I have almost sold my Canon 75-300 IS lens as I found it was too slow at focusing for fast moving sports such as fieldsports and motorsports.

I now have a budget of about £600-700.00 for a telephoto zoom or prime to replace it. I guess my only option is a 70-200 f4L and a Canon 1.4x convertor? This will put the cost at around £670.00. I think I can source these from B&H in NY, so I will save a lot UK prices, so this lens fall into my price range.

My questions are:

Will the teleconvertor slow down the focusing speed of the lens?

Does anyone have experience of using this lens with the 1.4x teleconvertor, and is it worth the extra 80mm?

Has anyone ever ordered from B&H from outside the U.S.A?

Does anyone have any better ideas in this price and focal length range?

I am using an EOS 30 (Elan7E).

Hope you can help.

Thanks.

-- canonlover (canoneosd60@aol.com), February 18, 2002

Answers

Re: Ordering from the US. Consider www.ny-camera.net which is based in Germany. Reliable by many accounts (have only used them once myself - with good results) and the 70-200 f/4L is 786 Euro and then you wont have to bother with expensive shipping, customs and tax.

-- Kenneth Darling Soerensen (kenneth@darling.dk), February 18, 2002.

I too live in the UK, and I have the 70-200 F4L and a 1.4X TC.

I bought my 70-200 at Cameraworld of Oregon in the US for $607 (£433 at the time). My local shop in the UK did offer me £569 to supply the 70-200 new. With their TC price of £299, you'd be looking at just under £900 for the pair.

The focusing speed is slowed, but not as much as the 300 F4L IS USM is slowed by the teleconverter. Since you obviously need USM focusing, I think there isn't a better choice in your price range. Remember that bringing items into the country from B&H will incur VAT @ 17.5%, and if you are unlucky, you will get to pay other duty charges too (I had to pay about 50% of some tshirts I ordered from the US).

My advice would be to find your local canon pro centre (mine is LCE Southampton...great guys), and see what the best price they'll do on it is. Then go to your local jessops, and see if they will beat that price. Believe it or not, you can also try this in dixons, as it is a lens they list in their catalogue. Once you've done that, go back to the pro centre, and get them to sweeten the deal. You'll not do better than about £570. Buy it at that price, and then save up for the TC.

Remember to add VAT and customs charges to B&H prices.

-- Isaac Sibson (isibson@hotmail.com), February 18, 2002.

Thanks loads for your advice.

I have seen a place called WestBase Electronics in Regent Street, London, selling the lens at £599.00. I guess this is a reasonable place to start? Might use them as an example for Jessops to then sweeten their price.

Or, would ordering from Germany (NY Camera) attract an additional 17.5% VAT?

I've ordered loads of CDs and DVDs from the US, and never been hit for duty or VAT. Is it because the products are of a higher value that you attract the attention of customs?

-- canonlover (canoneosd60@aol.com), February 18, 2002.

Ordering from germany will not incur VAT, since you are already paying sales tax within the EU. I would recommend you also give KP photographic in cambridge a ring, as they will often match with NY camera in germany. I bought (some years ago) a 300 F4L IS form my local pro centre, who were matching kp for £974 inc. VAT. £599 is a good starting point for the 70-200 F4L. Give LCE southampton (civic centre road) a ring as well, and see what they'll do (although they may not mail).

-- Isaac Sibson (isibson@hotmail.com), February 18, 2002.

Check out www.internet-foto.de in Germany.

EF 4/70-200 € 747,-- /GBP 456,- Extender 1.4 I € 319,-- /GBP 195,-- Extender 1.4 II € 409,-- /GBP 250,--

Includes VAT.

-- Martin (uboot67@yahoo.com), February 18, 2002.

Thanks so much for your suggestions. I think I'll go and check out all the options and see what sort of a deal I can get. AC Photo looks pretty good! Can't read German though so there will be some guess work....

-- canonlover (canoneosd60@aol.com), February 20, 2002.

I am unable to comment on the 70-200 f4 with 1.4x converter, but my 70-200 f2.8 with 2x converter is slower focusing than my 75-300 IS on my Elan II.

-- Cameron Beebe (cameron.beebe@ci.west-sacramento.ca.us), February 20, 2002.

Slower than your 75-300 IS? I find that hard to believe that the same could be true of the 70-200 f4L with the 1.4x TC.

Are you sure that there isn't a fault with this combination?

Issac, if you are reading this can you shed any light at all?

I don't want to trade my 75-300 IS for the 70-200 f4L and 1.4x TC, then find it isn't any faster at focusing!

-- canonlover (canoneosd60@aol.com), February 20, 2002.

I'm basing my comment on shooting youth football games in good light (morning/afternoon/early evening with a few games starting in the evening and ending up under the lights). I use 400 or 800 film to keep the shutter speed up. With the 75-300 I hand-held, used all three focus sensors and never used the IS as I was usually panning or following a player/runner (plus I had pretty good shutter speeds). With the 70-200/2x combo, I used a monopod due to the weight and used only the center focusing sensor and tried to keep it stopped down a couple of stops for better quality (depending on the background and desired depth of field). I love the additional reach and quality of this combination, but I had more missed shots (out of focus or focus on the background although the player was clearly covering the center focus area). I particulary had trouble with focus with a player running straight at me, the 70-200/2x combination could'nt keep up as well as the 75-300. I never tried the eye control function as my eyes are constantly changing (getting progressively worse) and I change prescriptions fairly often. I didn't want to throw another variable into the mix. I never went back to the 75-300 however. I kept it as my "walk-around" lens, but it never seems to make it out of the bag any more. I pretty much use the 70-200 for everything I do (great for basketball and youth theater/dance productions). If I need additional reach, I throw on the 2x converter. I never bought the 1.4x because I felt that I could use the 75-300 if I needed this range. I guess the 1.4x should be my next purchase.

-- Cameron Beebe (cameron.beebe@ci.west-sacramento.ca.us), February 22, 2002.