The EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM replaces Canon’s flagship 70-200mm lens, and has been designed with high-performance and extra robustness in mind. It has protective seals, which make it resistant to both moisture and dust, while fluorine-coated front and rear elements are easy to clean.
It has a wide maximum constant aperture of f/2.8, and features an eight-bladed circular diaphragm, with fluorite and UD optics for high contrast and excellent resolution.
Additionally, camera shake is compensated for with a 3.5-stop Image Stabiliser. A ring-type USM motor offers silent and quick autofocusing, while a focusing ring is also included for manual adjustment.
The EF 70-200mm f/2.8L III USM will set you back £2,149 when it goes on sale in the summer.
Second lens
Meanwhile, the EF 70-200mm f/4L is a more affordable alternative, costing around £1,299 when it also becomes available in the summer.
Weighing in at just 780g, the f/4 version of the lens is also good option for travelling a little lighter. It features fluorine coatings to prevent water and dirt from clinging to the lens, while Super Spectra coatings are designed to eliminate ghosting and flare.
The lens uses a nine-blade aperture, while there’s a new Image Stabiliser unit, which is based on the design of Canon’s EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens and delivers the equivalent effect of a shutter five-stops faster, compared to the previous lens’ three stops.
Also improved is the speed and accuracy of focusing, thanks to a combination of a Ring USM and a new third generation EF engine, which features a new high-performance control CPU and newly developed firmware. Silent autofocus can also be tweaked manually, and has a close focusing distance of 1 metre – compared to 1.2 metres of the predecessor.
