I agree that the 80-200mm 2.8d is
a bit slower at times to auto
focus, but as far as image
quality, ive never had any
issues. As far as comparing it to
the 70-200, I woukd hope the
latter is better it's newer and
costs four times as much. The
tripod collar or lack thereof
could be an issue for some, but
again, I don't shoot from a
tripod so my experience is
different than others. Even
though there are modifications
that can be made to add a ring to
use it on tripods, I don't find
it necessary. I do agree with you
that the 50mm afs is superior to
the d version at minimally more
money, and overall I wasn't
necessarily stating these are the
lenses he shoukd get with his
current setup, simply stating
that in my situation, I ended up
spending more in the long run by
not knowing what it is I was
actually trying to accomplish
with my shooting. On the plus
side, I now have a setup that
suits me, as well as a backup
camera and a plethora of lenses
to be able to teach my son how to
take pictures and have fun doing
it. Lol