Luminous Landscape Forum

Equipment & Techniques => Cameras, Lenses and Shooting gear => Topic started by: Charles Gast on May 02, 2007, 05:31:34 pm

Title: Canon 200mm f1.8 "good" serial numbers?
Post by: Charles Gast on May 02, 2007, 05:31:34 pm
I am looking into the Canon 200mm f1.8 lens and of course all of them are used since they quit making them. I noticed on ebay that sellers like to tout high serial numbers.  Is that just to say they are newer or is it known that later models had improved optics?

Thanks!
Title: Canon 200mm f1.8 "good" serial numbers?
Post by: pfigen on May 02, 2007, 07:05:39 pm
Just make sure you get the glass filter holder with the clear glass filter. The difference wide open between filter and no filter is huge.
Title: Canon 200mm f1.8 "good" serial numbers?
Post by: Charles Gast on May 02, 2007, 09:04:08 pm
Quote
Just make sure you get the glass filter holder with the clear glass filter. The difference wide open between filter and no filter is huge.
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Does not having the filter in place throw the focus off?
Title: Canon 200mm f1.8 "good" serial numbers?
Post by: pfigen on May 02, 2007, 09:12:19 pm
When I got mine there was a gelatin filter holder with no filter. The filter, be it glass or gelatin, is supposed to be in the optical path. It really made a big difference wide open. It was sharp without it, but on another planet with it. I picked up the glass filter holder with a filter used at Samy's. If your lens doesn't come with that, it's not an expensive item.
Title: Canon 200mm f1.8 "good" serial numbers?
Post by: dmg on June 03, 2007, 02:45:47 am
Quote
I am looking into the Canon 200mm f1.8 lens and of course all of them are used since they quit making them. I noticed on ebay that sellers like to tout high serial numbers.  Is that just to say they are newer or is it known that later models had improved optics?

Thanks!
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I recommend you stay with negative numbers, the provide the best value. I have also heard that real numbers are to be preferred to complex (which might indicate feature creep and a potential failure).

dmg
Title: Canon 200mm f1.8 "good" serial numbers?
Post by: eronald on June 03, 2007, 07:28:02 pm
Quote
I recommend you stay with negative numbers, the provide the best value. I have also heard that real numbers are to be preferred to complex (which might indicate feature creep and a potential failure).

dmg
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Lenses with pure imaginary numbers are cheaper.

Edmund
Title: Canon 200mm f1.8 "good" serial numbers?
Post by: CUclimber on June 04, 2007, 07:29:07 pm
Quote
Lenses with pure imaginary numbers are cheaper.

Edmund
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How true! Just now I imagined that I had a 200 f/1.8  (serial # -5i) and it was much cheaper than actually buying one! Tack sharp too.
Title: Canon 200mm f1.8 "good" serial numbers?
Post by: Wild Eyes on June 04, 2007, 08:16:09 pm
Numbers in the 15000 plus range are the newer lenses. I was going to buy one a while back but Canon no longer has the focusing motors to repair any auto focus problems-you will be stuck with a manual focus lens. So I decided against buying one and went with the 300 f/2.8 L IS. If you ever wonder why they are so beat up looking-watch any pro sporting event-you will see the guys drop them as they pick up another camera with a wide angle lens to get the close up shot. Hope this helps.

Bill