Pros & Cons
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- Strong sharpness from edge to edge.
- Superb build quality.
- Dust and moisture protection.
- Fluorine lens coating.
- Image stabilization.
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- Not that different from previous edition.
- Some distortion.
- Modest vignette.
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM Specs
| Dimensions | 7.8 by 3.5 inches |
| Full-Frame Equivalent (Telephoto) | 200 |
| Full-Frame Equivalent (Wide) | 70 |
| Mount | Canon EF |
| Optical Stabilization | Optical |
| Weight | 3.3 |
| Zoom Ratio | 2.9 x |
If there's one common tool in the bags of pro photographers who work in the event and wedding spaces, it's a 70-200mm f/2.8 zoom lens. Canon's take on the design has long been the benchmark we've held others to—although recent top-end offerings from Nikon and Sony are just as good. When it came to engineering an upgrade, Canon took a minimalist approach. Optically, the EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM ($2,099) is identical to the previous version of the lens, but its barrel is a slightly different shade of gray and the exposed elements are protected using a modern fluorine coating. But this is a case where a minor update doesn't detract from just how good and versatile a lens it is, so the new edition of the 70-200mm earns as emphatic an endorsement as its predecessor, and our Editors' Choice award.
Some Cosmetic Updates
Most camera lenses are housed in matte black barrels, but Canon takes a different approach when it comes to pro-grade telezooms. As with the EF 70-200mm f/2.8L II USM and other pro lenses, this one comes in a white finish. The reason is simple—the large glass elements used in big zoom lenses can change size along with temperature, and a white barrel means the lens is less likely to get overly hot.
The new edition of the lens still has a white finish, but it's a little bit cooler in temperature than the eggshell finish Canon used on the II version. The new materials don't cut into size—7.8 by 3.5 inches (HD)—or weight, 3.3 pounds. The 70-200mm ($1,799.00 at Amazon) is an internal zoom lens, so it doesn't extend or retract when adjusting zoom or focus.
If you want a lighter zoom with about the same coverage, think about the Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS II USM, which enjoyed an update at the same time as this zoom, or Tamron's recent SP 70-210mm f/4 Di VC USD. Neither opens up to f/2.8, but both are good, affordable options for photographers who don't need such a wide aperture.
The EF 70-200mm is a full-frame lens, designed for Canon's SLR system. But it works just fine with the mirrorless EOS R via an adapter. As an L lens it is protected from dust and splashes, and Canon goes as far as to bill this one as being highly protected—it's one of the company's flagship lenses, after all. The III version adds fluorine coating to the front and rear lens elements. Fluorine repels grease and moisture—in practice, it means the lens is less likely to pick up a stray fingerprint. And when you clean it, you won't have to worry about smudges.
In addition to front and rear caps, Canon includes a lens hood, reversible for storage, and a soft carrying case. The 70-200mm ships with a tripod collar attached, but it can be removed if you prefer. The collar adds a tripod socket to the lens itself, so you can find a better central balance point and reduce stress on the mount when using it with a tripod, monopod, or BlackRapid-style strap.
There are two big, rubber-covered control rings. The zoom ring sits closer to the camera body and has set marks at the 70, 100, 135mm, and 200mm positions. The manual focus ring is positioned behind the front element. It's a mechanical focus control, as is standard with most SLR lenses.
The other controls on the lens are physical toggle switches. There's a focus limiter, which can be set for distant subjects only (2.5 meters through infinity), or for the full range of coverage (1.2 meters through infinity). It's joined by the AF/MF toggle and a second toggle to turn the image stabilization system on or off.
Finally, there is a switch to set the stabilization mode—use Mode 1 for most subjects, and Mode 2 when you're panning the lens to track a subject moving laterally. Stabilization is rated to 3.5 stops by CIPA, and my test results were in line with that figure. I was able to get consistently blur-free images at 1/20-second, which is a little bit better than three stops of compensation. At 1/15-second, closer to 3.5 stops, my results were mostly clear, with the occasional bit of minor motion blur visible.
Focus is available as close as 3.9 feet (1.2 meters), which gives the lens a decent 1:4.7 life-size reproduction capability. We tend to call a zoom a macro if it delivers 1:3 magnification, so the 70-200mm won't get you detailed shots of tiny insects and flower petals, but I never felt that it didn't focus close enough.
Trusted Optics
I tested the 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM with Canon's most demanding camera, the 50MP EOS 5DS R, and Imatest software. At 70mm f/2.8, the lens puts up scores that we qualify as very good on a high-resolution camera, 3,700 lines. But while some other zooms lose resolution as you move away from the center of the frame, the 70-200mm hits the 3,700-line mark at its edges.
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There's an uptick in resolution at f/4, with the lens showing 3,959 lines, which is just shy of the 4,000 lines that we use to mark lens performance as excellent. There's a modest drop at f/5.6 (3,673 lines), and results are similar at f/8 (3,622 lines). Diffraction is an issue early with the 5DS R, so we see numbers trail off at smaller apertures—3,433 lines at f/11, 3,109 lines at f/16, 2,435 lines at f/22, and just 1,575 lines at f/32.
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Results are very similar at 135mm. We see 3,778 lines at f/2.8 and 3,915 lines at f/4. Resolution starts to dip at f/5.6 (3,348), but remains strong at f/8 (3,330 lines) and f/11 (3,222 lines). There is a slight drop overall at 200mm—we see generally lower numbers at f/2.8 (3,448 lines), f/4 (3,235 lines), f/5.6 (2,702 lines), f/8 (2,679 lines), f/11 (2,672 lines), f/16 (2,698 lines), and f/22 (2,278 lines).
The lens shows a bit of distortion, but nothing to worry about. There's about 1 percent barrel distortion at 70mm, which will draw straight lines with a modest outward curve—you're not going to notice it in most images. At 135mm there's about 0.7 percent pincushion distortion—a negligible amount. We do see about 1.4 percent at 200mm, again with the pincushion effect. You'll be able to notice straight lines showing a bit of an inward curve. If you want to eliminate distortion you can turn on in-camera corrections when using JPG format, or use a Raw converter that supports them. PCMag uses Adobe Lightroom as its standard Raw converter, and it supports one-click profile adjustments to compensate for distortion.
The Adobe profile, and Canon's in-camera adjustments, also compensate for the natural vignette the lens shows when shot at wide apertures. Without any sort of correction, we observe a -2.3EV drop in illumination from center to corner at 70mm f/2.8, and about -3EV at 135mm and 200mm. It's not an overwhelming effect, but you will definitely notice the vignette, especially in scenes with flat, uniform lighting. Thankfully turning on the in-camera adjustments cuts the vignette to about -1EV at f/2.8, which is not an amount you'll notice in most images. At f/4 and smaller settings you won't see a vignette, regardless of whether you apply corrections to images.
A Trusted Workhorse, Refreshed
It's easy to fall into the trap of thinking that if something is not new, or vastly upgraded, that it's yesterday's news. The truth couldn't be farther from reality with the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM. Longtime users of the II version of the lens can pick it up and have it feel right at home in their hands, and its optical performance is up there with the best 70-200mm designs we've seen for other systems—there's little chance you'll be disappointed by the quality of images the 70-200mm allows you to take.
As time marches on, the older version of the lens will disappear from retail shelves, though today you can still buy it new, for $300 less than the III edition. If you're a working pro, my advice is to spend the extra money on the III. It's not a huge investment, given how much you'll likely use the lens to make money, and the fluorine coat is worth it, especially if you find yourself having to very quickly wipe off the front element while covering a wedding reception.
Hobbyists, enthusiasts, shutterbugs—whatever the rest of us want to call ourselves—should think about the cost differential. If you often shoot in rough weather, dusty environs, or the like, I think the III is worth the premium. But if you're not working in hectic conditions or haphazard weather, think about buying the previous version.
There are also third-party options to consider. The Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD G2 is priced at just $1,300, but isn't as good from an optical standpoint. Sigma has a new 70-200mm f/2.8 zoom as part of its Global Vision Sports series. It just started shipping and we've not yet had a chance to test it, but it is more affordable, around $1,500.
You also shouldn't count out an f/4 zoom if you don't need to shoot in dim light, and can live with depth of field that isn't quite as shallow. The Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS II USM and Tamron SP 70-210mm f/4 Di VC USD are both solid options. But if you want the best, and you shoot with a Canon system, the EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM is our Editors' Choice.
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