Recommended for wedding photographers

After 35 years of shooting mainly with prime lenses I broke down and purchased my first wide angle zoom and a L-series at that and I have no regrets. Compared with my Canon 24, 28, 35, 50 and 85 primes this lens is very good and in a few cases better than the primes, but then again it did cost $1149. If someone was starting out today with a Canon AF system be it digital or film based I would (with 20/20 hindsight) recommend this lens over purchasing the primes. First of all, based on quality of the images produced, second on the shear mass of all those individual lenses can result in a sore back. Trust me on that one. But if you are shooting in low light or need high end sharpness stopped down at f/8.0 then fast primes are the real solution. But don't buy the prime lenses thinking you will have a smaller depth of field, there is not much difference between 2.8 and 2.0 or 1.8 in my opinion when shooting close up. And if you are shooting outdoors or anything outside of wide open this zoom will suffice.If you are a working pro you don't have to read to many first hand accounts or reports to know that Canon AF lenses are fast and quiet, and that the L-series is the cream of the crop in terms of both mechanical and optical performance. This lens is no exception to that rule of thumb. The 4mm extra on the low end makes a world of difference to those who can appreciate it and the relatively low distortion is always welcomed. This lens is not lightweight, but that is the compromise you must accept when buying a no compromise lens design. Nor is it small but that is the price you pay for the f/2.8 speed. In short don't trust everything you read, go instead to the camera store and check it out in person. Only then will you able to separate the BS in test reports from the facts. If you recognize quality you will recognize this zoom as one of the better optical instruments that you have run across in years.I am not going to tell you the apparent cons like weight and size, you can see that for yourself in person. Cost is the real con here, but if cost is your only concern then I would not recommend going to much further with photography as a hobby. If you are working pro you know that buying low cost lenses can be risky at best over the long haul and typically the image quality is not always the best. In this case you do get what you are paying for and more like soft out of focus backgrounds. I don't need to lecture you on anything else if you are a confident photographer who is careful with your money.