Alternatives to L lenses?

[stu mcc]

Hi everyone,

When I bought my 400D it was always intended that I'd pretty soon add a couple of decent lenses, so the first one I got was the 28-135 IS which I've been pretty pleased with.

Now, the next one I thought of was a 70-200 L f4 IS but having seen it I really, really can't live with the off-white finish.

So it's a fairly simple question really , is there a Canon alternative or one from any of the other lens manufacturers at about the 700 quid mark which offers comparable quality but is black?

Cheers,

Stu.

[RobDickinson]

Canons 70-300IS is Pretty good and a close second to the f4L on IQ.

Sigmas 70-200 f2.8 is as good as the canon (almost...?) and is black.

But theres kits out there that camoflage the L's, not sure where from or what, or just stick some tape round it or something.

All canons longer L's are (off)white.

[richard plumb]

seconded on the canon 70-300is. Close to the IQ of the 70-200, 100mm more reach and half the price

It is a stop slower and slightly slower focussing but its a great lens. I've ummed and aahed (?!) about getting the 70-200 f4 LIS but never have.

[Brammers]

What do you want the lens for? I'm sure the 70-300 is a fine lens, but it's waaaaaaaay too slow for me to ever consider it - it doesn't fit my needs at all. Does it fit yours? When you bring up constant f4 lenses, it's possible that a 4.5-5.6 won't do the job.

Sigma's 70-200 2.8, 50-150 2.8 & 100-300/4, and Tamron's 70-200 2.8 may be of interest.

[Biscuit761]

Friend of mine got a 70 - 200 L f4 from her insurance company as a replacement for a 42mm screw mount Helios lens I gave her after dropping it and an old Praktica SLR (also from me) - they gave her a top end Canon film camera as well to go with it

Have had a play and it is superb, just wont fit my Nikon

Bill

[andy_fozzy]

Originally Posted by richard plumb

seconded on the canon 70-300is. Close to the IQ of the 70-200, 100mm more reach and half the price

It is a stop slower and slightly slower focussing but its a great lens. I've ummed and aahed (?!) about getting the 70-200 f4 LIS but never have.

I 3rd that about the 70-300 IS.
Is actually known on some websites as the 'hidden L lens'.

[jonnypb]

if i had around £700 to spend i'd go for the 70-300IS if you want a black finish which would leave you nearly £400 in your pocket or to spend on another lens

"So in terms of optical quality the EF 70-300mm IS can be almost described as a hidden Canon L lens"

[stu mcc]

Thanks for the thoughts all, bubble I reckon that's exactly what I'll do!

Cheers,

Stu.

[Brammers]

Hey Stu,

Just reassure me that you're aware of the limitations of an f5.6 lens before you buy You did mention that you wanted comparable quality (I'm assuming image quality) - but choosing image quality is only half the battle of choosing a lens!

[cedmondson]

Brammers - you make a valid point but to label the 70-300IS as 'an f5.6 lens' is a bit misleading. At the short end the lens is f4 which is the same as the 'L' although admittedly by around 90mm it drops to f4.5. It doesn't fall to f5.6 until around 225-230mm which in any case exceeds the length of the 70-200 f4L. Indeed to acheive this length with the 70-200 requires a 1.4X extender which also turns the f4 into f5.6 (IYSWIM).

[Brammers]

That's a fair point.

I'm just worried about the OP spending money on something that he doesn't know much about - he's posted a thread asking for 'non-white L lenses' - in fact he's not even said that he wants a telephoto or a telephoto zoom.

He's not even said what he wants it for. Indoor portraits? Shooting a gig? Freezing movement at night? He'd be much better off with a Siggy 70-200 (or my favourite - a 135/2 - the Canon version is supposedly just as good as the Zeiss). Compact, light, high-quality stabilised long zoom - sure, good choice.

It pains me to see people reccomend lenses without knowing what the OP wants to do with them!

[Radiohead]

It worries me that lens colour is a criteria.

[salubrious_k]

I think the reason for the lens colour being white is so that the heat of the sun doesn't affect the optics on sunny days. I'd therefore assume this means that long lenses that are black are affected by the heat of the sun... something to bear in mind?

[RobDickinson]

One issue with the 70-300IS is the slow focusing in comparison.

Look at sigma's 100-300f4 HSM mebe.

[richard plumb]

paint it?