The 70-200 mm F2.8: the long lens that shares a bag

The 70-200 mm F2.8 is a telephoto zoom made for the edge of the court, the foot of the stage and the birdwatchers' boardwalk. It keeps a constant f/2.8 while holding its weight to about 1,150 g without the tripod collar, and with the hood off it stands upright in an ordinary rucksack and travels with a camera and a standard zoom.

The pale grey finish reflects the sun, so the barrel warms more slowly through a long day outdoors. Two black rubber rings, one behind the other, look after zoom and focus. Near the mount is a tripod collar with a foot, so that on a monopod or a tripod head the camera does not have to be held up; loosen the knob and the lens turns between horizontal and upright. The petal hood supplied is the same pale grey.

The optics are 19 elements in 15 groups, two of them aspherical and four low-dispersion. Sharpness is even from 70 mm to 200 mm and from the centre to the edges, and purple fringing against the light is kept well down. Nine rounded blades turn stage lighting into smooth round highlights. Stabilisation is worth about 5.5 stops at 200 mm and has two modes, normal and panning.

Twin motors drive a floating focus system from the closest distance to infinity in under half a second. It will hold a long jumper through run-up and take-off, or an egret skimming the water. The closest focus is about 0.9 m, so a close-up does not mean backing away again and again.

• Sport, the stage and press conferences.
• Birds and other wildlife.
• Portraits from a distance, with the background compressed.

It is the most expensive lens in the range, and in the bags of sports and stage photographers the one that is used most. The box holds the lens, the hood, the tripod collar, front and rear caps, a lens case with a shoulder strap and a warranty card. The filter thread is 82 mm.