Need insite - noisy IS on canon 70-200 f4.0 IS

Hello all!

Was very excited about getting my 70-200 f4.0 IS! It came yesterday. Poped it on the camera (60D) and instantly my heart sank. The IS to me is very noisy. Im comparing its quietness to my 15-85. The 15-85 is so amazingly quiet and fast! So much so it really impresses me. But the 70-200 sounds like an elcheapo lens. When is engages it makes a snaching sound,and while the IS is operating its making a strange motor hum/buzz. To a degree Im sure the noise is amplified since Im comparing it to the 15-85,but even still,its pretty noisy. Otherwise its fine. Bought it off of ebay,date code is UX1007. It looks brand new.

I searched the forum but didnt find anything specific to this issue. Even googled it (since google is all knowing lol) and only found one brief comment about a noisy IS. Is this a common issue? Should I be concerned? Anybody else have any problems like this?

Mine does the same. I think it is pretty standard for the lens.

Absolutely normal.

I used to own that lens and it was the noisiest of IS lenses I've owned.

I even think I started exactly the same thread.

Thanks for the input fellas. This sucks on so many levels. I suppose most people just live with the noise. Im not so sure I can do that...for the money this thing should be better. My 15-85 lens cost half and is just an amazing lens. The 70-200 seems to perform well,but that noise is killing me ..

Close your ears and open your eyes. The 70-200 F4 will knock your socks off! It's a lens, not a piano.

Scrumhalf wrote in post #15722012
Close your ears and open your eyes. The 70-200 F4 will knock your socks off! It's a lens, not a piano.

Yeah,your probably right. And maybe after a few days of using it I will feel better. If I had known about this I would have saved and gotten the 2.8,version 2.

ItsJustEd wrote in post #15722149
Yeah,your probably right. And maybe after a few days of using it I will feel better. If I had known about this I would have saved and gotten the 2.8,version 2.

Its IS isn't the most silent either.

Nightdiver13 wrote in post #15722197
Its IS isn't the most silent either.

Its kinda odd. I trust PhotoZones reviews and opinions. They made no mention of IS noise. And I also trust The-Digital-Pictures views. He mentioned the IS can be heard,but that was all. Both sites were very strong on recomending the lens because of all of the other great qualities of the lens. And if the 2.8 is comparable I will just settle my self and enjoy the lens

It's normal.

Same question gets asked every month...

kin2son wrote in post #15722246
It's normal.

Same question gets asked every month...

I didnt notice any repetition,even searched through posts about the 70-200 f4.0 IS. Even googled it and didnt find anything alarming about it. It just caught me by surprise,especially when compared to my 15-85. But I suppose I could have missed it in my search.

ItsJustEd wrote in post #15722285
I didnt notice any repetition,even searched through posts about the 70-200 f4.0 IS. Even googled it and didnt find anything alarming about it. It just caught me by surprise,especially when compared to my 15-85. But I suppose I could have missed it in my search.

Here's a couple threads I found

https://photography-on-the.net …/showthread.php​?t=1279867

https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=762853

https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=739837

https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=698513

https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=506844

There are many posts about it if you googled it, because I had the same problem with mine. The IS bugged the hell out of me, but that was because I let it. I brought it outside to shoot and you do not notice it at all. With the outside noises and you trying to compose your shots you do not even notice the IS noise. If you sit in your room thinking this noise is noisy, it will be noisy. Is it a noisy IS? Hell yes it is noisy, but you will learn to ignore it.

Unfortunately for me, I returned it because it did not justify the money I spent on it vs my 55-250mm on a crop body. I paid for was for constant f4, faster AF, and build quality, and to me that wasn't worth $1000. Sharpness is about the same as the 55-250mm on a crop body, I could not tell them apart. Now, on a FF is a different story. The next time I pick this up will be on a FF.

kin2son wrote in post #15722316
Here's a couple threads I found

https://photography-on-the.net …/showthread.php​?t=1279867

https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=762853

https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=739837

https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=698513

https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=506844

Indeed I stand corrected. I noticed what I was doing wrong - too wordy in my search. Each time I tried I came up empty handed. Thanks for the help!

TriangleZ wrote in post #15722374
There are many posts about it if you googled it, because I had the same problem with mine. The IS bugged the hell out of me, but that was because I let it. I brought it outside to shoot and you do not notice it at all. With the outside noises and you trying to compose your shots you do not even notice the IS noise. If you sit in your room thinking this noise is noisy, it will be noisy. Is it a noisy IS? Hell yes it is noisy, but you will learn to ignore it.

Unfortunately for me, I returned it because it did not justify the money I spent on it vs my 55-250mm on a crop body. I paid for was for constant f4, faster AF, and build quality, and to me that wasn't worth $1000. Sharpness is about the same as the 55-250mm on a crop body, I could not tell them apart. Now, on a FF is a different story. The next time I pick this up will be on a FF.

As I just mentioned,I discovered what I did wrong. In my google search I was too wordy. And I spelled out IS rather than just 'IS'. So again,I stand corrected.

And your 100% right - went outside with the lens this afternoon and didnt hear any insane IS noise. Ofcourse sitting in my house,nice quiet house,I damn near hear my own thoughts rattling around in my head,lol. I even called Canon today - the guy pulled a lens off the shelf and tested it on a 60D. He was surprised to hear how noisy it was.