Hello Landscape People,
I’m planning to upgrade my 70-200 lens and am looking for your expert guidance & advice. I’ve got a Tamron SP 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di VC USD that I picked up for a couple hundred bucks and, frankly, I’m a bit disappointed with it. I'm considering an upgrade to a used Canon RF 70-200mm f/4 L IS USM and am wondering if any of you have had any experience with it. Plan on using it for landscape photography, not wildlife. Is it worth the $1200USD even used? Or just save a few hundred and go with the equivalent used Canon EF 70-200mm f/4 L IS II USM? To go on an EOS R body with a control ring adapter. Open to other suggestions too. Thanks!
The RF is really small and light and, to my sense, will bring you at least the same IQ as the old EF version. I think it has also faster reactions and better handling.
It's a no brainer and one of the best bargain as an RF "L" lens.
I tried RF 100-400 too : it's quite light but a bit of a deception when it comes to image quality. It's sharp, but I find the colors and contrasts really a significant level below compared to L lenses, especially in the high lights where details can be mostly "washed out". It could be considered fine at that price, size and weight, but if you've been deceived by the Tamron, there is more chance you'll dislike this one too.
The RF 70-200 F/4 has no such caveat.
I also compared it to the RF 70-200 F/2.8 and all my findings were it could have marginally better colors in some situations than the F/4 version. Of course, F/2.8 will bring more light when needed, but, as you may already know, it's useless for landscape 99% ot the time. So not enough of a difference for landscape anyway between those two lenses, and the size and weight of the F/4 version make it a far better option for any walk around or travel usage.
In the beginning my dream was 70-200mm, then was 70-300mm, then I jumped at 150-600mm (Sigma) but that was too heavy.Now I am quite satisfied with 100-400mm.My advise is first rent them to see which of them is good for You.
Success!