by Mike
(Readfield, Maine, USA)
Canon 70-200mm f/2.8
"I am an intermediate amateur looking for a relatively fast lens for shooting sports in low afternoon light and under stadium lights. Here is my question: I cannot afford a new EF 70-200 f/2.8L IS II, so would I be better suited to try to find a refurbished (and more affordable) version of the IS II or to pick up the lower-priced version without the IS? "
Hi Mike from Maine,
Thanks for your question about the Canon 70-200 zoom lens!
The good and bad news is that you do have several options. Good, because you're not limited and go in one of several different directions. Bad, because it might be harder to narrow down to the one choice.
My quick answer is that with sports you need such a high shutter speed to freeze the action anyway that image stabilization is not that beneficial in my opinion. I actually only use image stabilization when I am shooting portraits in low light situations. My disclaimer though: I don't shoot a lot of sports. There are three major factor in making your decision.
Bruce Lovelace is the publisher of Canon Camera Geek. Read more about him on the About Page. He also publishes how to articles and camera gear reviews at the Photography Tips website.
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