Canon 24-105mm f/4 L or something else?

Hi there,

I'm trying to get opinions from different people to see which lens I should get next. This next lens is going to be more or less my final lens for a looong time. The next thing I would get is a new Camera Body which would be a 40D or 50D, but I'll deal with thats in some years.

I am looking at purchasing the Canon 24-105mm f4 L series lens. I like the range that it offers. I currently own a Canon 24-85mm lens, which I will be selling. I also own a Canon 50mm f1.8 lens. I'm looking for good sharp images with my lens. This lens will be going on an XTi body. I was getting mixed opinion on the Canon lens, therefore thought I'd get the opinion from this forum. I'm still a fairly new to the world of cameras, so please bare with me.

The main question is, is there a better lens than the Canon 24-105mm lens? Or is there a lens by Sigma or someone else that can be equivalent to the Canon lens and save me some money?

Looking forwad to hearing your comments and suggestion!

If 24mm is wide enough for you then the 24-105 is an excellent choice of general purpose lens.

philthejuggler wrote in post #6391299
If 24mm is wide enough for you then the 24-105 is an excellent choice of general purpose lens.

I second that.

there is an everlasting debate on 24-105 versus the 24-70 (though that choise insnt going to save you money)... it all kinda depends on what you shoot, but either way, i think the 24-105 is a great lens and that you should be happy with it...

you can also try 17-85 maybe...

at this point, you can't really find a "better" lens. you'll find different lenses.
if f4 is fast enough for you, it'll be great, otherwise take a look at the 24-70L.
what's the focal length range you use more often? If you tend to shoot on the wide side, you might take a look at the 17-55mm.
It all depends on your style.

pat2vlour wrote in post #6392944
If you tend to shoot on the wide side, you might take a look at the 17-55mm.

This would also be my lens of choice on a 1.6X crop camera. Alternatively you can look into the superzooms like the Sigma 18-200mm OS or Canon's version, but these are slow lenses and may have compromises in the optical quality compared to more conservative zooms.

Canon only has 2 lenses in the same size and range category...

The 28-135mm and the 24-105. I owned the former and sold it to get the latter. The 24-105L is the perfect 'general purpose' lens for a crop body, IMO.

I agree that the 24-105L is perfect, on my Xti. It goes everywhere with me.

the 24-105 is an amazing range for my 5D, but for a crop cam, i would go with the 17-55IS. But if 24mm is wide enough for you, its a geat lens.

the 24-105 is my go to lens 95% of the time on my 30D - its an awesome everday/walk around/keep it on your camera most of the time and not miss a shot, lens.

I also like my 24-105 which I routinely use on my 20D... excellent results.

I think I am going to desent here a bit. I bought the 24-105 as a "carry" lens for my XTi. Then I got the 16-35 for WA duties. Turns out I use the 16-35 more on that body. Like others have said you may be better off with the 17-55 as an all around. I DO use the 24-105 a lot on the DS. I just think you may find that the 24 (39?) may not be wide enough on the short end.

Scott

elader wrote in post #6393289
the 24-105 is an amazing range for my 5D, but for a crop cam, i would go with the 17-55IS. But if 24mm is wide enough for you, its a geat lens.

Ditto.

My copy is much sharper than I expected; I don't hesitate using it wide open.

105mm on a 5D, f/5...

I find the 24 is plenty wide for how I shoot with my Xti. Being able to shoot up to 105 is so much nicer than just 55.

Wide open (f/4), 35mm on 5D...