its prices, you can make a little profit.

Originally Posted by KandyRedCoi

^thanx for the sound advice, i will try and get my hands on a few the 70-200 variations to get a feel of it

and since the subject of wide angle came up again would the 17-40 be enough for group wide angle shots espcially cars, or would i need the 12-24 ????

The 17-40L is probably the most versatille lens on entire Canon line-up in my opinion and it is very reasonably priced for its performance as well. With some compromises in a slightly shorter focal length of 40mm and a aperture that opens up to f/4, you can still use it for almost anything.

I think anyone should be fine with it for car meets and group shots. Sure, you can't get yourself into tight spaces like the Tokina 12-24 but it redeems itself by being more versatille. 99% of my shots on my blog are shot with the Tokina but I bring my 17-40L for panning shots or when I know cars are roped off and that I need the reach. On some rare occasions I would bring out the 17-40L by itself and still get the job done.

The safe bet is to go with a 17-40L for its versatility. Or, just get both like me The 12-24 used isnt much now, especially with the 11-16 out.

Originally Posted by Grand Poobah

Excellent advice! The only thing I'll add is the 2.8 is great for indoor 'action', (school gyms etc) and greater bokeh, and the 4.0 is MUCH MUCH MUCH lighter (and has 4 stops of IS which is one or two more than the 2.8) (obviously comments relating to IS relate to the IS specific lenses)

The 2.8 comes really handy in those situations and pretty much mandatory in extreme shooting conditions like at a concert (but that doesnt apply to most of us) but don't get it if you don't need it. The law of dimishing returns is very apparent in Canon's pricing. When you compare the price differences between the f/2.8 and the f/4 of most lenses on their lineup, the differences are staggering while they are all optically very close.

thanx PE, i will def pick up a 17-40L asap, and probably one of the IS variations of the 70-200