When it comes to lenses their is probably no other lens as coveted as the Canon 70-200. It is the go to lens for sports, portraits and more. Sure, photographers may want a specialized prime lens as well. But for overall versatility and build quality this lens can't be match. And that is why just about everyone wants to get their hands on one. The only drawback, the price.
The Canon 70-200 is from Canon's professional L series lineup. This lens is on the heavy side. But it is weather sealed and has top grade optics. With an f2.8 aperture it works well in low light and produces excellent bokah.
If you watch events like the Super Bowl, all the pro photographers on the sideline (well at least the ones with a Canon camera) will have a huge prime telephoto lens on a mono-pod and this lens on another camera body slung over there shoulder.
At a maximum reach of 200 mm this lens simply does not give the reach you often need for sports. But with its zoom range it is essential for when the action gets close to your end of the field.
This lens is also excellent for portrait photograph and taking pictures of the kids.
Because of the build quality you know it will be able to handle abuse. Since it is a pro series lens it is designed to with stand abuse.
One of the great features of this lens is how fast it achieves focus. Unlike the cheap kit lenses that take a full second or more to achieve focus this lens is nearly instant. I primarily shoot sports. With this lens I am able to photograph a batter hitting the ball and quickly shift and get a clear in focus shot of short stop field the ball. With the cheap kit lens about half the time I am unable to achieve focus on the short stop until the ball is already being thrown to first base. A second delay may not seem like very long, but in sports it can mean you miss a great shot.
Many new photographers get confused by the different versions of this lens. You have the original version that has no image stabilization. The first generation image stabilized lens and the second generation image stabilized lens.
The price goes up with each lens. You can pick up the older non IS version on Ebay for around $1,000. The newest version will be just over $2,000 and the first generation IS is somewhere in between.
How important is image stabilization? Well that depends on who you talk to.
Personally for sports I don't use image stabilization. Even for use outside of sports I don't usually rely on IS. The reason is I usually have a fast enough shutter speed that this does not matter.
I personally have the old version of this lens that does not even have IS. I do have a few lenses that have the feature, and I do not find it very helpful in most of the situations that I shoot. But this is a decision you have to make based on what you plan to photograph and your budget.
The bottom line is this, if you have the money buy the latest and greatest lens from Canon. If you are on a budget you will be more than happy with the older version of this lens. When it comes to optics, outside of a prime lens that will set you back several thousand dollars, you will not find a better lens.
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