Has Canon EF 70-200/2.8 L USM ever been upgraded ?

Hi,

Could anyone tell me whether this lens has ever been upgraded ?

The reason I am asking is that I intend to purchase one and I have 2 copies to

choose from.

One is 12 years old and the other is of 2006 production.

The old one has some sign of use but optically and mechanically looks OK and (of

course) the price is very appealing.

Does anyone have any knowledge whether there has ever been any silent upgrade

e.g. less reflecting coating for digital cameras or anything else ?

Thanks a lot in advance,

Istvan

What do you mean by "upgrade?" The lens has legendary performance and is used professionally. There is a 70-200 f/2.8 and and IS version of the same lens. IS is useful when you want a slower shutter speed but since both lenses are at f/2.8 I'm sure they're both great in low light photography.

brian, thanks for your comment,

I would actually like to find out whether there is (by production) any difference between a 1 year old and a 12 year old copy of the same lens ?

best, Istvan

Looking at the parts list shows us that a few pieces have been changed. There is no date on the parts list so there is no way of telling if further changes have been made. [.PDF] http://www.f20c.com/stuff/canon/partslist/EF%2070-200%202.8%20L%20USM.PDF

 

Full list of parts lists available is here: http://www.f20c.com/stuff/canon/partslist/

Canon have never said anything about changes as far as i know, so if any were made I'd assume they were minor and inconsequential and didn't involve the optics.

 

The major thing to look out for with older lenses is fungal growth on the glass. It can be very hard to spot in its early stages and the older a lens is, the higher the chances that it may have started if the lens wasn't stored properly.

I thought that there was a "silent" upgrade to some of the IS parts to deal w/the some of the err-99 issues that would occur w/the earlier versions. I know that I've seen this. There is also a page where a user repaired the lens himself to replace the old IS part with the new....do some Googling. I'd pass on the older one.

crap..OK I see that you were talking about the non-IS version....never mind then....

I have owned one for over then years. I works just fine. It takes great pictures. Watch the fungus but I think it will last another ten years and I have used it pretty hard. It still looks new.

Another thing, is even though the original was made 12 years ago- in no way did Canon make the 70-200 f/2.8 12 years ago and stop making that particular NON-IS lens. It's still made, even though the Image Stabilized lens is also made. I've never used both to compare them, but I've heard the NON-IS lenses that Canon makes are sharper than Image Stabilized counterparts.