My first L....yummm quick question

so i finally obtained my first L glass. its the 70-200mm f/4L USM and its pretty freaking awesome. built so nicely and dare i say sexy?

i havent got a chance yet to play around with it yet due to work, but I keep seeing sharp copy vs a bad copy thrown around here alot, how could i tell if i got a bad copy, so i can go back to B&H for an exchange if necessary.

i think i'll be purchasing L from now on.

Just go out and take some pictures. You'll know whether it is a good copy....

Kind regards, Wim

Congrats on your first L.

Enjoy!

Post shots!

well, a google search for "lens testing" might help. But, as always take some shots at f/4 and look at them. If they are sharp at 50% or more, then it is a good copy. Chances are excllent that it is a great copy of a great lens. You'll love it and want more, but a word of caution: a red ring doesn't necessarily guarantee anything. You should always research a lens before buying, and not just trust canon's opinion of "L-worthy".

take some shots PRINT them and see if it looks blurry.

A lot of people try to decide if a lens is 'sharp' by the way it looks online, which is pretty critical.

All the hoopla about sharpness went out the window for me when I decided to have a print made of a shot I was convinced was "not sharp", once I picked up the print it looked amazing. 100% crop is also b.s.

You got a nice lens there, enjoy it, if there is something wrong with it, IQ wise, youll know it, just remember to not jump to conlusions so fast.

I have this lens too.....it would be sharp on a foggy day!

I've also got the 2.8 but can't bring myself to part with the 4 as it's so good...long or short, open or closed.

Bob

Bad copies happen, but I think it is way less than you would believe reading the forums. Just like a restaurant. If you have a bad experience, you'll tell 10 people. When someone gets bad glass, they tell everyone about, possibly looking for a second (or third or forth) opinion, or perhaps just venting.

I'm hardly what you would call 'experienced', but I have purchased about 8 lenses now. Only 1 was less than stellar, and that was used when I got it.

congrats on your first L lens. post some shots

congrats on some shots. Post your first L lens.

Congrats on the new lens. As for determining whether or not it's a "good copy," just take some pictures, print them, and see if you like them. And for God's sake, don't pixel peep with charts and rulers!

You may find my article of help in your evaluations ---
http://www.zaffora.com …mageSharpnessVe​rsion2.pdf

Is my first L as well, I love it, Tac sharp.

Congrats, it's a fine lens. Don't worry about it not being sharp, just get out there and use/enjoy it!

so heres are some of my first snaps with the new lens.