Thanks for your comments guys!
Cheryl, I don't really deserve the credit as handholding the Canon 800 f5.6 is really not that harder than HH the Canon 500 f4 IS which many photographers in here do on a regular basis. Doug Brown with his handholding the Canon 600 f4 - well that's another story....

I would recommend the Canon 500 f4 IS and not the Canon 600 f4 IS if you intend to do any HH work. The Canon 600 f4 IS is a monster and I don't regret selling it. I don't know much about the non IS versions.
I didn't have to lighten the darks in PS....
