p.2 #4 · I finally got the Eye of Sauron...Canon EF 200mm f/1.8!
Wow, it looks to be in great cosmetic condition, other than the non-original lens hood screws.
If you are not familiar with this vintage of Canon 'big whites' those hood screws have a tendency to loosen and the tabs fall off. Given the age, probably difficult to find replacements. My solution at the time was to put a strip of tape over the screws to keep them from falling out. And if any are loose now, a good idea to add some loctite.
p.2 #5 · I finally got the Eye of Sauron...Canon EF 200mm f/1.8!
Yeah it has half original and have replaced screws.
I had a 300 f2 before and the ones holding the knob to tighten the hood were always coming off.
This one at least holds pretty tight after tightening the screws around lol
Still I think I am getting a Zemlin hood and keep this one safe at home.
I did find a seller with unpainted screws he claims are for a perfect replacement.
I do have lactolite so I will do that too.
Thanks
rscheffler wrote:
Wow, it looks to be in great cosmetic condition, other than the non-original lens hood screws.
If you are not familiar with this vintage of Canon 'big whites' those hood screws have a tendency to loosen and the tabs fall off. Given the age, probably difficult to find replacements. My solution at the time was to put a strip of tape over the screws to keep them from falling out. And if any are loose now, a good idea to add some loctite.
p.2 #8 · I finally got the Eye of Sauron...Canon EF 200mm f/1.8!
Congratulations on your purchase. These seem to have fallen in price as far as they might go in the near term. I have seen some in the 2000-2500 range more recently. The Zemlin hoods are quite good and would recommend picking one up and keeping your original so when you go to resell it. I am sure a lot of these are bought and held but I think there is another group of them that are bought on their legendary status and then ultimately are sold when they find that there is a kind of limited use case. I have the 200 f2 and I use it primarily for indoor sports. It's too short for most field sports though I use it in place of a 70-200 for some field sports as a supplement to my 400 and wide zoom lens. Even with the Zemlin hood it's still just outside the range of weight for hand holding. I have seen some younger folks hand hold it for a game but it's not something I would enjoy. I have always wanted to try the 200 f1.8 but with the 200 f2 I just have never broken down and bought one. I think with these it's pretty safe to say that most of the time it's like renting a lens since at the prices as of late you can probably sell it for what you have into it. The number of repair shops left working on the out of date lenses is relatively small but the prices are low enough that it's more often worth the risk. Even lenses sold for parts seem to do alright on ebay. Have fun with it.
p.2 #9 · I finally got the Eye of Sauron...Canon EF 200mm f/1.8!
Uarctos wrote:
Was it used? Not a single scratch on the paint, how is that possible for such an old lens? Amazing condition.
The only part with some paint blemish is the knob for adjusting the collar and I got the supposedly matching paint to retouch it
Even the tripod plate part is pretty clean....so I got very lucky
p.2 #11 · I finally got the Eye of Sauron...Canon EF 200mm f/1.8!
Llewtwo wrote:
Congratulations on your purchase. These seem to have fallen in price as far as they might go in the near term. I have seen some in the 2000-2500 range more recently. The Zemlin hoods are quite good and would recommend picking one up and keeping your original so when you go to resell it. I am sure a lot of these are bought and held but I think there is another group of them that are bought on their legendary status and then ultimately are sold when they find that there is a kind of limited use case. I have the 200 f2 and I use it primarily for indoor sports. It's too short for most field sports though I use it in place of a 70-200 for some field sports as a supplement to my 400 and wide zoom lens. Even with the Zemlin hood it's still just outside the range of weight for hand holding. I have seen some younger folks hand hold it for a game but it's not something I would enjoy. I have always wanted to try the 200 f1.8 but with the 200 f2 I just have never broken down and bought one. I think with these it's pretty safe to say that most of the time it's like renting a lens since at the prices as of late you can probably sell it for what you have into it. The number of repair shops left working on the out of date lenses is relatively small but the prices are low enough that it's more often worth the risk. Even lenses sold for parts seem to do alright on ebay. Have fun with it....Show more →
Yep, I am trying to decide which length to choose for the hood. I could go with a shorter one and bring the original one in the car during shoots in case I realize I need more protection for a particular day, or just get the Zemlin same size as the original and be done with it.
Its a heavy lens for sure but I am happy handholding it for my portrait sessions outdoors so I am in lens heaven right now with it and my RF 85mm 1.2
Thank you!!!
I'm asking as at the time of purchasing my 2008 EF 200mm f/2L IS USM a year after availability I considered the older 1988 EF 200mm f/1.8L USM but shied away from it due to weight, repairability & ergonomics.
Looking back I wish I picked up the EF 200mm f/1.8 L USM in 2003 when I bought my 1st dSLR the EOS 10D months after release.
I wonder... will the RF 200mm f/2L IS USM be out by 2028? I hope Canon differentiates it by releasing a faster than f/2.0L lens.
p.2 #14 · I finally got the Eye of Sauron...Canon EF 200mm f/1.8!
artsupreme wrote:
Enough with the photos of the lens already, where's the test shots from the lens?
Did you forget a smiley at the end or did you forget to take your pills?
dolina wrote:
How does it perform on your RF body?
When you were evaluating f/1.8L @ 3kg or f/2.0L @ >2.5kg did you consider these 3rd party 2025 200mm f/2.0 lenses?
I'm asking as at the time of purchasing my 2008 EF 200mm f/2L IS USM a year after availability I considered the older 1988 EF 200mm f/1.8L USM but shied away from it due to weight, repairability & ergonomics.
Looking back I wish I picked up the EF 200mm f/1.8 L USM in 2003 when I bought my 1st dSLR the EOS 10D months after release.
I wonder... will the RF 200mm f/2L IS USM be out by 2028? I hope Canon differentiates it by releasing a faster than f/2.0L lens....Show more →
The lens has been amazing on my R6 ii (eventually to become an R5 ii)
Yes I mentioned earlier why I did not go with other options..mainly, the Sigma is not an option for Canon and I was not going back to Sony or a Nikon adapting Sony.
The Laowa all comparisons made me feel disappointed.
Plus after seeing the 2.0 vs 1.8 comparisons, I was sold on the Eye of Sauron..the .2 difference was indeed noticeable
Yes is a heavy beast but I can handle it...another motivation to hit the gym more often
A couple of unedited (only lifted the shadows on the clothing a little bit) photos with the beast.
this one has some "fun"editing lol
I got a lot more photos to check and edit then post. These were quick picks.
Looks like I need to sign up to Flickr to be able to post larger sizes unless someone has another suggestion. The tiny size, really diminishes the impact of what I am seeing in my monitor full size.
p.2 #16 · I finally got the Eye of Sauron...Canon EF 200mm f/1.8!
BrianP wrote:
Congratulations! The images look great! Have fun!
I did back to back shoots Friday and Saturday and was blown away. I LOVE this lens and the Zemlin hood is a great upgrade to it.
Thank you!!!
p.2 #18 · I finally got the Eye of Sauron...Canon EF 200mm f/1.8!
danski0224 wrote:
Now all you need is the 200 f/2....
Why? :
It was one or the other and it came down to bokeh smoothness and overall rendering. Not that F2 is not impressive as well of course.
Hard to go wrong with those older 200mm lenses.
p.2 #19 · I finally got the Eye of Sauron...Canon EF 200mm f/1.8!
dolina wrote:
I wonder... will the RF 200mm f/2L IS USM be out by 2028? I hope Canon differentiates it by releasing a faster than f/2.0L lens.
I'm advocation for a 100/1.0 that is TC compatible. It would basically be equivalent blur to the 200/2, if cropped to equivalent framing, given they would share a 100mm entry pupil size.
While faster than 200/2 would be cool, I'd rather have a very fast 'moderate' tele that IMO would be more flexible and suitable for typical portraiture working distances.
p.2 #20 · I finally got the Eye of Sauron...Canon EF 200mm f/1.8!
Great shots there, and congratulations on obtaining an (apparently) pristine copy of this legendary lens.
Funny that my perception of it is defined by the (minor) difference in numbers: f/2.0 (irrationally) seems "not a big deal, just a bit faster than f/2.8" whereas f/1.8 is "great, so cool and fast".
Must be the 1 vs 2 at the start of the figure.
It's also a bit odd that neither Sigma nor Laowa opted to go for an f/1.8 design, stopping at "just" f/2.0. Let's see if Viltrox takes up the challenge next and goes all the way.
Let's see if Viltrox takes up the challenge next and goes all the way.