Well, after mulling over this decision for many, many, many months, I bit the bullet today and made a decision.

The obvious choice was the Nikon 70-200 f2.8 VRII, but as an enthusiastic amateur, I just could not justify the price.

I thought seriously about the f4 version, but also felt that the pricing was over the top, particularly when the Nikon bean-counters decided not to include a tripod mount.

I looked at Sigma, I had a Sigma 70-200 f2.8 in Pentax mount, and was delighted with it.

So, that leaves the Tamron SP 70-200mm f2.8 Di VC USD. I still have a Tamron SP 19AH 70-210mm F/3.5 Lens, and apart from the dreaded purple fringing in high contrast shots , it's a stellar lens.

I was about to hit the 'BUY' button with either eGlobal or DWI, when I had one last troll of the market and found Ted's Camera's offering it for $1299.00, with a genuine local oz warranty. Ted's Cameras ???? When did they wake up that the market was bypassing them for better pricing and service? Did their 'Price match' thingo and they came back with $1265.00, with genuine Australian warranty.

At only a bit over $110 more than the grey imports, it was a no-brainer.

So, the Debit Card has been 'Hit' and , hopefully, it should arrive next week.

I've read a squillion reviews, and they all seemed pretty positive, Fingers crossed.

Will keep you posted!