Tag archive: Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 L II

You know how you feel when Nats reliever Henry Rodriguez enters the game in a save situation, both hopeful and a little queasy?

That’s how I feel right now because I just gave my camera body and lens to the guy at Parcel Plus. Silly, I know, but I will be relieved when I get an email on Monday or Tuesday from the Canon Factory Service Center to let me know my children have arrived safely at the camera hospital.

It’s been a rough week for me and my camera. First, there was the issue with the usher who said I could no longer use the lens I’ve been using at Nationals Park for more than a year. The usher (or whomever directed him to bother me) was wrong about my lens not meeting ballpark guidelines, and the issue is now resolved, but the situation created some unnecessary stress.

Second, my camera (or lens, I’m not sure) has a problem with the autofocus. This issue has been developing for a while, but I finally decided it was time to do something about it, in part because I don’t have any decent photos from games during this home stand.

I might be without my camera and lens for 2 weeks. OMG!

And OMG to the absurdity of me worrying about being without my 70-200mm f/2.8L II telephoto zoom lens.

I bought the 70-200 lens just before spring training in 2011, after agonizing over the purchase for at least 6 months, probably longer. During my drawn-out, obsessive, decision-making process, I consulted with Nats photographers Cathy Taylor and Cheryl Nichols, who already had a similar lens, and I argued with myself about the weight (too heavy to schlep around?) and price (holy smokes!).

And then I finally went for it.

Within a week of receiving the lens in the mail, I knew that no one would be able to pry it from my hands without an epic fight.

Except the Parcel Plus guy, who at first did not even tell me my Federal Express tracking number. He can be trusted, right?