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1. Should I be concerned about the loss in sharpness to pick up IS?
2. Where should I buy? I hate paying retail if I can find a better place to purchase.
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1) I highly doubt it. Even if there is some minor degradation of image quality, the 70-200 is SO SHARP to start with that you'll never know the difference. But the real question for me is...is the IS lens worth the extra $550 ($1,100 vs $1,650 @ B&H) and the extra 0.4 lbs (2.8 vs 3.2). For me, the answer is clearly no. I've used my brother's Nikon VR lenses, and they are in fact very nice. I shot some water skiing photos, and it did a GREAT job of reducing lens shake. But $550? If I'm going to spend that cash, there are other photographic tools or seminars that would improve my images more.
2) Buy from B&H. They're a highly reputable dealer that provides excellent customer service.
I agree with Fred, though. When I drop the dough on a 70-200, I'll go with the Sigma.
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