thanks jim,
this is the lens i'm leaning towards. i'm scouting ebay & another photo forum to see if i can get a nice copy used.

how fast is the focus?

i love my 70-200. i rented it a couple times last year for some indoor shows and the pictures were nice. still need to tweak my settings, but now that i have it to practice, i can't wait to see if i can do better. i'm testing it out for the first time at a show this sunday. i'll post some photos if anyone wants to see them.

thanks again for the help,
liz

Quote:

Liz,
here are two shots I took with the 28-135 IS. For portraits, it works great.

Shot in the studio at F8.0, 2 Alien Bee 400s.

I think this lens is ideal. It's as sharp as necessary stopped down; it's compact and easy to carry; it has IS which is a real benefit when you're shooting at 135mm (which is really 216mm on a crop body). And it's affordable.

BTW, how do you like the70-200?

Jim