All around lens - opinions

Looking for quality all around lens for the 50d? Looking at 24-105 and the 24-70 - thoughts?

If you're willing to not go Canon, check out the Tamron 28-75 f/2.8. Love mine. Sharp as a tack.

I recommend you use the search button on the top of this page. There are a lot of helpful threads full of opinions that you can read. After that you can decide which lens is best for you.

It kind of depends on what 'all around' means to you, but generally 24mm is not wide enough on a 1.6X body to qualify as an all arounder. The 24-70 makes for a good portrait zoom on 1.6X though.

My "all around" lens is a 17-50 2.8 Tamron - when with family, etc.
Architectural sightseeing etc - 10-20...

If I had to have just one lens and one lens only I'd have the 17-55IS. It's a constant f/2.8 throughout the range (which beats the 24-105), it has IS (which beats the 24-70) and it's 17mm which is wider than both the other 2.

It's sharp (your 50d needs sharp glass) - possibly the only bad thing I can say about it is it's prone to flare.

24-105 would be a pretty good one.

I was leaning toward the 24-105 as a replacement for the 28-135. I'll be getting the 70-200 for outdoor sports.

I'll second the Canon 17-55. It's not perfect, but has the fewest compromises of any lens on a crop body.

+1 on the 17-55 IS

The 24 pretty narrow on a 1.6 crop (at least it is to me).

habenero wrote in post #6971287
I was leaning toward the 24-105 as a replacement for the 28-135. I'll be getting the 70-200 for outdoor sports.

You really have to think long term if you don't want to make the wrong purchase. I can vouch for the 24-105L but as others have pointed out, its not wide enough for some shots and some time in the future you would really want to complement it with a UWA like the 10-22.

However if you are absolutely sure that you only want to buy one lens then the 17-55 would be the one I'd chose.

Vendee wrote in post #6971452
You really have to think long term if you don't want to make the wrong purchase.

Yes....do you plan on going FF in the near future? If so, are you going to get rid of your 50D?

One of the downfalls is the 17-55 IS is an EF-S lens, and not FF compatible; otherwise it (plus maybe a nice 1.4x TC) is a good walkaround combo.

DrMitch wrote in post #6971139
My "all around" lens is a 17-50 2.8 Tamron - when with family, etc.

justinevan88 wrote in post #6971095
If you're willing to not go Canon, check out the Tamron 28-75 f/2.8. Love mine. Sharp as a tack.

I've heard a lot of praise for these two lenses.

For general walk around use are you finding the 17-55 sufficient in reach?

AustinRoepke wrote in post #6971503
I've heard a lot of praise for these two lenses.

The Tamron 17-50 is a great lens. The constant 2.8 is handy...my only knocks against it were lack of IS and the lack of USM.