Quote Originally Posted by Jon Ruyle
For these reasons, I often prefer 200 f/2.8 because you get about as much blur as 135 f/2 but more DOF.

That was one of the biggest reasons I sold my 200mm f/2.8L prime (which is even less hand-holdable than the 135mm f/2L) - unless I was shooting in bright daylight, there were a lot of misses due to camera shake. With the lens you call the "most hand holdable lens canon currently makes" (the 70-200 f/2.8L IS II), I've gotten handleld shots at 200mm after sunset, with shutter speeds around 1/13 s.


Quote Originally Posted by Jon Ruyle
the 135 (which, despite its speed, isn't a particularly hand-holdable lens).

Yes, compression and angle of view do make a difference. One thing I'll say in favor of 200mm f/2.8 - I did get some wonderful outdoor candid portraits (with the prime lens, but the 70-200 2.8I or II would be similar for that) where reflections in the background are just big, smooth circles.