Hot on the heels of the excellent Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM, reviewed last month and awarded an Editor's Choice accolade, we have the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM, the big brother of the pair, with its fast, bright f/2.8 maximum aperture. We can also add weight and cost to the equation, so it will be very interesting to see the outcome, and tested using the same Canon EOS 5DS R 50mp body as for the previous review.
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM Handling and Features
As expected, the lens is significantly heavier than the f/4 version, weighing in at 1480g. Perhaps surprisingly though, it seems relatively compact and is very manageable when mounted on the Canon EOS 5DS R. The lens came with us to the Gwrych Castle Medieval Fayre and it was absolutely fine carrying it around all day, using a camera sling for comfort. This is a full frame lens, but it can also be used on APS-C format camera bodies, where the equivalent focal length range becomes 112-320mm.
Starting our tour of the lens, we have a generously sized bayonet fit lenshood, with a locking catch. Within the bayonet fitting on the lens, there is a conventional 77mm filter thread. Towards the front of the lens is a wide manual focus ring. This affords an excellent grip and is active during AF operation, so tweaks can be made to the final focus position. Focusing range is down to 1.2m, a maximum magnification of 0.21x at 200mm. This is a useful close focusing distance, but not quite as close as the f/4 lens. Focusing is internal, and manual focus is not electronic so continues to work with the camera power switched off. The action is very smooth and has just the right amount of damping. AF utilises a ring-type USM motor and is fast, accurate and silent. The lens utilises Canon's Air Sphere Coating, and there is also a Fluorine coating on the front element to repel dust and moisture. The lens is also sealed against dust and moisture.
Behind this, we have a small plastic window that houses the distance scale, marked in feet and metres. There are IR focus correction marks for 70mm and 100mm, but no depth of field scale.
On the side of the lens at the same point are a series of switches. First is the AF limiter switch which offers a choice of full range or infinity down to 2.5m. The second is the AF on/off selector. The third is the optical stabiliser on/off. Advice is to switch this off when using a tripod. The fourth is the stabiliser mode switch. Position 1 is for static subjects, position 2 is for panning.
Closest to the camera body is the zoom control, clearly and accurately marked at 70, 100, 135 and 200mm. The action is smooth but firm enough so focal length is not accidentally changed. There is a rotating tripod mount, as the increased weight compared to the f/4 version means that ideally the lens should be supported on the tripod rather than the camera carrying all the weight on its mount.
Optical construction is 23 elements in 19 groups, with an 8 bladed diaphragm to enhance the bokeh of the lens.
The lens is compatible with Canon's extension tubes and extenders. Extension tube EF 12 II offers a magnification range of 0.28x – 0.06x. Tube EF 25 II gives us 0.36x – 0.14x.
There are two compatible extenders. EF 1.4x III results in a 98-280mm range with a maximum magnification of 0.30x. The aperture range becomes f/4 – f/45.
EF 2x III gives us 140-400mm with apertures from f/5.6 to f/64 and a maximum magnification of 0.44x. Both extenders support AF operation.
Do we need f/2.8 is probably a basic question to ask because it carries the penalties of weight and cost to a significant degree. There is no doubt that this f/2.8 version is ergonomically superb, but it does take more wielding than its smaller brother. However, it does feel very well balanced on the 5DS R, and for some photographers that f/2.8 aperture may well be needed.
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM Performance
Sharpness at 70mm is excellent in the centre from f/2.8 through to f/8. It is very good at f/11 and f/16, good at f/22, and only at f/32 does diffraction really get a grip and here it is only fair. 70mm edge sharpness follows exactly the same pattern, and in fact in terms of figures follows the central results very closely.
Central results at 100mm show excellent sharpness from f/2.8 to f/11, very good at f/16, good at f/22 and fair at f/32. The edges are excellent at f/2.8 and f/4, very good from f/5.6 to f/16, good at f/22 and fair at f/32.
At 135mm, sharpness is excellent from f/2.8 to f/11, very good at f/16, good at f/22 and fair at f/32. The edges are very good from f/2.8 to f/16, good at f/22 and fair at f/32.
At 200mm, central sharpness is excellent from f/2.8 to f/11, very good at f/16, good at f/22 and fair at f/32. The edges are excellent from f/2.8 to f/8, very good at f/11 and f/16, fair at f/22 and soft at f/32.
In summary, this is a very sharp lens that performs to a very high standard throughout the range.
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM MTF Charts
How to read our MTF charts
The blue column represents readings from the centre of the picture frame at the various apertures and the green is from the edges.
The scale on the left side is an indication of actual image resolution as LW/PH and is described in detail above. The taller the column, the better the lens performance.
For this review, the lens was tested on a Canon EOS 5DS R here using Imatest.
CA (Chromatic Aberration) is extremely well controlled at all focal lengths and is really very unlikely to be a problem. If further correction is required, then there are software solutions.
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM Chromatic Aberration Charts
How to read our CA charts
Chromatic aberration (CA) is the lens' inability to focus on the sensor or film all colours of visible light at the same point. Severe chromatic aberration gives a noticeable fringing or a halo effect around sharp edges within the picture. It can be cured in software.
Apochromatic lenses have special lens elements (aspheric, extra-low dispersion etc) to minimize the problem, hence they usually cost more.
For this review, the lens was tested on a Canon EOS 5DS R here using Imatest.
Distortion measures at -1.36% barrel at 70mm. At 100mm correction is virtually perfect, measuring -0.02% barrel. This changes to pincushion distortion as we zoom, measuring +0.72% at 135mm and +1.33% at 200mm. This is an excellent result.
Flare is not a problem, not having shown itself in even the most demanding backlit shots. The worst that was seen was a slight reduction in contrast when shooting against very severe backlighting.
The bokeh is highly impressive, being as smooth as silk. The quality of the out of focus areas in an image is quite beautifully rendered.
The claim for the stabiliser is 3.5 stops. A 4 stop advantage is realistic, depending of course on the situation and the individual photographer as well as the IS system.
We now look at vignetting and at 70mm wide open we see the corners -1.3 stops darker than the centre. This reduces to -0.9 at f/4, -0.7 at f/5.6 and -0.5 from f/8 onwards. At 100mm vignetting is -1.8 stops at f/2.8, reducing at f/4 to -1.5, at f/5.6 to -1.4, at f/11 to n-a.3 and then settling to around -1 stops from there onwards. At 135mm f/2.8 shows -1.8 stops, f/4 -1.5, f/5.6 -1.4, f/8 -1.3 and again -1 stops thereafter. Vignetting at 200mm is -1.8 stops at f/2.8, at f/4 reducing to -1.4, at f/5.6 -1.2, at f/8 -0.9 and thereafter -0.6 stops.
Overall, the lens acquits itself extremely well.
Value For Money
The Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM lens is priced at £2149 so clearly, the 70-200mm f/2.8 lenses are expensive, but they are also superb, so value for money judgements will be somewhat subjective. The new lens is par for the course in terms of cost, the question then is what will it do for an individual photographer. It will, without doubt, do it extremely well.
Canon also offers the previous version and a lower cost option as well:
- Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM, £1599
- Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 USM, £1359
There are also some third-party alternatives in Canon fit that are worth a look:
- Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD G2, £1299
- Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 SP AF, £629
- Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM, £849
Looking at what other marques cost their users:
- Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 G SSM II, £2379
- Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 G Master, £2499
- HD Pentax-D FA 70-200mm f/2.8 ED DC AW, £1999
- Nikon AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8E AF-S FL ED VR, £2549
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM Verdict
The Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM is another fine lens and one that delivers the goods efficiently. A very fine photographic tool that would be a pleasure to own. There is very little about this lens that isn't resoundingly positive. However, weight and price. Do we need f/2.8 as opposed to f/4? These are the critical factors and of course my own resolution of them may be very different to the next photographer's. In terms of performance both lenses are equally superb.
In conclusion though, if you need its specification, then you will not be disappointed by a really great lens. Highly recommended.
| Highly Recommended – The Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM is another superb lens from Canon that performs flawlessly. |