Canon EF 70-200 f/2.8L IS Mark II (Thread Mk. II)

Puffin

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Jut the right size lens for a big plane.

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Few with the mkIII 1.4 extender, not my first choice for the track but think it worked out pretty well.

#1

This was an impressive recovery - never crossed the centerline.

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Photo from BigLobowski's gallery.

From a recent dockdogs competition.

A great lens for this type of sport.

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Just got a phenomenal deal on one of these. I was hesitant to pull the trigger since I already have the 100-400mm L II and was concerned too much overlap or not really needing the faster aperture. In the end though, getting one (used but like new) for the same price as the Tamron G2 was too good to pass up.

LoneRider wrote in post #18411313
Just got a phenomenal deal on one of these. I was hesitant to pull the trigger since I already have the 100-400mm L II and was concerned too much overlap or not really needing the faster aperture. In the end though, getting one (used but like new) for the same price as the Tamron G2 was too good to pass up.

Yeah.... I was on the fence for a while because I had the 1000400ii. But I'm glad I got the 70-200 f/2.8ii. I'm using to learn how to photograph people. I use it as a walk around in botanical gardens, etc..... to catch candid shots of my wife....People are difficult for me. Birds are easier.

Mark A. wrote in post #18411250
From a recent dockdogs competition.

A great lens for this type of sport.

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/WN5i​fX DD5_0305_1 by Mark A. photo, on Flickr

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/X6VS​L8 118_2939_1 by Mark A. photo, on Flickr

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/VNpq​dM DD5_2432_1 by Mark A. photo, on Flickr

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/Wtj2​qq 118_0110_1 by Mark A. photo, on Flickr

https://flic.kr/p/WS6F​Di118_0945_1 by Mark A. photo, on Flickr

https://flic.kr/p/WS6T​28118_1082_1 by Mark A. photo, on Flickr

https://flic.kr/p/VSEZ​ae118_2845_1 by Mark A. photo, on Flickr

Great shots, I do a lot of doggy sports photo as well.
Just out of curiosity - how do you focus on the dogs? Which focusing mode do you use and what is your technique?

LoneRider wrote in post #18411313
Just got a phenomenal deal on one of these. I was hesitant to pull the trigger since I already have the 100-400mm L II and was concerned too much overlap or not really needing the faster aperture. In the end though, getting one (used but like new) for the same price as the Tamron G2 was too good to pass up.

I also have both lenses and though there is an overlap in the focal length the two lenses serve completely different purposes and have different image quality as well.
The 70-200 is my general lens on the 5D3 and great for portraits. The 100-400 is mostly for sports where I need the focal length to get close, less used for portraits and close-ups.

Likewise... at one point I was debating on selling the 70-200 f/2.8 II because of the overlap with the 100-400 II, but luckily that never happened. Completely different use cases, the 70-200 f/2.8 II is my de facto "work lens" for portraits and events, the 1-4II is for wildlife. I don't think I've ever carried both at the same time (besides, that would be really heavy).

CyberCat wrote in post #18411481
Great shots, I do a lot of doggy sports photo as well.
Just out of curiosity - how do you focus on the dogs? Which focusing mode do you use and what is your technique?

CyberCat,

At this 3-day event I used a wide range of focusing options in the camera body, and I have no way to answer what technique that I used because of the varied nature of the subject matter.
(I tried everything that I could think of!)
I can state that all shots were handheld and I do have new curiosity to see if a gimbal mount could help at future events like this.
(Monopods don't work for me for dockdogs because of the leaping aspect of the animals)
I use IS Mode 2 due to needing to pan the lens on the animals.

I can say that I used AI Servo almost exclusively, and I used Case 1, 4, 5, & 6 at different times.
I used Zone AF at times and Single Point with Expansion at times.
I tried to keep the center focus point on the dog's closest eye, but that often fell apart due to the animal charging in zig-zag paths, and the great distance to their eyes.
All focusing was done thru the View Finder.

I tried to keep the shutter speed over 1/2000 of a second, and went as high as 1/6000 (or so).

I used Back Button Focusing at times but lately I have been transitioning back to using the shutter button.
The majority of this event's images were taken using the Shutter Button to focus.

I used the lens with filter at all times, either a clear "UV" filter, or a Circular Polarizer.
I have never noticed a disadvantage in focusing with a filter (anyone else's results may vary).

I had successes at the event and, total failures.
I may have discarded 30% of the images I took because I could not track the animals with my panning.

I can also state that trying to focus on Black Labs in harsh light is NO FUN!!

Lastly, Canon CPS in NJ cleaned and serviced this lens approximately a year ago and it works flawlessly.
I was very happy with their work.
(I had smudged the rear element and my cleaning efforts cannot compare to theirs)


Same weekend / same camera & lens:

Everyone survived, but the house was destroyed.

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