Canon "IS"

Hello, I'm looking to purchase a new lens hopefully soon. I'm considering the Canon 300 2.8 or the 400 2.8. my question is should I get the IS version, Im looking to shoot mainly sports and was wondering if it is worth the cost...?

thanks for the info

Just as a general comment as I am not fortunate to owm either lens, it would be my understanding that most sports are shot a high shutter speeds of 1/500th sec or even faster so the IS would be of little benefit

Well, Canon hasn't made a non-IS version of either lens in over 12 years... so anything you'd be buying would be used and might not be repairable. The 200/1.8L was the very last of the non-IS super teles to be discontinued and there are no parts to repair any faulty IS, making it a very expensive paperweight. I don't know if it's the same with the non-IS 300/2.8 or 400/2.8. You should check with Canon before spending a lot on such an old lens.

I've been using several IS lenses for over ten years and swear by them. Stabilization makes possible some shots that would be impossible without it.

What sports, where? BIg size, weight and price difference 'tween the 300 and the 400.

Hopefully, football baseball horse racing... Mostly.
But I really want to be prepared and get good shots.just don't want my gear to be my downfall

In my experience it is not the gear that is the issue, it is the skill of the phototgrapher.

Well, depends on your budget really, but if you can get the IS version.

Why?! IS helps in panning, and auto focusing.
Panning:
In "Mode 2" the IS stabilizes only in one direction. in this case it aids in shooting images, that have the background blurred directionally.
Like in this picture:
http://farm5.static.fl​ickr.com …4303090225_d9a9​b02987.jpg

it also helps with AF, imagine, the camera in AI SERVo mode seeks moving targets, and between a burst, it focuses. On newer cameras this is 6 frames per second, that means the camera has less then a tenth of a second time to re-focus after a shot, for the next one.
If you hand-hold a 400mm lens, there is also shake, if you use IS, its much easier for the camera to focus spot-on.

Thanks for the info NEMETHR, Like i said I would prefer to shoots sports and I keep hearing other photographers say they would "Tape the IS down in the off position" and i was wondering why this was.. thanks alot

I believe the 300mm 2.8 is "end of life" so there would be no spares from canon if something went wrong.

jaomul wrote in post #16077139
Just as a general comment as I am not fortunate to owm either lens, it would be my understanding that most sports are shot a high shutter speeds of 1/500th sec or even faster so the IS would be of little benefit

Even at high shutter speeds where IS isn't really needed to counter body movement, it's still a massive help with framing at longer focal lengths.

As amphoto1 and turbototes indicated, non-IS lenses are now considered "old" and not supported by Canon, so repairs down the road may be an issue.

If you are shooting sports with a 300 or 400, you are probably using a shutter speed up over 1/1000 anyway, so IS would be of limited use, especially if you are using some kind of support. I have been using a 300 for over 10 years, and haven't experienced any framing problems using it on a monopod.

turbotoes wrote in post #16094061
I believe the 300mm 2.8 is "end of life" so there would be no spares from canon if something went wrong.

May want to consider a used 70-200 f/4 and down the road buy a used 1 1/4 X tele . Those 300 & 400mm lens are heavy, but if don't mind the weight, they do produce great shots with experience.

If cost is a major factor, you may consider the Sigma 120-300 OS, which has a stabilizer and costs considerably less than the Canon 300 2.8 IS.

Also do note that the NON-IS versions of the 400 2.8 were substantially heavier than the already heavyweight 400 IS.

Phototeacher wrote in post #16094144
As amphoto1 and turbototes indicated, non-IS lenses are now considered "old" and not supported by Canon, so repairs down the road may be an issue.

This could be a major issue. Not only are the non-IS lenses not serviced by Canon anymore, but in just a couple/few years the first version of the IS lenses will not be supported, either.