What's your favorite? 200/1.8 or 200/2

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Archive 2009 · What's your favorite? 200/1.8 or 200/2

trajan
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p.1 #1 · What's your favorite? 200/1.8 or 200/2

A lot has been said about these 2. But which one is your favorite in terms of IQ? The faster older glass or the newer, more contrasty and better color controlled?

--trajan

Nov 04, 2009 at 01:01 AM

duffguy808
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p.1 #2 · What's your favorite? 200/1.8 or 200/2

Here we go again

Nov 04, 2009 at 01:08 AM

dolina
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p.1 #3 · What's your favorite? 200/1.8 or 200/2

Is it just me but these threads always concerns Peter one way or another.

Before going forward read http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/829842/0?keyword=1.8#7709277

Nov 04, 2009 at 04:47 AM

Yakim Peled
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p.1 #4 · What's your favorite? 200/1.8 or 200/2

trajan wrote:
A lot has been said about these 2. But which one is your favorite in terms of IQ? The faster older glass or the newer, more contrasty and better color controlled?

Looks like you already decided which is your favorite in terms of IQ.

Happy shooting,
Yakim.

Nov 04, 2009 at 08:47 AM

PetKal
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p.1 #5 · What's your favorite? 200/1.8 or 200/2

The post was deleted as N/A.

Edited on Nov 04, 2009 at 12:38 PM · View previous versions

Nov 04, 2009 at 11:53 AM

Ian.Dobinson
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p.1 #6 · What's your favorite? 200/1.8 or 200/2

dont think the OP had the 2.8 in mind. 200/1.8 v 200/2 IS?

Nov 04, 2009 at 12:09 PM

PetKal
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p.1 #7 · What's your favorite? 200/1.8 or 200/2

Ian.Dobinson wrote:
dont think the OP had the 2.8 in mind. 200/1.8 v 200/2 IS?

You are right, I must be coming down with a major case of dyslexia.

However, I'll let the experts such as Brainiac talk about that well trodden subject of 200 f/1.8 vs. f/2.

Edited on Nov 04, 2009 at 12:39 PM · View previous versions

Nov 04, 2009 at 12:36 PM

fraga
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p.1 #8 · What's your favorite? 200/1.8 or 200/2

If you are not an expert on this matter (and many others), than I cannot imagine what would be necessary to be considered one...

Nov 04, 2009 at 12:39 PM

PetKal
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p.1 #9 · What's your favorite? 200/1.8 or 200/2

Well, thank you Luis. At the same time, I must thank you again for sharing your lens fungus experience, with excellent images to boot. You and Breitling must have spurred some of us into a higher degree of lens storage environmental vigillance which can not hurt.

Nov 04, 2009 at 12:43 PM

luketrot
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p.1 #10 · What's your favorite? 200/1.8 or 200/2

I heard the 200/2 is 3 stops slower then the 200/1.8.

Nov 04, 2009 at 01:59 PM

gasrocks
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p.1 #11 · What's your favorite? 200/1.8 or 200/2

Having considered both lenses, I finally got the Leica 180/2 APO instead.

Nov 04, 2009 at 02:02 PM

PetKal
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p.1 #12 · What's your favorite? 200/1.8 or 200/2

luketrot wrote:
I heard the 200/2 is 3 stops slower then the 200/1.8.

You must have misunderstood that, or your mind is perchance in a worse state of confusion than mine. It is 1DMk IV which is 3 stops faster than EF 200mm f/2 IS.

Nov 04, 2009 at 02:11 PM

Yakim Peled
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p.1 #13 · What's your favorite? 200/1.8 or 200/2

PetKal wrote:
luketrot wrote:
I heard the 200/2 is 3 stops slower then the 200/1.8.

You must have misunderstood that, or your mind is perchance in a worse state of confusion than mine. It is 1DMk IV which is 3 stops faster than EF 200mm f/2 IS.

I think he is humorously referring to the 1/3-2/3 stops difference talks you and Richard used to have.

Happy shooting,
Yakim.

Nov 04, 2009 at 02:16 PM

PetKal
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p.1 #14 · What's your favorite? 200/1.8 or 200/2

Yakim Peled wrote:
PetKal wrote:
luketrot wrote:
I heard the 200/2 is 3 stops slower then the 200/1.8.

You must have misunderstood that, or your mind is perchance in a worse state of confusion than mine. It is 1DMk IV which is 3 stops faster than EF 200mm f/2 IS.

I think he is humorously referring to the 1/3-2/3 stops difference talks you and Richard used to have.

Happy shooting,
Yakim.

Yakim, at my age one never takes anything for granted any more.

(To illustrate: The other day I was shooting ducks in flight using an otherwise well performing 1DMkIIN + 200 f/1.8 combo. The camera would pick up focus initially but it had an inordinary amount of trouble tracking the bird from there on. Utterly disgusted I was about to toss the whole combo into the lake when I noticed that the camera AF mode was set to "One shot".

)

Nov 04, 2009 at 02:24 PM

luketrot
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p.1 #15 · What's your favorite? 200/1.8 or 200/2

When I was in school we had a saying "There is only one car faster then a Ford Mustang GT, a Ford Escort GT." Because every Ford Escort GT owner had a story how they beat a Mustang GT.

When I here Brainiac spout on about his 2/3+ stop gain over the 200/2, all I can think of is a proud Escort GT owner..

Nov 04, 2009 at 02:32 PM

Yakim Peled
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p.1 #16 · What's your favorite? 200/1.8 or 200/2

PetKal wrote:
Yakim Peled wrote:
PetKal wrote:
luketrot wrote:
I heard the 200/2 is 3 stops slower then the 200/1.8.

You must have misunderstood that, or your mind is perchance in a worse state of confusion than mine. It is 1DMk IV which is 3 stops faster than EF 200mm f/2 IS.

I think he is humorously referring to the 1/3-2/3 stops difference talks you and Richard used to have.

Happy shooting,
Yakim.

Yakim, at my age one never takes anything for granted any more.

)

Well, I am not a youngster myself as well

and that is exactly why I wrote "I think...".

Alas, I do recall the times I shot moving subjects at low SS thinking: "It's O.K., I have IS".

Happy shooting,
Yakim.

Nov 04, 2009 at 02:44 PM

DavidP
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p.1 #17 · What's your favorite? 200/1.8 or 200/2

In my hands, the 200/2 IS has better image quality . . but only because the IS allows me to hold it more steady.

Other than that, I'd rate the two lenses as virtually indistinguishable, IQ-wise.

Nov 04, 2009 at 02:55 PM

Yakim Peled
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p.1 #18 · What's your favorite? 200/1.8 or 200/2

DavidP wrote:
In my hands, the 200/2 IS has better image quality . . but only because the IS allows me to hold it more steady.

And apart from IS, doesn't the lighter weight add as well to the 200/2 IS better handheld ability?

Happy shooting,
Yakim.

Nov 04, 2009 at 03:07 PM

paulfeng
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p.1 #19 · What's your favorite? 200/1.8 or 200/2

luketrot wrote:
When I here Brainiac spout on about his 2/3+ stop gain over the 200/2, all I can think of is a proud Escort GT owner..

I recall brainiac stated he would stop asserting the 2/3 stop advantage, after being presented with carefully controlled tests.

That is something I respect about Richard, that he is willing to change his position when presented with good evidence and/or argument.

Nov 04, 2009 at 03:34 PM

tom guffey
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p.1 #20 · What's your favorite? 200/1.8 or 200/2

Purchased a 200 F/2 3 weeks ago............IMHO............the fastest and sharpest lens Canon has made to date. I have no problem handholding this, and I'm not youngster either.........the tracking ability of this, when used with the new 7D is the best Ive experienced........and all Ive ever used is Canon....I'm sure the conversation will go on forever.....but Ive made my choice, after many outing with the 1.8, it just cant keep up with its new younger brother.............

Nov 04, 2009 at 03:42 PM

trajan
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p.1 #21 · What's your favorite? 200/1.8 or 200/2

gasrocks wrote:
Having considered both lenses, I finally got the Leica 180/2 APO instead.

Why?

--trajan

Nov 04, 2009 at 03:46 PM

Grantland
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p.1 #22 · What's your favorite? 200/1.8 or 200/2

paulfeng wrote:

That is something I respect about Richard, that he is willing to change his position when presented with good evidence and/or argument.

plus 1.

Nov 04, 2009 at 04:55 PM

Andrew Welsh
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p.1 #23 · What's your favorite? 200/1.8 or 200/2

trajan wrote:
gasrocks wrote:
Having considered both lenses, I finally got the Leica 180/2 APO instead.

Why?

--trajan
It has a flat field and is better suited for astrophotos. No c/a at f/2. Both canon lenses have purple fringing *in astrophotos* (an extreme case, regular daylight photos will revel nary a pixel of purple).

That said, I like the 200/2 better.. but that's what I have- never used the 1.8.

Nov 05, 2009 at 02:19 AM

gasrocks
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p.1 #24 · What's your favorite? 200/1.8 or 200/2

But this is the Canon section, I am not allowed to wax and swoon over Leica. The Leica 180/2 APO is the best ever 180/200 lens. In the running (top 3?) as the best ever lens. Has a nice feel, subjects pop into focus. I do MF for about 99.5% of my pix anyways. Great MFD. No need for an IR focus mark, all wavelengths focus the same. As sharp in the center as it is on the edge. As sharp wide open as it is stopped down. No CA, no PF. I got my mint used copy for about 1/2 of what a used Canon 200/1.8 or 2 would have cost me. Great color, contrast and bokeh. Besides AF and IS what else is there to pine over in a lens? And then there is that "Leica look."

Nov 05, 2009 at 04:42 AM

PetKal
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p.1 #25 · What's your favorite? 200/1.8 or 200/2

gasrocks wrote:
And then there is that "Leica look."
Gene's post above remids me of an urge I get sometimes........to go over to the Alternative Forum and post a couple of images such as these and say to them something like this:
Here are a couple of pictures I obtained with the 20 year old Canon lens 200 f/1.8.
Can you show me some similar images you've got with Leica 180mm f/2 so that we may compare notes on lens performance.

Edited on Nov 06, 2009 at 03:31 AM · View previous versions

Nov 05, 2009 at 05:12 AM


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