Hello again,

a week ago I wrote:
> Hello, fellow members,
>
> (...)I am considering to buy /*another*/ telezoom for my Canon 400D.
> I have these two lenses:
> * Canon EFS 18-55mm (non-IS) f/3.5-f/5.6 This is the older kit lens. Use it for 2/3 of my shots
> * Tamron 70-300mm f/4-f/5.6, which I use quite often. (also non-IS)
>
> Now this Tamron has a zoom-range what I do like very much. especially for candit portraits, but I shoot flowers, achitectural details and an occasional bird or rabbit as well. At my work (a school) I do take pictures at various events, including indoor performances (theatre, dance and such).
>
> Now, while the zoom range of the Tamron is great for my needs, I think I meet the limits of this lens, especially:
> # It's non-IS and for tele I do miss this, /(I do like shooting handheld and am aware of several techniques to do that quite reasonable.)
> # I could do with more 'light in camera' and would like a wider aperture (especially for the occasional indoor (school) handheld teleshots).
> # The image quality is allright, but surely not more than that. Depending on several variables I come across some lens flaws like Chromatic aberation (to mention just one).
> *So I'm considering to /replace/ the Tamron with another telezoom.
>
> Now for a serious enhangment of my tele capacities I think I can spend some EURO 700 (about 1.000 US dollar), but for such an amount I do expect some serious improvement.
> Now I'm not the one who knows everything about brands and products, so I'm coming to ask your advice. (...)
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Thanks for your input.
I've read it, seached through slgear.com and photozone.de and visited several shops in town. There I brought my own 400D and my *Tamron 70-300 /4-5.6* and shot with that and with some 7 'comparable' lenses.
Got home and looked at the RAW's in LR (handy the EXIF telling me which lens, aperture, shutterspeed!), then I made a shortlist in Excel. I'm now looking at the following options (shall number them to make replying easier) :
# *Tamron 70-300 /2.8* 2.8 at the full range, that's one stop at 70mm and two at 300mm. Good image quality, focussing ok, no IS, quite large, good zoom range € 700
# *Canon EF 70-200 /4 L IS USM*, an */L/* lens and it shows! Very good quality, good IS (impressing), nicely small, impressive focussing, one stop gain at tele. Less tele reach than I'm used to, but somehow /a lens to fall in love with!/ A bit above what I had planned to spend. € 1200
# *Canon EF 70-300 /4-5.6 IS USM*, no gain on aperture, no loss at tele reach. Good quality, focussing allright, IS does what it promisses (and that's more than I expected), compact, cheap € 500

I was also suggested to swap my (non-IS) kitlens with the new kit lens, the IS is good for me (nut not that important at this shorter focal range) and the lens quality should realy be a jump forward (that's what I'm told).
Adding this to my considerations I can add some /combinations/ to the lenses I mentioned:
* 4. *Canon EF 70-200 /4 L IS USM*, and a *1.4x convertor*, regaining my telereach to 280mm (at F/5.6, but with IS). This adds up to € 1370
* 5. *Canon EF 70-300 /4-5.6 IS USM* /and/ a new kit lens: *Canon EFS 18-55 /3.5-5.6 IS*, adding up to some € 700 (or less)

-pfffff- some list.
Still not sure what I want to spend (or can spend).

So now the question changes a bit, these are my questions now:
* *How about that Tamron lens?* Heard no-one about it, while at that price it seems a bargain, but my experiance with my current Tamron make me hessitate. no IS is a pitty. But the test in dlgear.com is nearly exciting:
http://www.slrgear.com/reviews/showproduct.php/product/1090/cat/23
* I'm impressed by the IS on both Canons telezooms (well these canons were a leap in quality compared to my Tamron). *How should I think about the trade between IS and wider aperture?* I tend to think IS might be more valuable for me then 1 or 2 stops of aperture, am I right?
* The Canon 1.4x convertor is quite expensive. I'm told that *Kenko* has nice teleconvertors (IF you take the 'pro'-versions), but I've never heard of the make. Are the *Kenko pro 1.4 convertors* any good?

Well, again I ask you fellow members for opinions and advice. If you got this far, thank you for reading and thinking. If you have something to help me consider (even when you make my decission harder) you're very very welcome. Thanks in advance.

I seem to go spending what I consider to be a considerable or even large amount of money and possibly will end up with a zoom range that's the same or even less of what I already own, so I want to be sure. Well kinda sure.

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/All in my humble opionion of course!
/If I seem to talk nonsense or you can't understand me, it's probably my English :)