The thing about IS, is that it isn't normally needed on the shorter zoom ranges. And on longer zoom ranges, the 24-85 is between .5 and 1.0 stops faster than the 28-135-IS -- so having the IS just cancels out the slower lens speed, giving the same net effect in a lower quality lens. And IS is tough on batteries.. one can shoot all weekend (500+ shots) on a single battery without IS, but with it one might easily go through two batteries per day.

I had wondered about battery consumption. None of the reviews I have read mention what IS does to battery life.

The blurb I had read said the IS gives you the equivalent of 1.5-2.0 stops.

But IS has that coolness factor, I suppose..

It certainly does. When I mentioned to my boss that I was getting the 10D he said "You are getting an IS lense, aren't you ?".

Figure it this way: you'll probably buy a longer zoom next year, so the tiny amount you give up (85mm vs. 135mm) is only going to be a short term thing.

Don't say things like that...

...I knew this was going to be an expensive move !

Don't worry much about the wide angle for now -- 24mm is good enough, but 28mm is NOT wide enough (another black mark on the 28-135).

Yeah, the 28mm (45mm with the 1.6x) would leave me well short of the 36mm I am used to. However the 24mm (38mm with the 1.6x) would still leave me short of what I'm used to, and I already often wish I could go wider than 36mm. So I think I'll end up getting a wide prime when I get to Seattle anyway, whichever zoom I buy :-(

But if you really desperately want one anyway, I'll sell you mine!

By the time you ship it from CA to UK and I frett about problems of getting a CA sourced lense repaired in the UK it wouldn't be worth it...

Quite the sales job, eh?

Indeed.

Why does life have to be so complicated