Canon announced Two New Telephoto Lenses

Canon recently announced two new telephoto lenses to their lineup, the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS III USM and Canon EF 70-200mm f/4 L IS II USM lenses. These two focal length telephoto lenses are no stranger to many Canon photographers, they are really superb quality, fast telephoto lenses for both professional and leisure photographers.

Before I share more information on the two new Canon telephoto lenses Canon, Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS III USM, Canon EF 70-200mm f/4 L IS II USM, let me share some personal insights into the EF 70-200mm L lenses by Canon! I used to own the Canon EF 70-200mm f/4 L USM lens, my second Canon L lens, a workhorse lens that I really like a lot and utilise a lot for about 10 years (in both leisure and commercial shoots) before I decided to upgrade to the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM lens (bought a used lens in 2017) for my commercial photography work. The f/2.8 or f/4 versions are both excellent lenses and you have a choice to choose between them based on your budget and photography requirements. I swear by my Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM lens at the moment, although I was a bit slow to upgrade from my f/4 lens!

While photographers have different styles, approaches and preferences for prime or zoom lenses, if you ever need a quality telephoto zoom lens, the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS III USM or Canon EF 70-200mm f/4 L IS II USM are not just highly recommended, you need to have them in your photography setup! With the announcement of the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS III USM and Canon EF 70-200mm f/4 L IS II USM, I am interested to know more about their capabilities and improvements from the current series EF 70-200mm L lenses. If the opportunity arises to review these two new Canon telephoto lenses, I would share photos, thoughts and views in another article.

Now, let me share more information and details on the two new Canon telephoto lenses, the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS III USM and  Canon EF 70-200mm f/4 L IS II USM:

Canon announced the highly anticipated renewal of two popular lenses from its L series, the EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM and the EF70-200mm f/4L IS II USM lenses. With its renowned optics utilizing one fluorite and five UD elements, 3.5 stops of shift type IS with various mode selection, users can count on the revamped EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM lens to deliver exceptional optical performance under challenging lighting conditions.

The EF70-200mm f/4L IS II USM lens has also been remodelled for portability and features an enhanced IS performance. With an additional IS mode 3 that detects irregular movements, users can easily track and frame their subjects.

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS III USM

“Lenses form a vital part of professional photography, and we’ve up the ante to complement the constantly evolving imaging technology,” said Mr. Edwin Teoh, Head of Marketing, Singapore Operations, Canon Singapore. “The new EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM and the EF70-200mm f/4L IS II USM lenses are equipped with significant improvements made on the versatility, usability and maintainability of Canon’s L series lenses. With supreme optical performance, these new generation lenses are an ideal match to increase the new performance levels of cameras today, meeting the needs of the discerning photographer.”

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

Hardy and Reliable

As visual storytellers, photojournalists must be constantly ready to snap images at any given time or in any unpredictable situation. With the EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM’s large aperture and EF70-200mm f/4L IS II USM’s improved IS mode for stabilising both vertical and horizontal panning, hand-held shots in lowlight conditions are now a breeze to capture.

Designed to deliver stellar quality and a great level of flexibility, the new lenses are reliable even in the harshest conditions. The dustproof and drip-proof structure of both lenses on the mount joints, switches and zoom rings, spells protection against water and dust, making them extremely helpful when shooting in torrential rain or the desert. The fluorine coating on the lenses’ surface renders it smudge-resistant from water and oil, and easy to clean if they do get dirty. Photographers can now focus on getting the right shot instead of worrying about the lenses.

Enhanced Precision and Image Stability

Sports or wildlife photography often requires the photographer to capture the essence of the subject in fleeting seconds. Equipped with ring-type USM which uses ultra-sonic frequency vibrations to deliver high-speed AF, photographers can easily capture fast moving subjects and unpredictable movements using the new lenses. The switch from auto-focus to manual focus is made instantly by rotating the focus ring, enabling faster response to ensure no moments are missed.

Image stabilization reduces image blur caused by camera shake, especially when shooting fast-paced movements. The EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM employs a shift type stabilizer of CIPA-standard IS capability equivalent to 3.5 stops in both modes, suppressing camera shake even at a super slow shutter speed.

The two lenses feature IS modes suitable for various occasions; Mode 1 to shoot still life or stationary subjects and Mode 2 to shoot a moving object while panning, like at a racing event. In this mode, vertical movement during a horizontal pan and horizontal movement during a vertical pan will be automatically corrected. In addition, there is an IS Mode 3 available in the EF70-200mm f/4L IS II USM lens that will be especially useful for sports photographers shooting fast-moving subjects without a tripod, and tracking of irregular movements.

Pristine Image Quality

Landscape photographers can rely on these two lenses to deliver the sharpest details throughout an image. Inheriting the combination of fluorite elements and UD lenses of existing models, the two lenses correct any chromatic aberrations to achieve high resolution and high contrast with minimal colour bleeding.

With one fluorite and five UD lenses combined, the EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM lens favorably corrects the lateral chromatic aberration, ensuring high resolution and high contrast throughout the zoom range.  In addition, the EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM lens uses the new Air Sphere Coating (ASC) technology to significantly suppress any flaring and ghosting, delivering crisp images.

Unleash Your Creativity with Artistic Bokeh

With these two lenses, users can easily create artistic portrait shots with excellent bokeh. The EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM lens features an 8-blade circular aperture that creates a natural and soft background blurring, which apart from portraits, is also ideal for wildlife photography. A bright zoom lens with maximum aperture of f/2.8 throughout the zoom range, the lens enables photographic expression with dramatic background blurring.

The EF70-200mm f/4L IS II USM lens on the other hand, uses a 9-blade circular aperture to produce a striking, smoother bokeh quality for that ultimate portrait shot.

Widen Your Portrait Photographic Expression

Portrait or macro shots sometimes require a short distance between the photographer and its subjects to showcase dramatic details. Recognising this, the minimum focusing distance of the EF70-200mm f/4L IS II USM lens has been shortened from 1.2m to 1m. This means users can go closer to their subject to expand their photographic expression and also to achieve tighter composition. This larger magnification leads to more pronounced background separation to produce dynamic close-up shots.

Accompanying Accessories

No workhorse lenses should be without their trusty accessories like the accompanying lens bag and lens cap. The EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM lens has a new ET-87 Lens Hood and the Ring-Type Tripod Collar B, while the EF70-200mm f/4L IS II USM lens is supplied with a hood that blocks out glare and prevents lens flare. This can be very useful when shooting under the blazing sun.

Pricing and Availability

Pricing and availability of the EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM and EF70-200mm f/4L IS II USM lenses will be advised at a later date.

Specification Summary

* Information and pictures courtesy of Canon Singapore and Ogilvy *