Canon 24/70mm L or Canon 17/85mm

[freddiebear48]

Which is better, in your opinion, for the Canon 20D as a general purpose lens?

[RichardtheSane]

17-85 as a general purpose lens.

The 24-70L may be an F2.8 but it is big, and heavy, and gets you noticed quick.

The 17-85 is none of the above, hase IS and the image wuality is actually protty good - although not as good as the 24-70L

[ghocking]

The 24-70 L is big and heavy and you need to get used to it to find your best settings, but gives excellent results.

Have never tried the 17-85 IS only the 17-85 kit lens when I got my 300D.

[CoolToolGuy]

I have both, and they each have their strengths. As mentioned above, the 24-70 is big and heavy. You cannot use the built-in flash with it due to shadowing from the barrel. But it gives great results. The 17-85 is much easier to walk around with. The 24-70 tends to be my default lens in the winter, when I am shooting a lot of indoor events (concerts, plays, etc), and the 17-85 goes on when the weather warms up and I head outdoors. The 17-85 has a little distortion at the wide end, but you can zoom it a little if it is unacceptable for the shot you are taking. I like them both.

Hope this helps.

Have Fun,

[Jackal]

I recommend the Tamron 28-75. It's 2.8, it's sharp and the same quality as the 24-70L judging from all these 100% crops I've seen of it. It's built nice, isn't too big, comes with a lense hood and a 6 year warranty. Oh and it's alot cheaper than those. :rolleyes:

[ed rader]

what's better: a prius or a lexus?

and there is no right answer that will fit everyone.

personally i would prefer the 24-70L....but that's only if you are buying :lol: .

ed rader

[ed rader]

>>>I recommend the Tamron 28-75. It's 2.8, it's sharp and the same quality as the 24-70L judging from all these 100% crops I've seen of it. It's built nice, isn't too big, comes with a lense hood and a 6 year warranty. Oh and it's alot cheaper than those. :rolleyes:<<<

.... had it been an option. i just got my 28-75 too....and i find that i reach for it even when it's not the best choice for what i am shooting :cool: .

ed rader

[xstrio]

it depends whether you really need the extra mm on the wide end. if not the better lens would be the 24-70

[summerwind4]

here are some 17-85 shots i uploaded this morning........for me, they blow my 24-70 that i had away, and by this i mean the lens is just plain easier to work with.

http://www.pbase.com/summerwind4/20d1785is

[Tom W]

For versatality, the 17-85 IS is hard to beat. My preference is the 24-70, but on the 1.6X sensor, even 24 isn't very wide. If you like a little wider FOV than 24 mm, you'd either have to get another wider lens or the 17-85. Summerwind's images in the previous post show that the 17-85 is a very capable lens.

[blackviolet]

personally, i don't think it's that heavy (24-70), but i'm used to lugging a 1dmk2 and big lenses around. i've hand-held it during an all-day event several times.


the 17-85 certainly gives you more range both ways. if there is someone here who has it and says it's good, then go for it. you can also check the shots on pbase. otherwise, you'll hear great things to say about the 24-70 and the tamron 28-75 with regards to sharpness and speed.