I purchased this lens after a lot of research. I had high hopes and expectations of this lens and all I can say is that my expectations were not only met but they were far exceeded. This is THE best lens I have ever used. I cannot fault it in anyway whatsoever. As has been stated before, its heavy but by no means is it unmanageable. The build quality is excellent, the focus speed and accuracy can only be described as insane. Once you have this lens on your camera everything just takes on a different feel, its is a pro lens in every sense of the word. It is absolutely pin sharp wide open from edge to edge, even sharper that any of my other L lenses when they are stopped down. The color and contrast is fantastic but most of all, the bokeh that this lens produces is nothing short of amazing. I was skeptical at spending so much money on a lens but after the first day of use I wondered why I didn't buy it sooner. Sure its a lot of money but you do get your money's worth. An absolutely amazing piece of glass and the best quality I have ever seen. It blows away the other 7 L's I own by a long-shot. I wont ever part with the 200 f2

So far so good .. really fast and sharp .... this is the dream lens for photographers ... expensive but worth every penny..

Used for night football and soccer so far. Will also use for basketball and indoor cutting shows. Very fast focus,plenty of light,don't have to use high ISO Cost, Heavy

My Uses- Portraiture when used wide open, it gives a look that can only be achieved by very high speed super telephoto lens...it sets the shots apart from other lenses. AF is lightning fast!!!! IS works great.

Just came out of the box last week, and so far I've only used it at a youth sports league to test its speed, AF accuracy, sharpness, and the legendary bokeh. It exceeded all my expectations. Despite the weight (easily mitigated by using a monopod), it is easy to maneuver quickly. At wide open 2.0 aperture, it's insane! From across the soccer field, the plane of focus even at 100 ISO was razor sharp. You'll see in the sample photo below that I was just a fraction off the correct focus even at that distance because it is so precise. I've not tested the IS yet because of the super fast shutter speed in full light, but expect to do so at an evening wedding in New Orleans next month. Worth every penny, and I'd recommend it without hesitation!

Since you consider buying this lens, you probably have done some research already. Just to confirm what you already know: Optical/electronic/mechanical quality: Absolute top class. No question about it. Portraits: You are not anonymous using this lens, and it could easily frighten shy people ;) Its minimum focus distance is 6.23' (1.9 m). So, get the Canon extension tube EF 12 II. To make it complete, also buy: Canon 52mm Drop-in circular polarizing filter and Canon ERC-E4M Medium rain cover. The Canon EF 200mm f/2L IS is a beauty of a lens. Enjoy!

...what a great lens. I shot a high school basketball game the other night. I was concerned about the crackerbox size of the gym. It was the first time I had used it and the pics turned out stunning. Crisp on the subject with the background blur that's os typical of great sports pics. It's worth every nickel I put into it. Best if using a monopod or tripod. It's a little heavy.

This is one of those lenses people research for months and go back and forth on. The price scares folks, the weight .Really those are the only things I could imagine anyone could find to complain about with the lens, First off the price is totally reasonable to me, I cant imagine the millions and millions of dollars spent to develop this lens, Now im not saying you wont be shocked when you open the credit card bill, but come on, you cant fake what this lens does.And really the weight is not a factor at all if you ask me. bottom line the thing is as close to perfect as I;ve seen

This lens is amazing and when used with 1.4 and 2.0 Extenders produces excellent results as a 280 f2.8 and 400 f4.0. Could have saved myself $4,000 on a 300 f2.8!

I mainly use this lens to take professional portraits which it really excels at in fact better then any other lens including my beloved Canon 85mm F/1.2L II that's if you have the room to use it. Even on a full frame camera you will be backed up a ways from your subject. This lens WILL get you attention, I had it at the zoo the other day and a model shoot at the local park and lost count of how many people commented about it. I hear envy, lust, awe and attitude in their comments. But it also gets you respect people automatically think you are a pro. Be prepared for a heavy lens too after a three hour hand held shoot I feel ready to sit down and take a break, feels over twice as heavy as my 85 but much faster to focus and sharper wide open. Now for the best part, get back to your computer and be prepared for your jaw to drop when you see the images full sized. I can even at a glance tell from thumbnails which images are with this lens. Also when asked which images are liked almost always people pick out the ones taken with this lens from a shoot.