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~200mm telephoto lens: prime or zoom?


darin_cozine

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<p>In this order</p>

<p>80-200mm f4.0L nFD (red ring on barrel single ring zoom)<br>

200mm f2.8 IF nFD (diamond pattern on rubber grip on hood internal focus)<br>

200mm f2.8 nFD and S.S.C (either version)<br>

80-200mm f4.0 nFD and S.S.C or 70-210mm f4.0 nFD And Vivitar 70-210mm f3.5 Series I w/67mm filter And Tokina or Tamron 80-200mm f2.8 internal focus<br>

75-200mm f4.5 nFD (only last due to speed otherwise a very nice lens)</p>

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<p>Hello Darin: The Canon nFD 80-200 f/4L zoom is one of the best zoom lenses I've ever used. You can see a couple of comparioson shots I did compared to the Canon nFD 200mm f/2.8 prime in my reply to a previous thread here: <a href="http://www.photo.net/canon-fd-camera-forum/00QGua">http://www.photo.net/canon-fd-camera-forum/00QGua</a> Of course the prime is faster and still a very nice lens. Other zooms I've used that are very good are, in order, the Tamron SP 80-200mm f/2.8, the Canon nFD 70-210mm f4.0 and the Vivitar 70-210mm f/2.8-4 Series One. The last two are very reasonably priced. However, they all went away after getting the L zoom. That would be my recommendation if it fits your budget. Good Luck!</p>

 

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<p>Darin, I'll just add to the chorus of recommendations for the 80-200/4 L, which is by far my favourite zoom ever. (By the way, this is the lens at the top of Mark W's list as well, since there is no 80-200/2.8 L). </p>

<p>This lens is so good that I got rid of my 200/2.8 prime because I just wasn't using it. I do, however, use my longer lenses only outdoors, where there's plenty of light. You might need a faster lens for your applications.</p>

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<p>An 80-200/4L just wen on eBay for about $122. I was bidding on it but not paying attention. I have the first version of the 200/2.8 New FD (not IF) and I like it. After a certain point, comparing it to the 80-200/4L is not useful. If you are using a tripod and shooting non-moving subjects then any lens speed will do. If you intend to use the lens hand held then a 200/2.8 will be better for a few reasons. The first is that with a higher shutter speed at f/2.8 you will get better sharpness than with a 200/4 (or zoom at 200/4) with a lower shutter speed. The second advantage is that focusing is easier at f/2.8. The third advantage is that f/2.8 will help separate a subject from the background (when used wide opem) better than an f/4 lens. This will be true whether you have the 200/2.8 FD SSC, the first 200/2.8 New FD or the later IF model.<br>

If the light is very good then an inexpensive 80-210 /3.8-4 Tamron Adaptall II is surprisingly good. It also costs very little. The 80-200/4 Tokina RMC is not too bad either. Another decent cheap lens is the 80-200/4.5 Soligor C/D. This is rumored to be similar to the 80-200/4.5 Kiron with the zoom lock feature.</p>

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<p>The image quality of the 80-200/4 L is superior to the 85/1.8 and 200/2.8. The 200/2.8 non-IF and 200/2.8 IF have the same image quality but the IF accepts the 1.4x making it a more flexible alternative. I used the non-IF version for 15 years and had the IF and the 80-200/4 L for a couple of years. </p>

<p>If you absolutely need the speed of the f2.8 then by all means it is a very good lens that is superior to all other Canon and third party zooms. If you can live with f4 get the 80-200 L for it's amazing image quality.</p>

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<p>The 80-200 F4L is a very good lens - mine gets a lot of use. i cannot comment on the 200 f2.8 as I do not have this lens and it is probably almost 20 years since I used it. I am not sure about how it compares to the 85 F1.8 but I can assure you that both the 85 F1.2 and 135 F2 provide bettter image quality than the zoom. That said the zoom is a very good lens almost as good as the EOS 70-200 F2.8.</p>
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<p>Hi Darin, looking more at the budget end of your list, I can certainly recommend the 200mm f4 FDn as being very good value for money. I paid around €20 for mine a year ago here in Germany, and have been was surprised at how sharp it is, even at the widest apertures.</p>
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<p>they're giving away the 200 f4 these days. I bought mine new in 1980 for $89 and I've got my money's worth out of it. It's nice because it's relatively small, will fit in my bigger interior jean jacket pocket. (Jeff Adler, saw nothing of that 80-200 on ebay that went for 120-ish, maybe wasnt north america ebay?)</p>
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<p>I found using the item number you provided , but <em>does not</em> come up yesterday <em><strong>or</strong></em> today using the advanced search function, "search for 80-200 in Cameras and Photos, completed items", check it out.<br>

it must be the mm thing...80-200 vs 80-200mm jeezem wonder how many potential buyers did not see this lens, I never use the browse function on ebay, normally just 80-200</p><div>00SZgY-111669884.thumb.jpg.90cedb69ded7ea6b814c2ebf8b57c2a1.jpg</div>

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