New 70-200 f/4 L !

[Rudi]

No, Canon's not making a new version of the lens, I've brought one home with me today! :) :)

Got the price down as far as I could. I know how to drive a hard bargain (I've bought a lens or two over the years...). Unfortunately there is a speck of dust between the front elements! This is the only lens in stock that I could find anywhere in town (Sydney), so I decided to hold onto it, and got another AUD $200 (about US $100) off the price! :)

Took it straight up to Canon (20 minutes drive), and was told that they can fix it, but that it would take about 4 days to get back to me. I asked if I can have that done at any time during the warranty period, and the guy told me that I can. Got his card and all that...

I don't think I'll bother, but if it still bugs me in 6 or 10 months time, I know that I can have it fixed. If the dust was not there, I wouldn't have gotten it at that price, so I am actually happy... but a little puzzled and disappointed with Canon. Out of all the lenses I own, only my Tokina was spotless when I bought it. All my Canon lenses either had a speck of dust in them, or one eventually migrated onto an internal lens (within days of purchase!). A Sigma lens I bought had to be returned because of a blob of cement on on of the internal elements (most probably dripped on the lens during assembly). The replacement has also been spotless...

I know that I won't see it in the final image. I know that all the Canon lense that I have owned always produced a fine photo. But why can't they keep dust off the lenses during manufacture?

Anyone else have similar experiences, or should I apply for a QC position at Canon HQ? ???

Anyway, this was not meant to be a complaint. I am thrilled to have this new lens, and plan to give it a good workout tomorrow. I guess the speck of dust could affect its resale value, but I should know within a couple of weeks whether I might ever be tempted to sell it. From using it for a few shots this afternoon, it won't be because of bad ergonomics... the thing is a pleasure to use. Tomorrow I'll see about image quality...

[pigasus]

Hi Rudi,

I just ordered my 70-200f/4 L from Germany! Got it for a pretty good price - EUR 747 (£470) and that included 16% VAT. I'm well pleased as the best price I found here in the UK was £599. I also got a Kenko 1.4x TC (as they say here, in for a penny, in for a pound).

I should have it in about a week. Then the fun starts.

I look forward to hearing how you find it, particularly in comparison to the 28-135.

Uh, do I need to bow myself out of the room now, my lord?

pigasus

[UK_Terry]

will you have to pay the UK vat of 17.5%
when it comes into the country ??

[chris maddock]

If VAT was charged by the German supplier and the invoice says so, then he should be OK. I don't think there's any import duty on camera gear being shifted between EU states, either.

KRs
Chris

[Rudi]

Hi Sally,

well, I beat you to it! :)

I will be shooting with the new lens extensively over the next few days, and will let you know. From the very few shots that I have had the chance to take, it seems sharper edge-to-edge than the 28-135.

The other thing that I like about this lens is that all focusing and zooming is done internally. Nothing changes on the outside as you zoom and focus. I like this a lot, and it is a good thing in a lens that will be used as one of my "light" kit, and spending a lot of time hanging off my camera as it bounces around in the front passenger seat of my car, or hanging off my shoulder... :)

pigasus wrote:
Uh, do I need to bow myself out of the room now, my lord?

Normally, you'd have to kneel, then do the above as you left the room. However, because of your butterfly photo, you have been knighted, and are exempt from these formalities. :) :)

[pigasus]

UK_Terry wrote:
will you have to pay the UK vat of 17.5%
when it comes into the country ??
Nope. VAT payable in any EU country counts.

[UK_Terry]

thats great, so where did you source it from in germany ?

[pigasus]

UK_Terry wrote:
thats great, so where did you source it from in germany ?
There are two places in Germany. Sometimes one is cheaper, sometimes the other.

AC-Foto: www.internet-foto.de
New York Camera: www.ny-camera.com

AC-Foto has it for EUR 747. New York Camera had it for slightly more but they had the Kenko TC for less. New York Camera's site is English friendly. So I emailed NY Camera and asked them if they would price match. They agreed if I paid other than by CC.

Actually, paying by CC can be the most expensive way to exchange currency. My CC charges a 2.85% fee on all currency conversions. A bank transfer in Euros would have cost me £20. So I got a banker's draft in Euro's for £10 and posted it to them.

Now I just hope it gets here soon!

pigasus

[UK_Terry]

Thanks i will look at them both

[Rudi]

Well, well, well! It seems that my 70-200 f/4 L was made on a Monday or something...

Just when I was willing to accept the fact that it had dust cemented in between the two front lens elements (at the better price), and maybe get it fixed under warranty later, I discovered another problem.

It's funny how things sometimes seem to happen for a reason - I recently bought the Canon EF Extender 1.4x II (teleconverter for us ordinary folk). As I was playing with it the other day, I noticed that the steel mounting ring on the lens was dinted hard, so hard that it actually deformed its flat surface with a small bump. It did not appear that the lens was dropped or bumped, but that the ring was damaged before the lens was assembled. A trip to the dealer resulted in my lens being exchanged - except he did not have any in stock! A phone call to Canon revealed that I could have a lens in two days...

Wonderful, I thought. A brand new lens at the special price that I got for the old "dust-price-reduced" lens. Except today (when the lens was supposed to have arrived) I got a call from the dealer. Canon don't actually have any f/4 L's in stock, they thought he called them about the f/2.8 version! CPS were willing to provide me a lens for the weekend (I am shooting a car race this weekend), but couldn't let me have it for the full two weeks (or more) before new stock arrived in the country.

Hmmm! Next week I'm going to be in the sticks (in the outback) and I really wanted to have my 70-200 with me! After a little soul-searching and a little arm twisting (me twisting the dealer's arm!), I got a good deal on the 70-200 f/2.8 L! I didn't get the IS, as that is even heavier, and this one is heavy enough! I can live without IS up to 200mm anyway... but I'm starting weight training tomorrow! :)

I always thought I might end up with the f/2.8 version of this lens. I just thought it might be later rather than sooner. I justified the extra expense on the basis that this one will replace several prime lenses. F/2.8 is fast enough to make most primes in that focal range redundant for me now (famous last words!).

It's funny how things sometimes seem to happen for a reason... :D

PS. I'll let you know how I get on with this one... (wish me luck!)