Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM

Hey folks, looking at picking up a used copy of this lens. Date code shows it was made in 2007, but the store is offering a warranty to cover it through 2016. If I don't notice any faults when testing it out, is this a lens I can buy with confidence given its age?

JoseCanseco wrote in post #17146237
Hey folks, looking at picking up a used copy of this lens. Date code shows it was made in 2007, but the store is offering a warranty to cover it through 2016. If I don't notice any faults when testing it out, is this a lens I can buy with confidence given its age?

optical performance doesnt degrade, however it has electronics, which could go at anytime. Warranty sounds good, I say go for it.

I'm shooting with a 20-30 year old lens, and I did the brick wall test to find out it's as sharp as my equivalent L lens....

Charlie wrote in post #17146659
optical performance doesnt degrade, however it has electronics, which could go at anytime. Warranty sounds good, I say go for it.

I'm shooting with a 20-30 year old lens, and I did the brick wall test to find out it's as sharp as my equivalent L lens....

Thanks Charlie. I picked it up last night and it seems to be in great shape. Can't wait to give it a good test over the weekend.

Is a tripod collar needed for this lens?

I use the tripod collar occasionally, but if you have a decent tripod, you can get by without the collar. The lens is not THAT heavy.

dumb question I have the non IS version and falling out of love with it.....lack of IS because I shoot handheld is this really that much better and what about cloudy days and nights?

Whether the IS will improve your photos is hard to say. Your 500 px has some pretty nice work on it already!

What I appreciate about IS a lot is its ability to steady what I see through the viewfinder. Even without a definitive improvement to an image, it makes composing the image quite a bit easier (for me). If your subject is moving, IS will not help in darker (e.g. cloudy days) environments. For that, you need to up the ISO or choose a larger aperture.

Br5Johnson wrote in post #17159926
I am almost positive that this will soon be my first L

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It was my first.

Marco315 wrote in post #17154459
dumb question I have the non IS version and falling out of love with it.....lack of IS because I shoot handheld is this really that much better and what about cloudy days and nights?

Yes, the IS is worth the difference (assuming that you are taking photos of steady objects). If you need to photograph moving objects, then you will need higher ISO on yoru body or 2.8.

I agree, the IS is worth it.

My first L lens and still, a go-to lens in my collection.