[asd]

have just received canon 70-200 2.8 IS from one stop digital, only had a quick play with it in the house but first impressions are good, now just wondering how to pay for the thing!! ebay and sell everything i own i think, thanks for all the advice which led me to this purchase,

regards scott

[stepheno]

Nice one....I hope it's all you wish for in a lens. When you've had it a while, your thoughts on it would be appreciated in the Equipment Reviews section.

ps Any trouble with Import Duty?

[Dave]

Congratulations Scott on a great lens. Be interesting to see what you think of the IS.

[Sonsey]

Nice one Scott, that's one quality piece of glass you've just got yourself

...yes, I'm jealous

[asd]

thanks, will keep you informed of how i go on. will do a beginners viewpoint review of the lens, will need help on how to include any test images in the forum please

unfortunately i have not followed Stepheno's mantra "upgrade your ability before upgrading your kit" but hey its a bit of a comfort buy for me at this moment, plus its the right specs for what i want to do with it, and being f2.8 it is a versitile lens, being a beginner it was a big decision which i didnt take lightly

as regards import duty Stepheno,..ermm ...in my thread (and above) i mistakenly said this was a new purchase, it totally slipped my mind that i have had this lens for a while and only dealt with one stop for a REPAIR on the lens as the invoice states that it is a repaired lens which has jogged my memory, thus import duty was not an issue, im getting forgetful lately.

as i now have the repaired lens back i can inform you guys that i took a shot at 1/10 of second with IS on (handheld), and it is acceptably sharp to my eyes! will give it a testdrive on some moving objects soon. will be quite a steep learning curve with this beast me thinks

Sonsey, dont be jealous, im on bread and water for the next year!

i thought people were exagerating about the weight of this lens in reviews.....jeees, they wern't!!!

[stepheno]

Originally Posted by asd

unfortunately i have not followed Stepheno's mantra "upgrade your ability before upgrading your kit" but hey its a bit of a comfort buy for me at this moment

And why not....it's champion buying a new lens, whether one can use it or not

[Warspite]

Great lens, Im sure you will not be dissapointed - definately a great piece of kit, just be prepared for the aching shoulders after a days shooting if you lug it about like me instead of using a tripod

[VikingPhotography]

ASD;

A quick sidebar on using IS / VR tech on lenses of such focal lengths - bracket your shots!

To be specific: as good as IS technology is you will usually find that, by taking three to five shots of the same subject, one of them will be sharper than the rest. All IS technologies have knock-on effects when it comes to focus aquisition, tracking and overall sharpness - somethings got to give when you have one of your lens elements moving around

Oh - and don't worry too much about lugging this lens around all day by hand/straps only... you'll soon get used to the weight - though I would strongly recommend that you invest in a dedicated camera strap such as the Op/Tech or Lowepro types... they're miles better than the OEM straps that are bundled with dSLR's, plus they don't have honking great manufacturer logos on them that scream "mug me!!"

[sbtm]

Originally Posted by VikingPhotography

A quick sidebar on using IS / VR tech on lenses of such focal lengths - bracket your shots!

What is ment by "bracket your shots"?

[Warspite]

He means take mutliple exposures (or atleast multiple shots) to increase your chances of getting good shots.

I would back his suggestion of getting an Op/Tech strap - definately more comfortable than the generic Canon one, whether its going to stop people noticing with a white lens attached to the camera is debatable though Another thing I would suggest though is the Canon E1 Handstrap (if you have the battery grip).