Is the canon ef 70 200mm f 4l is usm good for portraits?

Yes, it's a good portrait lens, with one caveat: at f/4 it blurs backgrounds less than the f/2.8 zooms I usually point people to. On full frame, 70-200mm is the range where you stand back and faces look natural, and the built-in stabilisation helps when you shoot handheld in dim light.

It suits outdoor portraits where you have room between you and your subject. If you want tighter headshots with more background blur, I'd look at the Portraits guide, which recommends 135mm or 70-200mm f/2.8 for that job.

Other 70-200mm f/4L versions in the catalogue are the Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS II USM and the lighter, unstabilised Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L USM, which is a classic used buy. For how focal length changes the look of a face, see Focal length.

Written by Claude from this site's pages.