The Canon EF70-200mm f4 L I.S. USM Lens for Aviation Photography
The latest lens that I have purchased, and purchased with aviation photography squarley in mind. Many go through an exhaustive decision process in deciding between this lens and the 70-200mm f2.8 I.S lens, myself included. My own decision was eventually made up by the fact that the lens would generally be used in good light and the addition of teleconverters is not likely for it's intended purpose i.e. large aircraft and display formations. The new 4 stop Image stabilisation is a nice touch but not really needed for aviation photography.
Specifications:
4-stop Image Stabilizer
f/4 through zoom range
Fluorite and UD lens elements
Environmental seals
Super Spectra coatings
Soft case and lens hood
Construction 20 elements in 15 groups
Closest Focusing 1.2m
Filter Attachment Size 67mm
Hood ET-74 (included)
Weight 760g
Max Dia. x Length 76 x 172mm
What is clear, is that this lens has a consistantly good reputation amongst users, which is not always something that the 70-200mm f2.8 has... although fine examples of that lens abound and produce stunning results. The f4 version also benefits from the flourite element, which is still the the frontrunner for apochromatic correction.
Another, very obvious, benefit of the 70-200mm f4 L I.S. USM is its weight and compact nature. This is a great benefit in use from packed crowds at an airshow.
Sometimes you have to go wide - Red Arrows, B-52, Oasis 747-400. All with Canon 1Ds MkII and Canon 70-200mm f4
