How much do you really use a long zoom?

Outdoors >75%
Indoors <10%

Sports and speakers demand it.

By the way, is 200mm enough to shoot moon and birds?

Edit - forget to mention: 200mm in a FF body.

I use my 100-400 a lot since I live a short distance away from a coastal wetlands reserve teeming with wildlife. I use a 70-200 mostly at the long end when shooting candids of my kids. My walkabout lens is a 28-70.

Since I have the EX 100-300 on most of the time,I chose 75% . Which leds me to think I need to use my other lens more !

[QUOTE=SoundsGood;2480​267]I've seen this said quite often.

So when do you guys pull out the 70-200? What do you usually use it for?[/quote]

in 2006 i used my 70-200L to shoot 2 triathlons, 2 stages of the tour of california bike race, 2 trips to the zoo, several trips to the park, john edwards book signing, my neighbor's german shepherds on several occasions and once at a dog show, dogs on the beach a dozen times or so and i also do outdoor portraits of our animals and others with this lens.

in 2007 i now have the 5d so i suspect i'll be using the 70-200L more. i now have the 300L f4 so it will be used for longer stuff like the bike race, triathlons and dogs on the beach.

ed rader

Having a (fill in the blank) lens is like having the right tools in a toolbox. You miss it when you need it, so it's good to have in case you do. The long zoom is indispensable for motorsport, nature, my kid's concerts and school events, and for portraitures.

I use my 24-10L 80-85% of the time, with the 70-200 2.8IS (in combination occasionally with a 1.4x TC) used the other 10%+, and the 17-40 and my other lenses used the balance of the time. Until I got the long L zoom, I made do with the 75-300IS (which I still have), and I probably used it much less either because I didn't like the IQ, or it was too slow in many respects.

EORI wrote in post #2503073
Having a (fill in the blank) lens is like having the right tools in a toolbox. You miss it when you need it, so it's good to have in case you do. The long zoom is indispensable for motorsport, nature, my kid's concerts and school events, and for portraitures.

I use my 24-10L 80-85% of the time, with the 70-200 2.8IS (in combination occasionally with a 1.4x TC) used the other 10%+, and the 17-40 and my other lenses used the balance of the time. Until I got the long L zoom, I made do with the 75-300IS (which I still have), and I probably used it much less either because I didn't like the IQ, or it was too slow in many respects.

So how did you vote? 10%?

Just Be wrote in post #2503150
So how did you vote? 10%?

25%, since it was more than "10% or less".

I do'nt use my 70-200 2.8 all that much . But i'll tell you what it's nice to know it's there whene you need it .

My main target is motorsport - everything from local hillclimbs/sprints (where I can get really, *really* close to the action in some cases) to the normal circuit stuff.

I started with the 70-300 IS USM and found that it wasn't long enough even under quite modest conditions.

I then bought the 70-200 2.8 IS L and a 2xTC - and found myself shooting almost constantly at 200 mm - frequently with the TC on...

This prompted me to buy the 300 2.8 (and a 1.4 TC to give me maximum flexibility) - I'm really hoping this will nail it for me

So, most of my 'passion' photography has been with long-zooms - but hardly using the zoom at all due to the nature of the target.

Horses for courses though.

You mean, I could like switch lenses, and NOT just use the 300 f4 Cool, I gotta try that sometime....

My 70-200 is my favourite lens, but it is also the least used, apart from the kit lens.

But I would never be without it.

Just Be wrote in post #2479687
My experience is that I have owned long zooms but rarely used them except at the zoo. I'm not into birds or sports shooting (yet), and usually shoot landscapes and portraits.

My Sigma 17-70 is my everyday lens with a 50mm as a decent portrait lens. I'll eventually buy a nice longer zoom (like a Canon 70-200 f4 L or a 100-300) , but I'm not in any hurry to spend the bucks, because I just don't think I'll use it that much.

For those who own long telephoto lenses...What percentage of your shooting is done with a long telephoto lens at 150mm and longer?

long zoom for me are mostly light primes, sacrificing speed for a little convenience and cheapness and wheight