Canon ef 70-200 f2.8L (used) or Canon rf 70-400 f4L (new) ?

by Vincent
(Montréal, Canada)

Canon 70-200mm
F4 Vs. F2.8 Size Comparison

Hi Bruce,

nice website you have, i did not know it but I've bookmarked it for future reference!

I am also a Canon fan and I have recently bought an R6 as a gift to myself. I have bought a used (but mint) RF 24-105 F4/L as I had the first version of its EF sibling and just loved it.

I am now considering buying a 70-200. I have always wanted the Canon F2.8L but could not really justify the price. I pretty much convinced myself to buy the RF F4 version (new) since it's so small and would cover 90% of my needs, but I can now have an EF 70-200 F2.8/L III (used) for almost the same price, so I'm hesitant...

I would use it mostly for day to day shooting. I do shoot lots of soccer but since it's mostly during daytime and I needed a bit more reach, I bought an EF 100-400 for that. Coupled with an EF to RF adaptor and the R6 amazing sensor it fits my sports photography needs nicely.

I'm trying to be reasonable here ; seeing the prices are almost identical, what would you recommend ?

Thanks !

Vincent

Hi Vincent, Congrats on the splurge of getting yourself an R6. Great choice!

Check out the size comparisons I did for a post I wrote a few years ago. See the photo above. One of the biggest advantages of mirrorless cameras is their reduced size and weight. Unless you really desperately need that extra 1 stop of light, I'd highly recommend you go with the Canon 70-200 f/4.0.

Here are two posts you should read:

Canon 70-200mm f/2.8
Canon 70-200mm f/4

I think the 70-200 f/4 will feel better mounted on your Canon mirrorless R6, save you weight, space, and money. It sound like you are comfortable with buying pre-owned lenses-so am I. Your follow-up question be whether you should buy a new or used 70-200mm f/4?

I hope that helps.
Feel free to comment back.

Thanks so much for your kind words,
Bruce