So I've been lens hunting lately...quite a bit actually. I own a ton of Sony native glass and since I'm a big believer in adapting glass to my Sony mirrorless system, I've been adding Canon L glass to my cupboard so to speak.
I picked up the Canon 200mm f/2.8 about a month ago and really loved it from the start. For a 200mm it's light, easy to use, performs very well, and cranks out some KILLER shots. I was in love.
I then found out about the Holy Grail lens. The big boy. The one we've nicknamed as "Jaws" because it's a great big white shark of a lens. I already had the Canon 200mm f/2.8, so spending the money on "Jaws" was difficult to justify. Do I spend thousands of dollars just to get that tiny difference between f/1.8 and f/2.8?
I searched online and couldn't find any videos that showed the difference between the two lenses. I looked at countless pictures that the two lenses rendered looking for the subtle differences between the two. I still was a little hesitant.
But then I put it out to my followers on my Facebook Group and I asked my Canon shooters what their thoughts were....well, they told me the Holy Grails lens (F/1.8) was indeed a legendary lens.
So I got it. I went up to San Francisco and did a shoot at the ruins of the Sutro Baths. I wanted to put out the information to the photography world that I couldn't find. I wanted to show them what I was searching for...and had to spend a LOT of money to find out. Was the difference in the background rendering between f/1.8 and f/2.8 really that much? Did it really make a difference int the shots?
Hell Yeah it did! If I'd never used the f/1.8 I'd still be madly in love with the performance of the f/2.8. But once you see the comparison between the two, it's pretty obvious that f/1.8 really does make a difference compared to f/2.8. Especially when you combine the compression factor of a 200mm lens.
I've included a video of my experience and images below. I hope it helps you all out there!
--Links to Gear:
*Canon 200mm f/1.8- sorry this lens is no longer sold. The closest equivalent lens is the Canon 200mm f/2. A link for that lens is shown below:
