selling my 70-200/F2.8L IS Mark II

Fantastic lens, must be about the sharpest thing I've ever had with amazing bokeh and efficient IS. But fact is that this lens spends way too much time in my backpack instead on-camera. I just checked my lightroom collection and only about 10% are taken with this lens, and that is almost exclusively for my paid work like weddings (maybe 1 or 2 times a year). My private photos are mainly kids, family, school plays etc. And vacations, although I tend to take my NEX camera to those to keep weight down.

So I really can't justify keeping the 70-200/F2.8 and since I'm getting a nice price for it (it's in excellent condition because, well, it's never been used that much) I'm thinking about switching to a different combination. The main reason the lens stays that much in the bag is mainly due to weight. So I was thinking about completing my current setup (Canon 7D + 50mm/1.4 + 17-55/F2.8) with these lenses :

Canon EF-100L IS : never had a macro lens, and this is supposed to be very sharp. As far as I've read, it should also make for a very nice portrait lens on a crop-body.
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Canon 70-200/F4 IS : not losing any of the reach that I had with my 70-200/F2.8, but essentially cutting weight in half, which I think will help me in putting the lens on a lot more. I lose some light-sensitivity, but for personale use I probably won't use this that much indoors too.

This combination will cost me absolutely nothing, the price I would pay for these (new) is exactly the same as what I'm getting for my 70-200/F2.8. I'm still not sure I'll need the 70-200 but it is a nice focal length to have in the bag. I might consider not buying the 70-200/F4 and just get some other gear like primes or a good flash. But for that, I could use some advice!

What do you think? Is this a sensible choice? I know the 70-200/F2.8 IS Mark II is always listed as a 'must have' lens, and I love it but I just don't use it that much because it is so heavy. I might regret selling it, but having a very expensive piece of equipment just for the sake of having it is also kinda stupid.

Sounds sensible to me.

Conversley, if the 10% of the time you use it is revenue generating, did you need the reach of the 200mm, and need the wide aperture given the light to avoid additional 1 stop ISO? Also, does the f4 have same IS stops as the f2.8 ii?

Just thinking If the 70-200mm f2.8 is netting you good revenue

What aperture and focal length are your 70-200 shots using?that would be the deciding factor for me, especially for paid work.

I've been considering the mkii for a bit, only for personal use, but then I think about the f4 IS version paired with a 135L for the same money, too.

I sold mine because of the same reason, weight. I bought 70-200 f/4 IS and 135 f/2 instead. Never missed the mark II at all. It's a wonderful lens, though.

I did all of the above. Ended up right where I started. Wasted a lot of $ because I always thought the grass was greener elsewhere. If you don't need the f/2.8 it sounds like a good thing to do. I found I just missed the f2.8 too much.

Sounds sensible to me. I sold mine and picked up a 70-300L and plan on picking up a 135L in the future. Never looked back and am perfectly happy

If you don't use it because of weight, this makes sense. If you just don't use the focal length, then then are cheaper options to keep the focal length. Then rent when you need the money making shots during those once or twice a year times.

get f4IS and I would upgrade to FF. I sold mine for money reasons. Weight not an issue.

Having had the 70-200 f/4 L IS, I added the 70-200 F/2.8 L IS II to my collection in January 2011. Since then, the f/4 L IS has not seen much action at all. Some say I should trade it in or sell. A few weeks ago on a weekend trip to Lincoln, NE, I decided to travel light. One 7D, 600 EX-RT, 17-55 f/2.8, and the 70-200 f/4 L IS.
Boy did I forget how nice traveling light was. The f/4 did not disappoint at all. One hell of a sharp lens.
A beautiful lens indeed. Would I sell my f/2.8? No. Will I sell my f/4 L IS, hell no. They are both fantastic. What I do know is if I found the f/2.8 too heavy and having sit in the bag, I would certainly not hesitate for swapping for the f/4 L IS. Better to use than not.

Thanks for the very nice advice guys. I know the F2.8 is a fantastic lens, but I really don't use it all that much. Even for paid work it's not my main lens. Last wedding I took about 600 shots, 500 with other lenses, 100 with the 70-200 and about 30 of those were at F2.8.

So I'm pretty certain the 70-200/F4 IS will suit me fine, especially because of the weight advantage. I'm not sure about the EF100L though, also considering the 135L. I'm more inclined to get the EF100L because it's a macro lens and would open quite some creative opportunities I never experiences, but I also know I'll be using this a lot as a portrait lens, which makes the 135L also appealing. But on a crop body the 135L is pretty long, and it does not have IS nor macro. Just wondering if the EF100L will be ok on my 7D for portraits too.

Also, about the fullframe switch. Well, I asked some other people about this and most adviced against selling my 7D to get a fullframe. Sure, it'll have bit better noise performance and smoother bokeh, but a lot of those people also said the 7D is still a great performer, especially for AF performance (which *is* important for wedding shoots). The 5DMarkIII would be high on my 'I want this' list, but it's a bit too expensive for me right now, especially since that would also mean I need to get a lens in the 24-70 range like my 17-55IS because that one does not work on a FF.

So, any opinions on the EF100L vs 135L ?

Lapino.
The 100 L IS Macro is a great portrait lens on the 7D. Use it and enjoy.
I would certainly keep the 7d and ADD a 5D Mark III or other full frame down the road. Then you would have the best of both worlds.

I sold mine, they're easy to sell and down the road if you need one you can always get another

Ok thanks a lot for these comments. I asked the same in the dpreview forums and almost felt like they would kill me because selling this great lens. Almost like I was trying to sell my firstborn

You can also rent that lens when you do your weddings.