Lens Suggestion for 20d/350d

Hi,

I was planning to get a Nikon D70s mainly because Nikon's kit lens is way better than Canon's. However, after playing with it for a while, I decided not to go with Nikon (reasons are merely personal, I just did not feel comfortable with it). So, I am thinking about getting a 20d body instead w/ a lens better than Canon kit lens.

Can you please recommend a carry-around 18-70 (or 18-80 or something similar) lens for 20D that is comparable to D70s' kit lens in terms of price and quality?

Thanks...

Sigma 24-70 F2.8 or Tamron 28-75 F2.8 are both great lenses, i'd recommend the Sigma after what i've read, I have the tamron and it's great, but i'd like the extra 4mm on the short end. Tamron's cheaper by like $75 from memory.

I got the Canon 17-85 IS for my starter lense. I picked it up for about $470 then added the 50mm 1.8 for $75. The 17-85 is a good walk around lense but it doesn't do well in low light situations with movement.

If you're not going to be shooting high school soccer at night, it does very well.

The 17-85IS is definitely the lens you want but i believe it costs more than the nikkor 18-70 .Most of that cost is in the image stabilization of course but still- if you don't need it then it's abit annoying having to pay for it.
Canon don't have any other comparable focal length lens so you'd have to mix and match other focal lengths if you don't want this one