After losing my 10-year old Canon EF 75-300 f/4-5.6 III (and my original Rebel XT 28-80) lens to a dunking in the Big Meadow Reservoir outlet, I had been on the search for a replacement zoom lens. While visiting friends in Albuquerque for the Balloon festival, I borrowed a28-135 f/3.5-5.6 IS USM to see how well it performed and to see if that might be a balance between price and features. The main comparison was how well the Image Stabilization worked to allow for low-light shooting versus the fast 2.8L-series lenses.
Well, after shooting two mornings of bright sunlight and one overcast morning, I was not impressed with the IS lens performance. The biggest issue I had was shooting at full zoom and when the object (in this case the balloons) was moving. I found that the IS would overcompensate the stabilization when moving fast as the gyroscope would continue to move resulting in an "overshoot" of the balloon. It was almost like a pendulum; I had to swing the lens back and forth with smaller movements until the gyro stabilized and I had the subject framed as I liked. This was an annoying feature as some of my photography includes fast moving animals, sporting events, and young children. This is not to say that the lens itself is bad; the pictures I did take were still of good quality but the framing was not what I had hoped as I couldn't figure out the subtleties of the Image Stabilization hardware.
Another reason I explored the IS lens was cost. Although the hardware is a bit more involved thanks to the gyro stabilization, the cost of the IS lenses are still considerably less than those of the top-of-the-line L-series glass. However, as with many things you pay for what you get and I just didn't like the image clarity and quality of the IS lens I tried. One might also say why not just buy the same lens I lost. Well, as with many other hobbies, breaks, dunks, failures, and other mishaps; it is not a time to replace but upgrade. I don't claim to be a professional photographer (although I would like to earn some extra cash on some of the photos) but the pictures I do take have significant personal meaning and are usually taken for immediate friends and family. If I can provide them with the best I have to offer, I need to invest in the equipment to do that.
SO, after that test and a couple of extra dollars from shift differential I saved up, I plinked down for this beauty:
This is the Canon EF 70-200 f/2.8L. The fast speed (indicated by the f/2.8 as opposed to a range like f/4-5.6) and the high-quality optic glass (indicated by the "L") allows for telephoto photography in fairly low light conditions. I was able to use this lens in an auditorium at full zoom and ISO 1600 setting had a shutter speed around 1/50 to 1/60 and resulted in useable (although a bit grainy) pictures from my 8-megapixel Digital Rebel XT. This weekend I was also able to use the lens in low-light conditions (almost 20 minutes after sunset) to photograph white-tailed deer again at ISO 1600 with only minor issues with blurred deer due to shooting at 1/40 and 1/50 resulting from both hand shake and subject movement.There are two downsides to this lens. It is H E A V Y and Canon lists the weight at 1310 grams...or a few ticks under 3 pounds. The lens comes with a mount ring so that you can attach the camera/lens system to a tri/bi/monopod as opposed to the body mount which makes sense based on the lens weight. Holding the lens/body system up for minutes on end waiting for the right moment to take picture of wildlife became quite tiresome and my arm muscles are still sore two days later. Purchasing an additional tripod attachment is an option but I don't see this lens staying on the camera all the time. My second, albeit minor, issue is that although the lens itself is waterproof, the mounting ring does not have a rubber gasket like my 24-70f/2.8L lens. This is a bit disappointing as living out here in the dusty west could mean an increased likelihood of that golden grain of sand getting between the lens mount and body ring, possibly damaging something.
Here are a couple of images that I have taken recently with the new lens:
From my backyard.© 2009 Jason Jordan, All Rights Reserved
A recent trip to the Hill Country
© 2009 Jason Jordan, All Rights Reserved
A recent trip to the Hill Country© 2009 Jason Jordan, All Rights Reserved
Now begins the next great debate...a new body or a new lens to round out the collection. My Digital Rebel XT is approaching 5 years old and after hard use it is starting to have some issues. The autofocus doesn't work, the flash is having some issues, and I might need a higher resolution CMOS sensor (i.e. greater megapixels) should I decide to become a part-time freelance photographer. So, do I keep with the 1.6 crop sensor as in the Canon 7D or do I save up for the middle-range Canon 5D-Mk II (and before the Canon faithful ask; the 1D-MkIII/IV is too expensive for me right now...and I'm a faithful Canon person for those Nikon fans)? OR, do I hold off since the camera is still working and save up for the low-end range lens such as the Canon 16-35 f/2.8L II to round out my collection (16-35, 24-70, 70-200 mm)?
Anyone wanna permanently loan me a 1D-MkIII AND the 16-35 f/2.8L??
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