Leopard (Panthera pardus) at night

Caption: Leopard (Panthera pardus) lying in the grass after nightfall, Elephant Plains Game Lodge, Sabi Sand, South Africa.

Photo Info: Canon EOS 400D (Digital Rebel XTi); Lens: Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM; Focal Length: 170mm; Shutter speed: 1/80; Aperture: f2.8; ISO: 800.

The leopard picture above was taken at night, without flash. The available light was provided by a hand-held spotlight of the type used on safari night drives, aimed towards the side of the animal by the tracker on our safari vehice.

As can be seen from the Photo Info, the ISO was pushed up to 800, which allowed a shutter-speed of 1/80 at an aperture of f/2.8. Luckily I was using a borrowed lens — a “fast” Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM zoom that helped me get the picture without resorting to flash.

The EF 70-200 f/2.8L IS is a superb lens for wildlife photography with its fast f/2.8 maximum aperture throughout the zoom range. This allows shooting in low light at shutter speeds that are sufficiently fast to counter the camera shake that’s inevitable when using a long lens.

For the above picture, even with limited available light from the spot, I was able to shoot at 1/80 by keeping the aperture wide open and cranking up the ISO. In these situations image stabilization is a huge help, but it’s doubtful if I’d have been able to keep the picture sharp at a slower shutter speed, which would have been necessary had I been forced to use a smaller aperture.

The one drawback of this lens that photographers complain about is its bulk and weight — a natural result of the many glass elements needed to provide the constant maximum f/2.8 aperture, while still providing the superior image quality that photographers expect of a Canon L-series lens.

A highly recommended alternative is the f/2.8’s more compact sibling, the Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM. With a maximum aperture of f/4 there is a loss of one stop, but the image and build quality easily match that of the larger lens. Some users even insist that the f/4 produces sharper images.

The main advantage however is its smaller size and significantly lighter weight — 1.67 lbs (760g) vs 3.24 lbs (1470g) for the f/2.8.

This makes it ideal for travel and other assignments where weight is critical. The second generation image stabilizer provides up to four stops of camera shake correction, making it easy to hand hold. Certainly a lens with a top pedigree that offers a viable alternative to its big brother — and at considerable cost saving. For user comments and reviews, see Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM user ratings.

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