Canon has announced an update to their signature 70-200mm L-series lenses! Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM Lens - $2,099 - Preorder Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS II USM Lens - $1,299 - Preorder
I must agree with you Ray, most of my gear comes from Vinnies or Ebay, even secondhand this gear is expensive.
I know that it is good and well built gear and probably good value for money but I can't justify spending that much on one lens. But if I win a big one in Lotto that would change the game completely.
I gave up on Lotto years ago, I just go through one day at a time with what a crappy pension allows but by using what little I have I also have had to learn a lot more about Photography to get better results and you would possiley be in the same boat when it comes to your photography
Whats sad is i think my 2.8 IS retailed a few hundred higher when I got it a almost a decade ago, right before the II came out (which having the replacement come out shortly after was irritating).
I used to have the 2.8 IS back around 2005, didn't care for it because I was always at 200 and never used the shorter focal lengths. So I opted for a 300 f4L IS and a 200 2.8 non IS black model and still had change left over from the sale of the 70-200. I would like to add that the 200 with 1.4 Canon TC is an amazing combination.
I use it for general wildlife and bird photography, here is a sample: 70d, 300mm, f4L, IS, 320 ISO, f6.3, 1/1250th:
Cool! http://phil.pictures/index.php/category/1-rochester_airshow_2014 There's some of my airshow pictures with the 70-200mm F/4L