New Sigma 24-70 f2.8 HSM or a used Canon 24-105 f4L IS??

Yup, another "which should I buy" thread. New 5DII. I've got a decent set of primes and the ultra-wide zoom and telephoto zoom covered. I want a good walk around, grab-shot lens. My price is about $800. I shoot mostly landscapes and environmentals. I tend to frame a little looser these days and crop in PP. I was going to wait to see what the new Tamron 24-70 f2.8 VC could do but I'm starting to think it is a myth. What would you go with?

Bob

You mentioned landscape and environmental. So you might care about corners.

Sigma 24-70 HSM's border resolution is rather poor at 24mm until 5.6 or so. 24-105L is better at 24mm.

I tried 24-70L, Sigma 24-70 non-HSM and Tamron 28-75. I decided to stick with 24-105L for overall versatility. Less lens change.

The Sigma has it's engineering effort in the f/2.8. For other qualities the Canon has the money distributed.

Also, if you don't carry a longer lens at all 70mm on FF is rather short.

The refurbished Canon 24-105 is on sale at Canon for $781.32 plus sales tax and $5 shipping. I love mine on a 50D. You should really like it on a 5DII The sale ends 3/27

Use these codes: The $5 shipping FS312 code stacks with the 15% off SLRF15 code.

http://shop.usa.canon.​com …uct_10051_10051​_263354_-1

I went from a canon 24-105mm L to the 24-70mm L and then back to the 24-105mm... The 24-105mm is crazy sharp. I had a cherry picked 24-70mm L and my second copy of the 24-105mm is sharper. The only thing I liked about the 24-70mm is the bokeh which was better. however the 24-105mm I find i like better since f/2.8 is never enough for low light anyway.

On the 5D2 the 24-105 is really the bread and butter lens. It is so versatile and even though it is not my favourite for various reasons it is by far my most used. As a walkaround it is near perfect on the FF.

Ok, got me leaning toward the 24-105 now. Sharpness and IS are more important to me in a walk-around zoom than the bokeh. I was considering the Sigma due to its size and the f/2.8 to isolate subjects but, I've seen the 24-105 do a pretty nice job of isolating the subject in the right conditions. Plus, I could still carry a prime just in case.

Bob

the sigma 24-70 has a poor rep, hence the resale value is total trash. If you can afford the 24-105, the 24-70L isnt far away, why not the brick? in my experience, substantially better than the 24-105.

Sigma 24-70 non-HSM is not that great but the HSM version is much better optically.

24-70L and 24-105L have similar IQ from f/4 and up in my personal experience. Most of the IQ tests I have read indicate the same. Any slight difference is most likely due to AF accuracy or copy-to-copy variation.

So I would choose based on priority. If you want 2.8, 24-70L or Sigma 24-70 HSM. If you want IS and reach, there is only 24-105L.