I am an intermediate level photographer and this lens is great for portrait photography! The wide aperture is perfect for capturing images with a bokeh/ blurry background. This helps to zero in on the subject to make the person the hero of the composition. I gave the product 4 stars for image stabilization because compared to other lenses the image stabilization needs some work. However, if you are starting out and this is the first lens you buy for photography I would recommend trying the autofocus if you are not comfortable with manual focus yet. Overall, there are a few minor critiques for this product but I would definitely recommend buying this product!!

I've owned this lens for about 6 months now and it is now my "go to" glass. The sharpness is impeccable. The image stabilization is beyond parr. My raw files have never looked this good in low light. At 70mm or 200mm the image will still be sharp! The auto focus is fast and on point. The weight may put some people off, but beyond that I cannot think of any negatives when it comes to this product. The colors are rich and the contrast is makes them pop! Get this lens. If you can afford it then do it! You WILL NOT be disappointed.

Some of the name-brand action cameras cost $500, not including the accessories. This camera is $70 and they include the most important accessories that you were going to buy anyway. Image quality is noticeably worse than the name-brand cameras, but it is still decent and good enough to post on social media where most of your friends are going to be viewing it on their tiny phone screens. This camera only has digital image stabilization, not the much more effective optical image stabilization that more expensive cameras use. The camera is compatible with the popular GoPro mounting system, so you can spend a lot more on accessories if you want to. They include a helmet mount, but you may want a chest mount or bicycle handlebar mount, etc.

I recently bought this after having first bought the version without image stabilization. I thought it would be worth the savings, but I found that at least half of the photos I took were too blurry so it ended staying in my bag. I upgraded to this lens and have been so glad I did. I recently took photos at a concert where the lighting was terrible. This lens came through like a champ. Almost all of my photos were tack sharp and I was able to get some amazing close ups. The bokeh is incredible. It was worth the extra money to get image stabilization. I just wish I had bought it first and skipped the 70-200 without the IS.

First: this lens does not have image stabilization, not sure why Amazon has that as a rateable feature.This is a great lens, it is incredibly sharp and just overall a great joy to use. I am using it on a T4i so it's closer to a 80mm focal length for me. This works really well for portraits if you back far enough away from the subject, but if you're also on a crop camera I'd recommend a 30 or 35mm for portraits (especially if you're shooting at events or in tighter spots).

I've been using the 70-200 f/4 for a couple of years, and realized that I really needed a faster lens with image stabilization. Justifying the price for a lens to feed my hobby was difficult, but am I glad I did! First, this lens is larger (I had to purchase a new sling camera bag to fit the lens) and a lot heavier. I shoot a lot of action stuff, mostly ski racing, shot on the hill. This means that I can't put the camera down, or use a tripod or monopod - so the weight really puts a strain on the wrist during a few hours of shooting. But, there is no camera shake in my images. They are as crisp as is I shot from a tripod - just see the samples I uploaded.Another big plus - I have the 2x adaptor from Canon. It was not really practical with my previous lens - slowed it down too much, required a tripod, too dark. With this lens - holy cow! Hand held shooting with a 400mm! See the samples - great quality and color.I can't say enough good things about this lens. There are two different IS modes. Mode 1 is full stabilization. Mode 2 if for panning, say when you're following a moving skier or car. It stabilizes the vertical but leaves the horizontal alone. Typically an IS lens is pretty useless for action photos when you're panning the subject - Mode 2 saves the day!The downside: The weight. The image stabilization is loud - at first I thought the auto-focus motors were messed up.

Great lens, takes nice photos with blurred backgrounds. This does not have image stabilization.

Used this for a vacation. Takes great pictures. It would be nice if the larger lens had image stabilization like the smaller lens does . But for this price I guess you can’t expect to have it all. Otherwise a great beginner camera at a good value. Do yourself a favor and have an extra battery and a big memory card. Your gonna be taking so many pictures your going to need them both.