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

I thought long and hard for many months before purchasing this lens and studied countless internet and magazine reviews but ultimately I had to make the purchasing decision and it's one I do not regret.This Canon L series lens is a superb piece of kit.Image quality is fantastic as the level of detail and colour are on another level from the lens it is replacing[although it should be at the price].The IS version is the best part of twice the price of the non IS but I figured it would be worth it in the long run[look at the second hand prices of these lenses].
The lens comes with a canon storage bag and lens hood but I put a Hoya skylight filter on straight away to protect the front element.The build quality is excellent as you would expect and the zoom and focus rings operate with a well engineered precision.The image stabilization works very well and did not seem to use too much extra battery power.So far I am very impressed and would recommend this lens to anyone looking to upgrade.

It costs a lot of money but I forgot all about that once i used it and saw the results, its awesome.

I liked it so much that it tempted me to go out and buy the F4 24-105 L IS. which im not at all impressed with

I can't describe just how good the image quality of this and other professional series lenses is. This one in particular has vivid colour which makes it one of the best L-series lenses there is (and infact one of the best lenses you can get). Because of its focal range the Bokeh is outstanding.
Focussing is very quiet and very quick.

I never managed to justify the extra cost for the Image Stabilizer (IS) and couldn't see that 3 stops would really make that much difference, afterall if the light is poor or you're on a boat they're probably both going to struggle! I felt that the increase in size/weight, cost and power usage were a little too much.

One thing to seriously consider is whether the 24-105 L would be a better purchase. It comes with IS and is fatter though not as long as this one and around £150 more than this. I find that range to be more practical for everyday use, plus keeping in mind that this has a minimum focal distance of 1.2m which is somewhat astronomical, compared to the 24-105 which is 45cm.

Canon EF 70-200mm F/4.0 L IS USM Lens
I purchased this to replace a Tamron lens which was so-so, in the hope of getting better quality pictures. I was not disappointed. The lens arrived next day as promised, in time to take it on holiday.I shot several pics with it, and two were especially good- one of rocks on the seashore and another of an old tin mine building. The detail was breathtaking!It is not too heavy to carry around, and the IS mechanism is very quiet and efficient. It also looks great! This is my 1st lens from the 'L' range, and I hope to acquire more.

The EF70-200mm f/4L IS USM is a top quality lens that produces sharp photos, good colour and performs well in situations such as low light. I have tested it with my EOS 50D and achieved great results including very pleasing background blurring. It is lightweight, compact and easy to use. Autofocus is fast and quiet. Image Stabilizer works well and there is an option for panning. The 200mm focal length is good and for anyone taking wildlife shots, an optional extender can be used with this lens. It comes with a lens hood and case. Yes, it is expensive, but worth spending more for one of Canon's top-of-the-range L series lenses.

Believe every good thing you have read or heard about this lens!

I wanted a new tele zoom for my crop-sensor DSLR and (to be honest) to finally own a lens from the Canon L range. I considered it's big brother (the f2.8 version) and the 100-400, but both seemed to be too heavy & bulky. There is also the much cheaper non-IS version but to me IS is an essential feature for a hand-held tele zoom. I'm not into tripods, as I already have enough weight to carry around in my backpack.

I simply cannot fault this lens. For the size & weight, the build quality, AF, IS and optical performance are outstanding. For me the 'icing on the cake' is the zoom reach. Add on the 1.4 extender and the zoom is almost 450mm. This is a reach only dreamed about by most amateur film photographers (myself included) only ten years ago.

Yes it's expensive, but if you can afford the price then go for it! I don't think you will be disappointed.