Buying 5D III .. buy 24 II or 24-105?

I am probably biased but I have tried all and I ended up with 24L II. Of course it also depends what you want to shoot but once you use 24L it's almost impossible to part.

The 24L is a "wow" lens for me - having 1.4 at 24mm is a lot of fun...plus, you'll almost be able to see in the dark with that thing on your 5DIII.

But, having a 24-105 in my stable is a breath of fresh air for me. Although not a "wow" lens like many of the "L" primes, It still has very good IQ and is so very flexibile that I can't believe I tried to get by without one for so long.

Although I loved the 24L when I had one for about a month before I sold it, it will likely be one of the last lenses I ever pick up again. With my 24-105, ZE21 and Bower 14mm, the wide end of my lineup has no room for more lenses if Im going to retain some sense of a budget for this hobby. And as a landscape shooter, Ill choose my ZE21 over the 24L every time.

I love my 24-105... Extremely useful with the 5D3. Mine is extremely sharp wide open end to end. I would not give it up.

The 24L may be nice for the f/1.4 and such, but I feel it is more of a compliment to a setup than a replacement at the focal length. Meaning, I would not use a 24L or 35L versus a normal walk-around zoom. But rather have them both when/if I could to compliment each other.

Personally I got to have a standard zoom option on my camera bodies, so I couldn't see buying a 24L instead of a 24-105.

*Unless*, you are planning on buying a 24L now, find out how limited you are with just the 24L and a telephoto prime, and are "forced" to buy a standard zoom or standard prime option shortly there after. If that's your plan, I'd go for 24L.

I do like the flexibility of the 24-105 as a walk around. If you feel you don't need the extra reach of 105mm, I'd also consider the new Tamron 24-70/2.8 which is about the same size.

I recently rented the Canon 24-70 mk I and the Tamron 24-70 at the same time and can see buying the Tamron instead of the 24-70 mk I or 24-105 (which assumes you really want the f/2.8).

i've got one word for taking all pictures with one focal length: BORING.

You can get a great deal on the 24-105L if you buy it in a 5D3 kit. That's what I would get for now and I would add additional lenses down the line...