Canon announces a pair of new 70-200mm f/2.8L and f/4L IS lenses

Last month, there was word floating around that Canon was about to announce updates to their popular 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II and 70-200mm f/4L IS lenses. Well, Canon has now officially announced those updates. The two new lenses are, not surprisingly, the 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III and 70-200mm f/4L IS II.

They’re not that different from their predecessors on-paper. In fact, the 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III looks almost identical to the II except that it has 9 diaphragm blades instead of 8, and it weighs a few grams less. The 70-200mm f/4L IS II, on the other hand, is slightly heavier than the original. And it has a larger filter thread (72mm instead of 67mm). Chances are, there will be other differences, but so far, Canon doesn’t appear to have released all the information.

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

On the outside, the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM doesn’t seem to have changed much from its predecessor. It has lost a little weight, and no doubt the optical formula will have been tweaked a little, but if it’s at least as good as the II, it’ll be a pretty stellar lens.

• Mount: Canon EF
• Format: Full Frame
• Focal length: 70-200mm
• Max aperture: f/2.8
• Minimum focus distance: 1.2m (3.94ft)
• Diaphragm blades: 9, rounded
• Image stabilisation: Yes
• Filter thread: 77mm
• Dimensions: 88.8 x 199mm (3.50 x 7.83″)
• Weight: 1.44kg (3.17lb)

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

This is the first refresh of Canon’s 70-200mm f/4L, and in contrast to the f/2.8, the visual differences between this and the earlier generation are quite noticeable. It’s a different shape, for a start, and it has a larger 72mm filter thread. In use, it focuses a little closer than the previous version, too, at 1m instead of 1.2m.

• Mount: Canon EF
• Format: Full Frame
• Focal length: 70-200mm
• Max aperture: f/4
• Minimum focus distance: 1m (3.28ft)
• Diaphragm blades: 9, rounded
• Image stabilisation: Yes
• Filter thread: 72mm
• Dimensions: 78.4 x 175.26mm (3.1 x 6.9″)
• Weight: 779.6kg (1.72lb)

Obviously, the f/4L IS II offers a significant weight saving over its almost-double f/2.8 sibling, although it is few grams heavier than the original f/4L. In practical use, I would imagine the slight weight gain won’t make any real difference.

Both the 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM and 70-200mm f/4L IS II USM are available to pre-order now. The f/2.8L is $2,099 and is expected to ship in August, with the f/4L priced at $1,299 and is expected sometime this month.