Canon 70-200mm f/4.0L EF IS USM (1258b005)

From the manufacturer's press release:

Canon announces the launch of the EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM, Canon's first interchangeable lens to feature 4-stop Image Stabilization. The steps are longer than usual, perfect for shooting in low light without using a tripod or flash.

Dust and water resistant, compact and handy, this advanced Canon L-series professional lens is built to the highest standards of precision optics. It is expected to be popular with hikers, expedition members or wildlife photographers looking for high image quality and a lightweight lens.

Key features of the EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM lens:

• compact dimensions and low weight - 760 g, length 172 mm;
• 4-step image stabilizer with 2 modes;
• excellent optical quality due to the presence of 1 fluorite and 2 UD elements;
• high-precision autofocus with ring-type ultrasonic motor (USM) and manual focus capability;
• circular aperture diaphragm for spectacular background blur;
• environmentally friendly coatings that provide protection from dust and moisture;
• Super Spectra coatings to prevent unwanted reflections and ghosting;
• minimum focus distance 1.2 m;
• The scope of delivery includes a lens hood and a case.

The EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM is a lighter alternative to the updated EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM. As such, it expands Canon's range of lightweight L-series professional zoom lenses, such as the EF 17-40 f/4L USM and EF 24-105L IS USM. f/4L lenses are designed for professional photographers who require a lightweight zoom lens with a fixed aperture throughout the zoom range. The new lens brings proven image stabilization technology to the popular EF 70-200mm f/4L USM while maintaining a compact size.

Image stabilizer

The 4-stop Image Stabilizer (IS) opens up new possibilities for shooting in low light conditions. Under normal circumstances, handheld photographers tend to use a shutter speed of 1/250 s – Image Stabilizer achieves similar image stability without blurring at 1/15 s.

It also greatly reduces motion blur caused by camera shake during shooting. Gyroscopic sensors detect unwanted vibrations and cause the group of corrective lenses to move in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis. This allows you to adjust the light flow and restore the correct position of the image on the sensor or film.

When shooting still subjects, mode 1 compensates for horizontal and vertical movement of the image. When shooting a moving subject with horizontal panning, mode 2 disables vertical correction, preventing the effect of shifting the object in the frame.

When the camera is mounted on a tripod, the Image Stabilizer is automatically disabled. This eliminates the possibility of feedback between the oscillations of the image stabilizer sensor and the stabilizer motor.

High Precision Autofocus

The ring-type ultrasonic motor (USM) generates ultrasonic frequency oscillations for high-speed, near-silent autofocusing. The use of a powerful processor and advanced autofocus algorithms also contribute to faster autofocusing. Torque locking ensures that the lens stops exactly and, as a result, the correct focus on the object on the first attempt. Full manual focus is also supported, and the user can do it without switching the lens out of autofocus mode; to do this, simply turn the focus ring.

f/4 lens from 70mm to 200mm

The EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM lens delivers the highest optical quality while maintaining a consistent aperture throughout its zoom range. This allows photographers to set exposure at maximum aperture and magnify the subject across the entire range of focal lengths up to 200mm without slowing down the shutter speed. When zooming, the length of the lens remains unchanged. In addition, the front element of the lens does not rotate when zooming or focus. The lens is equipped with an almost round convex aperture, which allows you to create a beautiful blurred background.

High image quality

The new optical system limits lens size and improves clarity across the entire image area. 1 fluorite and 2 ultra-low dispersion elements are used to eliminate residual chromatic aberrations that reduce image sharpness and colour quality. By refining the Super Spectra lens coating and lens shape, Canon's developers have been able to reduce the ghosting and flare that occurs when using digital cameras due to reflection from the image sensor. By increasing light absorption, Super Spectra coating reduces the reflective effect of the lenses, resulting in bright, clear images with natural colour reproduction.

EOS system integration

The EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM lens transmits distance information to the camera, making it compatible with E-TTL II flash units found on the latest digital cameras such as the EOS-1D Mark II, EOS-1Ds Mark II, EOS 5D and EOS 400D. When using a lens with Canon EX-series Speedlite flashes, information about the distance to the subject is transferred to the flash algorithm, allowing more precise exposure metering. Professional cameras of the EOS-1 series allow you to shoot in almost any weather conditions, so the new model has a special ring that protects the lens mount from dust and moisture getting inside the device.

In addition, the shape of the AF mode switch and Image Stabilizer has been reshaped to reduce the possibility of accidentally turning these functions on or off.

The EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM comes with a lens hood and case.

In keeping with Canon's "Kyosei" philosophy of living in harmony with the environment, Canon lenses are made only from lead-free glass."