Larry Lynch wrote:
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A NEED for IS is a sure sign you haven't practiced good technique
unless you go past about 400mm.

Of course this is opinion, and not meant to be a statement of FACT
except as an example of how I view the world.

My view is slightly different - IS allows me to do things I haven't been
able to before.

I have used 400mm and 500mm lenses in my film SLR days and have been able
to get good pictures with these lenses, but only under certain conditions
and probably only with a tripod or other support.

I now want a minimum photographic outfit and a tripod or monopod doesn't
make it into the kit I want to carry around. Therefore having IS
available extends the range of lenses I can use hand-held (at ISO 100 for
low noise) from the 135mm region to the 400mm region, and therefore
increases the scope of my photography generally.

Yes, if you have a tripod it's different. Yes, if you have higher ISO
available it's different.

David