| Field-test of the Canon EF 80-200mm
f/4.5-5.6 II zoom lens. I still remember how zoom lenses that were made for the beginners and amateur shooters in the 70s and 80s were as bulky and large as the professional versions. Take for example, Canon's manual focus zoom lens, the one-touch (push/pull) New FD 70-210mm f/4, which has more or less the same overall length and weight as its professional version, the twin-ring New FD 80-200mm f/4 and also the later push/pull-type, the New FD 80-200mm f/4L. All three lenses used the same filter size of 58mmm. Advance lens technology, like the revolutionary glass-molded aspherical elements technique pioneered by Canon as well as precision, high speed lens polishing, has reduced the size of such lenses and made them even more affordable to both beginners and amateurs. These innovations and the use of high quality polycarbonate materials for the lens' barrel and mount, have resulted in lower production costs, making these lenses extremely affordable for beginner and amateur photographers, hence their reputation as budget-priced or entry-level lenses.
In the EF line-up, the EF 80-200mm f/4.5-5.6 II zoom lens can be considered as the equivalent of the manual focus New FD 70-210mm f/4 of the discontinued FD lens system, minus the bulk and metal lens mount. Even if you compare this EF zoom to the earlier two-touch FD 80-200mm f/4 pro lens, you will be amazed at the size that Canon has been able to achieve by using glass-molded aspherical elements in place of conventional spherical types, which, apart from reducing the overall length and weight, also increase image quality. << Back to Main . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 5 . |
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