Canon release new lens 70 - 200 IS II

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Canon have announced that they will be releasing the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM in April. This is an update of the venerable Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM, one of Canon's best and most popular lenses among photojournalists and advanced amateur photographers.

The old lens was (and is) so good that it's hard to see how Canon can improve on it, but in their press release they say that the following changes have been made:

• A fifth UD element as been added (the current version has 4) along with a fluorite element. The current lens is sharp, so the new one should be even sharper (watch those fingers!).
• The AF speed has been increased via new focusing algorithms
• The minimum focus distance has been reduced from 4.6ft to 3.9ft (about an 8" reduction).
• Maximum magnification has been increased from 0.16x to 0.21x
• The IS system has been updated to give up to 4 stops of stabilization
• The lens barrel strength has been increased
• The focusing ring is wider
• The lens hood now locks in place more securely

The only unknown at his point is just how much these improvements are going to cost. I'm guessing they probably won't come cheap though. 

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