compare canon 70-200 variants

	EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM	EF 20-200mm f4 IS	EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM	EF 70-200mm f 4 USM
Image stabilization	Up to 4 Stops	Up to 4 Stops	no IS	no IS
One of the best things to have happened in photography. Earlier one was restricted to shoot hand held only in good lighting to avoid camera shake but with Image stabilization especially the new ones, one can get very good shots even at slower shutter speeds. Highly recommended to have. But if shoot only in the studio or controlled environment you can always go for the non IS versions and save the money for any other equipment. IS is very in unexpected unfavorable conditions when it is not possible to use a monopod etc.
Maximum aperture	f2.8 constant	f4 constant	f2.8 constant	f4 constant
When we look through the viewfinder we actually look through the maximum open aperture even though we may have set the aperture closed down. (It closes only when the shutter is released) So, we will see a brighter image through the viewfinder in case of f2.8 lens compared to f4. Also f2.8 would have faster focusing in low light situations compared to f4. However, as the image quality at higher ISO is drastically improving compared to earlier cameras, one can even increase the ISO
Glass	Good glass is important to help control secondary spectrum aberrations
Fluorite element	1	1
Ultra low dispersion	5	2	4	2

Groups/Elements
	23 elements in 19 groups	20 elements in 15 groups	18 elements in 15 groups
Diaphragm blades		8
		8
Tripod collar
	yes	optional	yes
Filter thread
		67mm	77
Weight
	1.49 Kg	760 g	1.30 kg
Minimum focusing distance	3.9' (1.2m)
Focusing and zooming
	internal
compatibility
		with the Extender EF 1.4x II and 2x II teleconverters (requires f/8 AF sensitivity with EF 2x II)
	f2.8 IS	f4IS	f 2.8	f4

munish khanna