THE lens for sports and portraits

Yes it is heavy but only a few outings with it will make you a believer. The shallow depth of field at F2.8 gives portraits beautiful background blur but excellent sharpness. F2.8 also makes focusing easier for me in low light. I add a 1.4x extender to this lens and still have auto-focus capability.By far, this lens is my favorite and in tests performs at a level just not attainable in a $300 zoom.
After almost ten years of use the output quality is still stunning. Please buy a high quality UV filter ( I like B&W) to protect the front lens element. The robust lens hood really helps keep flare down on sunny days and also protects the front of the lens.On the Canon 30D the effective range is 160mm to 320mm.
I have used the Canon EF 25mm extension tube with the 70-200mm F2.8L for macro work... flowers and Ebay product shots. Very sharp results for little additional cost