Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II vs Canon EF 70–200mm f/4L IS II USM

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EF 50mm f/1.8 II compared with EF 70–200mm f/4L IS II USM

	CanonEF 50mm f/1.8 II	CanonEF 70–200mm f/4L IS II USM
Overview
Released
Released	December 1990	June 2018
Optics
Lens type
Lens type	Prime	Zoom
Focal length
Focal length	50 mm	70–200 mm
Maximum aperture
Maximum aperture	f/1.8	f/4
Minimum aperture
Minimum aperture	f/22	f/32
Optical construction
Optical construction	Six elements in five groups; Gaussian optical design	20 elements in 15 groups
Special elements
Special elements	–	One fluorite and two UD elements
Coatings
Coatings	–	Super Spectra coatings; fluorine coatings on the front and rear elements according to Canon's US launch announcement
Diaphragm
Diaphragm	Five blades	Nine blades with a circular aperture
Angle of view
Angle of view	Full-frame diagonal 46°; vertical 27°; horizontal 40°	–
Mount and compatibility
Mounts
Mounts	Canon EF	Canon EF
Image circle
Image circle	Full frame	Full frame
Compatibility
Compatibility	Canon EF mount for full-frame, APS-H and APS-C cameras (DPReview)	Canon EF mount full-frame and APS-C cameras
Focus and stabilisation
Autofocus
Autofocus	Yes	Yes
Minimum focus distance
Minimum focus distance	0.45 m	1 m
Maximum magnification
Maximum magnification	0.15×	0.27×
Optical stabilisation
Optical stabilisation	No	Yes
Autofocus detail
Autofocus detail	DC micromotor autofocus (DPReview)	Ring-type USM with full-time manual focus override
Focus distance detail
Focus distance detail	Switch to MF before turning the focusing ring; do not touch rotating parts during autofocus	Maximum 0.27× magnification at 200 mm; internal focusing according to Digital Camera World
Magnification detail
Magnification detail	0.15×; 240 × 160 mm field of view at 0.45 m according to Canon	–
Stabilisation detail
Stabilisation detail	No optical image stabilisation (DPReview)	Five-stop CIPA claim at 200 mm on an EOS-1D X Mark II; three modes including exposure-only stabilisation for tracking moving subjects
Design
Dust and moisture resistant
Dust and moisture resistant	–	Yes
Filter diameter
Filter diameter	52 mm	72 mm
Maximum diameter
Maximum diameter	68.2 mm	80 mm
Length
Length	41 mm	176 mm
Weight
Weight	130 g (better)	780 g
Controls
Controls	AF/MF switch and focusing ring; no distance scale (The-Digital-Picture)	AF/MF, IS on/off and three IS mode switches; focus limiter excludes distances below 3 m according to Digital Camera World
Zoom design
Zoom design	–	Internal zooming maintains physical length according to Digital Camera World
Weather resistance
Weather resistance	–	Dust- and moisture-resistant construction
Filter detail
Filter detail	One 52 mm front filter; with the optional hood, mount the filter on the hood adaptor	–
Dimensions detail
Dimensions detail	Length measured from the mount surface to the front of the lens, excluding caps	80 mm maximum diameter × 176 mm length
Weight detail
Weight detail	Approximately 130 g lens only	Approximate 780 g maker figure; Digital Camera World specifies this excludes the optional tripod mount
Tripod mount
Tripod mount	–	Optional A II (W II) tripod mounting ring according to Digital Camera World; the maker photograph shows this separately sold accessory
Lens hood
Lens hood	Optional ES-62, requiring its supplied screw-in hood adaptor; reversible for storage	–
In the box
In the box	Front and rear caps according to DPReview; accessories may vary by region	Lens, pouch, caps, hood and instruction manual according to Canon UK
Release detail
Release detail	Marketed in December 1990 according to Canon Camera Museum	Canon Japan announced first sale on 28 June 2018; Canon Camera Museum gives June 2018 and the US launch announcement states late June. The day is the Japanese sale date, not a separately confirmed UK date.