Hi there,

i'm looking for a solid telephoto zoom for my 7D, and its between these two lenses. I can get the Nikon ED 80-200 2.8 for about $900 US (roughly from the price here in NZ), or the Canon 70-200 2.8L (non IS) for about $1100-$1200 US. Has anyone had any experience with both? recommendations?

my thinking at the moment is the Nikon, as it is cheaper and i like the Nikon focus rings better (am i correct in that the Canon ring rotates infinitely?) as i intend to use this with a follow focus as well. I'd really like to hear some opinions though, thank you.

The Canon's focus ring will indeed rotate infinitely, but there is a great deal more resistance when it is not actually moving an element (i.e., outside the range of movement).

I would strongly recommend the Canon, given the price difference. Having a lens that natively mounts, meters, and autofocuses is worth the extra $200-300 in my opinion.

Don't forget to check out the Tamron 70-200mm.

In optical and visual image quality terms, either lens will deliver top-notch results in the right hands.

If you mainly use it for video, then I'd go for the Nikon Nikkor - as long as it is the earlier non "G" AF ID-EF version and not the latest versions without an aperture ring. It is superbly built, very sharp and nice to handle. AF with a DSLR in video mode is hardly worth the bother, and you'll be using the lens in MF anyway, so the Canon-Nikon adapter will not be a problem.

However, if you do a lot of stills photography as well and often need AF over the MF, then go for the Canon version.