The Primepipe -- Canon EF 200/2.8L Mk 1

A Canonian shopping around for something around a medium tele must feel like a kid in a candy store, especially if he has enough of a budget to bring the L's within reach... new or used. There's simply so much to choose from, and almost none of it is actually bad. Choosing a medium tele becomes a matter of choosing which trade-offs you'd rather make.

Pelicans on a rock by Bandon Beach, Oregon.

Long lenses are fun, but they have one problem: the good ones tend to be big and heavy. I like to move around, but I don't like the idea of carrying around a kilo and a half of lens or more -- in addition to the rest of the gear. My quest for the portable tele has ended with a second-hand Canon 200/2.8L Mk 1. At its native focal length, it is flawless at every aperture, and with a 1.4x and, I hope, 2x teleconverter it makes a highly usable 280/4 and 400/5.6. And, most importantly, the whole kit fits easily into my MicroTrekker, with room to spare for the rest of the gear.