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The Canon 200mm ƒ/2.8L II USM was introduced by Canon in 1996 as an update to the version I lens. A workhorse in Canon's telephoto lineup, the 200mm lens is unique in Canon's lineup as being the only offering in that prime focal length at ƒ/2.8 that doesn't offer an image stabilized option; if you need image stabilization at 200mm, you'll have to pay significantly more for the 70-200mm ƒ/2.8, or
a lot more for the 200mm ƒ/2.
The 200mm ƒ/2.8 was designed for film, so it's at home on both EF and EF-S mounts. On APS-C sensor bodies the lens provides an equivalent field of view of 320mm; on APS-H bodies the equivalent field of view is 260mm. The lens ships with the ET-83BII hood, but does not ship with the tripod mount: this optional accessory costs just shy of $150. The lens itself takes 72mm filters, and is available for around $800.
Sharpness
The 200mm ƒ/2.8 offers exceptional performance for sharpness at ƒ/2.8, on both APS-C and full-frame test bodies (7D and 1Ds Mark III respectively). While it's not tack-sharp wide open, results are still very good indeed; there's slight improvement at ƒ/4, but by ƒ/5.6 it's sharp all over and stays that way through to ƒ/11 where diffraction limiting has begun to set in. By ƒ/16 results are still very good, and good at ƒ/22; fully stopped-down at ƒ/32, the lens produces images which are somewhat soft across the frame.
Chromatic Aberration
The lens produces very low chromatic aberration in our testing, showing only in the corners in areas of high contrast (to our eyes, very light magenta fringing).
Shading (''Vignetting'')
On APS-C based sensor bodies such as the Canon 7D, corner shading is not an issue. On full-frame bodies such as the 1Ds Mark III, very light corner shading is apparent when the aperture is set wide open to ƒ/2.8; in this case, the extreme corners are 1/3 stop darker than the center of the frame.
Distortion
Distortion is almost non-existent on cropped-frame sensor bodies; on full-frame bodies it's a little more significant, showing some very slight (+0.3%) barrel distortion in the corners.
Autofocus Operation
With its USM focusing system, the 200mm focuses almost instantly, and makes almost no noise in doing so. Autofocus results can be overridden by just turning the focus ring at any time. The lens is equipped with a focus limiter switch, enabling the focus performance to be improved by limiting the range of distance being focused upon. Focus limiting options are 1.5m to infinity or 3.5m to infinity.
Macro
With a magnification ratio of 0.16x and a close-focusing distance of around 5 feet (1.5 meters), this is not a lens you want to turn to for macro work. This magnification can be extended to .23x and .32x with 12mm and 25mm Extension Tubes respectively, and the Canon 500D Close-up lens offers further magnification.
Build Quality and Handling
The 200mm ƒ/2.8L is built with great attention to detail, however, does not feature the dust- and weather-resistant gaskets of newer Canon L-class lenses. It also lacks the telltale white finish of Canon's more expensive glass, opting instead for black. The body mount is metal, while the 72mm filter threads are plastic. The lens offers a recessed and windowed distance scale marked in feet and meters. A depth-of-field reference is provided, but only for ƒ/32, and there is an infrared index mark. There are two command switches: a 2-stage focus limiter switch (1.5m-infinity or 3.5m-infinity), and a Autofocus/Manual Focus selector. The lens is compatible with both the Canon Extender 1.4x and the Canon Extender 2x.
The focusing ring is 1 1/4'' wide, composed of rubber with large ribs. It turns around 120 degrees and is limited on both ends with soft stops: an increase in resistance lets you know you've reached a focus limit. Manual focusing is a very pleasant experience, very smooth, allowing you to easily find your mark.
As one would expect from a lens of this caliber, the front element does not turn during focus operations. The ET-83BII hood is round, attaching with a bayonet mount, which reverses onto the lens for easy storage. The hood's interior is composed of a velvet-style flocking, and when extended the hood will add 2 1/2 inches to the lens' overall length.
Alternatives
The only direct alternative in the 200mm telephoto range for Canon is the $5,500 200mm ƒ/2L IS, so we've included some zoom lenses which reach out to 200mm.
Canon EF 200mm ƒ/2L IS USM ~$5,500
You'll pay a lot for an extra stop of light gathering ability - but in the process you'll also get a list of extra features, and image stabilization to boot. The 200mm ƒ/2 is a legendary lens, and excelled at every test we could throw at it.
Canon EF 70-200mm ƒ/2.8L IS II USM ~$2,400
A staple for almost every pro Canon shooter, the 70-200mm is an extremely versatile lens, but doesn't quite match the optical quality of the dedicated 200mm ƒ/2.8 prime. At 200mm, the prime lens is notably sharper - you'll have to stop the zoom lens down to ƒ/8 to match it - and distortion is much more prominent. While it does come with image stabilization, the price tag is significantly higher.
Sigma 70-200mm ƒ/2.8 EX DG HSM APO ~$800
Sigma's latest version of this lens comes with OS (optical stabilization) technology, but previous versions did not, making it a reasonable comparison (in specs, as well as price). At 200mm, the Sigma is still quite good, though the Canon is significantly sharper at ƒ/2.8. Distortion and corner shading a more pronounced, though chromatic aberration is well controlled, on the Sigma.
Tamron 70-200mm ƒ/2.8 Di LD IF Macro SP AF ~$780
Tamron also produces a non-stabilized 70-200mm zoom lens, at the same price point as the Canon 200mm ƒ/2.8 prime lens. We were impressed with the sharpness of the Tamron, more at the 70-100mm end, but the 200mm end is very good - almost as good as the Canon. Distortion is unsurprisingly a bit worse on the zoom than on the prime.
Conclusion
For its test results alone, the performance and modest price tag of the Canon 200mm ƒ/2.8L II USM make it an excellent addition to any Canon shooter's collection. However, if you want or need image stabilization, it's available only in longer or faster telephoto primes, or the 70-200mm zoom lens, any of which cost significantly more than the 200mm f/2.8L.
Product Photos
Sample Photos
The VFA target should give you a good idea of sharpness in the center and corners, as well as some idea of the extent of barrel or pincushion distortion and chromatic aberration, while the Still Life subject may help in judging contrast and color. We shoot both images using the default JPEG settings and manual white balance of our test bodies, so the images should be quite consistent from lens to lens.
As appropriate, we shoot these with both full-frame and sub-frame bodies, at a range of focal lengths, and at both maximum aperture and ƒ/8. For the ''VFA'' target (the viewfinder accuracy target from Imaging Resource), we also provide sample crops from the center and upper-left corner of each shot, so you can quickly get a sense of relative sharpness, without having to download and inspect the full-res images. To avoid space limitations with the layout of our review pages, indexes to the test shots launch in separate windows.
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