How Sharp do you want it?

Just wanted to vent about something that was bugging me. Was following a thread on a forum recently where a guy wanted to buy a new SLR camera, and there was the usual brand debate going on. I have started avoiding these generally, mostly coz it degenerates into fanboy arguements, and also because, to successfully engage in a brand debate, you have to know both sides of the coin. Now I chose to become a Canon user due to various reasons that made it the right choice for me. Might not apply to others, so I don't attempt to force the brand down anyones throat. If someone wants to know something about a Canon, I'll help if I can, if they want to know about a competeing brand like Nikon or Sony, I say I don't know about them and stay out of it.Right now, since I have made my choice already, its just not useful for me to keep up with the products of competing brands. Why waste time on things I can't use?
However, this guy got my goat. I mean, he did the posting equivalent of pleading and begging not to buy a Canon on the basis that he hadn't enjoyed his user experience, and claiming it was impossible to get sharp telephoto pictures unless you buy the expensive L series lens that Canon offers.
Now, even my last post was an enthusiastic post on the virtues of the L series, but this is taking it a little too far. Plently of people take really good, sharp telephoto pics with non-L glass. Heck people take good sharp telephoto pics with Point and Shoot consumer cameras.
This Bee Eater was taken with a Canon Powershot S2 IS p&s.

This dragonfly was taken with the same camera.

I don't know by what measure you can't call them sharp, and this is just my stuff, there are plenty of people out there who take much better pics than I do.
However, the bone is that Canons cheaper telephoto range doesn't do the job. Alright, I recently bought a budget Canon telephoto lens. The EF-S 55-250mm IS. I took this picture of a squirrel on a tree in my front yard while sitting on my keister on my front porch, pairing my 450D and the 55-250mm. Handheld. Fully extended to its maximum 250mm. There really isn't much in the currently in-production range of Canon telephoto lens that you can get cheaper than this one. You be the judge if it gets the job done.

I dunno what that guy was smoking, but I absolutely love this lens. I took it on safari within a week of getting my hands on it and I've been smitten ever since. If you want to know why, check out these results at my multiply album of the pics taken on that trip

Its not that I'm knocking on the L range or saying its not necessary. But I did consider the excellent EF 70-200mm F4L when deciding on a telephoto, and the 55-250 won out, for several reasons. L lens have their place in the world, and they are definitely on my wish list, but to blithely dismiss the non-L glass as useless is just wrong. Even the pro's of pros will tell you, you don't need pro equipment to get good pictures in good conditions. Under ideal conditions, even a phone camera will deliver unbelievable results. Pro gear start showing their worth when the conditions start getting bad, when you need that reliability to make sure you can get the shots that put the food on your table even when the conditions aren't great for photography. But in normal conditions?

Well, we'll see. I am planning on getting a third party 500mm f8 manual focus lens. If it delivers then, it really will prove my point. At under $90, this is very much el cheapo. If it doesn't, I'll use it as a paperweight :)