Canon EF 70-300mm 1:4.5-5.6 DO IS USM

In principal the Canon EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 USM DO IS is a very interesting lens ... in principal. From a performance point of view it delivers all that a consumer has hoped for - high resolution figures in conjunction with low distortions, low vignetting and low chromatic aberrations and all packaged in a quite sturdy, small package with high speed AF. So what is the problem ? Well, it's the price tag. The optical performance of the new EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 USM IS (non-DO) is simply about as good. Mechanically it isn't quite in the same league as the DO lens but ... hey - it comes at a 50% lower price tag! If we throw in the added values plus a little coolness factor the DO lens may be worth a 200-250 EUR/$ premium over the conventional lens but at 1100 EUR/US$ it is simply way over-priced (also true for the EF 400mm f/4 USM DO IS). So unless Canon reduces the price to something more in line with the (in-house) competition there're some question marks whether the lens is really worth the extra financial sacrifice.