Canon® Canon 70-200mm F/2.8L IS III

The Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III is a versatile fast-aperture telephoto zoom designed for Canon full-frame cameras and an update to the last-gen 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II. Key features include:

• Great for sports photography, portraiture, and low-light shooting

• Advanced optical formula for maximum sharpness

• Built-in optical image stabilization

• Fast, accurate, and nearly silent autofocus

Versatile Telephoto Zoom. Optimized for full-frame cameras, the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III’s zoom range and fast f/2.8 constant aperture make it an ideal choice for a range of applications, including portraiture, fast-moving sports photography, and low-light shooting. It has a 3.9-foot minimum focusing distance at all zoom settings, which is quite nice for close-up work. Its aperture is consistently bright throughout the zoom range, and its rounded eight-blade diaphragm gives you great depth-of-field control for selective focusing. Using an APS-C camera? You’ll have a focal length equivalent to 112-320mm.

Advanced Optics. This lens’s 19-group/23-element optical formula includes one fluorite element and five Ultra Low Dispersion elements that minimize distortion, chromatic aberrations, and color blurring while providing high clarity, color fidelity, and edge-to-edge sharpness throughout the zoom range. Canon has applied an Air Sphere coating to the lens elements to further combat ghosting and flaring, even in harsh lighting.

Optical Image Stabilization. The 70-200 f/2.8’s built-in image stabilizer compensates for 3.5 stops of camera shake, so that you can shoot hand-held and in low light without worry. It boasts a standard IS mode for single shots, and a second mode designed specifically for panning.

Ultrasonic Focusing Motor. This lens uses a ring-type Ultrasonic Motor to provide fast, accurate, and nearly silent autofocus performance for both still and video shooters. You also get full-time manual-focus override for precision adjustments. A focus-limiter switch constrains the lens’s focusing range for faster performance—you can select 3.9 feet to infinity or 8.2 feet to infinity.

High-Quality Build. With each generation, we expect to see improved build quality. This third-gen 70-200 follows suit, bringing fluorine coatings to the front and rear elements to resist dust, fingerprints, and smudging. Additionally, the weather sealing has been improved to help keep mother nature on the outside.

Teleconverter Compatible. The EF 70-200mm f/2.8L III is compatible with the and teleconverters, both of which are available as separate rental items.

So we took one of these apart to determine all of the things that separated the III from the II. To start with, there is a new shade of white paint on the barrels, which we think definitely gives a…

So we took one of these apart to determine all of the things that separated the III from the . To start with, there is a new shade of white paint on the barrels, which we think definitely gives a cleaner look. And there are some supposedly better antireflective coatings, because, oh, wait, no reflections really weren’t a problem with the Mk II. And those are the same coatings Canon started putting on all their other lenses a few years back. And there are fluorine coatings on the front and back elements that are easier to clean. Like the 24-70mm Mk II has, that, well, never mind, those aren’t really easier to clean. As to the rest, not one single screw is different. Nada.

Sooo, here’s my editorial advice: if this is more expensive than the Canon 70-200mm f2.8L IS Mk II, then get the Mk II lens. Cause it’s the same lens. Unless you really like the new paint color.

January 2019