Tamron 70-200f2.8 or Canon 70-200F4L IS

Looking to sell my 70-300 f4-5.6 IS USM and upgrade to either of those two lenses. I have a Tamron lens and it feels solid and I like it.

Now it comes down to the Tamron 70-200 f2.8 or Canon 70-200f4l. I already know about IQ and the Canon tops the IQ but Tamron is just right behind it.

I have looked up samples and both are great IMO.

What I can't see is focus speed and focus hunting. Local stores near me does not have the Tammy 70-200 so I can't test it out. Canon from what I heard is top notch but is it worth giving up the focus speed (remember, I'm coming from a 70-300 and that isn't as fast as the f4l but not sure how it is compared to the tammy) and maybe focus hunt for the f2.8 compared to the f4.

This will be used for football and maybe baseball.

The 70-300 is great but at 250mm-300mm, it's really soft and I want a constant aperture. Even at 200 and cropped, it still seems sharper then the 70-300 @ 300.

This will also be my first L lens.

The Tammy is supposed to have awesome IQ but it does not have ultrasonics so the focus won't be as fast as a the L when the lighting gets lower. Its going to be like using you're other tamron lenses without USD. Tamron is working on an update for it FYI.

Then I might have to wait until I hear more about that.

Have you considered the Sigma 70-200 2.8?

Yes but it seems the Tamron and Canon @200mm seems sharper. Not that the Sigma isn't sharp, the other two were sharper. I want to stick with what I have used. I'm happy with Tamron and Canon so I want to stick to them. I have not yet used a Sigma lens yet. I used the 17-50 non-vc Tammy before I bought it and I was happy with it and I ended up picking up one.

I love the Tamron as the IQ is fantastic even wide open and it suits my style of photography beautifuly, but I would not recommend it for sports. For your purposes the Canon would be much better.

I want to try out the Tammy but driving 5 hours away to NY just for a lens isn't really a smart idea.

The Tamron is going to struggle with focusing for sports. F2.8 is crucial based on what you shoot. Therefore I'd rather get the canon 70-200 2.8 over the f4 IS and Tamron.

One more vote for the Sigma 70-200 f/2.8 EX DG HSM. The HSM motor will make a big difference for tracking/AF speed for sports. The extra stop will also be critical for higher shutter speeds and freezing action.

I would love to pick up the Canon 2.8 but I just can't drop $2k. I just got my tax return back of $2k and I don't want to drop it all on one lens. I'm looking to maybe pick up something else.

I'll check out the Sigma. But I'm leaning towards the Canon 70-200 and going down to a local store tomorrow.

I have the Tamron, I think it's a little slow for sports. It a great lens, just doesn't have as fast of motor.

Canon 70-200 L f4 IS

Another vote for the Canon 70-200 L F4 IS. This was the first lens I bought and still my favorite, one of the sharpest lens's Canon makes and amazing build quality. Well worth the money.

For the 60D, I'd recommend the new Sigma 50-150 f/2.8 OS. It's nearly the equivallent of the 70-200 on 35mm digital cameras. This lens is supposed to be really, really sharp.

True but I find myself more at the 200-250 range with the 70-300 on the 60D.