24-105 IS or 24-70 2.8 ???

Alright, I think I'm going with the 24-105 IS. General consensus is the 24-70 has some great advantages,and dare I say, slightly better IQ wise but the 24-105 is a better general purpose lens which is what I'm looking for. I think if I had the jack to spend I'd rather get the 24-70 and another to compliment it.
Thanks everyone for taking the time to weigh in. It's helpful to hear from people who have real world experience with certain lenses rather then reviews from people who just conduct tests in controlled environments. You've all been very helpful.

mayerk wrote in post #7248300
Alright, I think I'm going with the 24-105 IS. General consensus is the 24-70 has some great advantages,and dare I say, slightly better IQ wise but the 24-105 is a better general purpose lens which is what I'm looking for. I think if I had the jack to spend I'd rather get the 24-70 and another to compliment it.
Thanks everyone for taking the time to weigh in. It's helpful to hear from people who have real world experience with certain lenses rather then reviews from people who just conduct tests in controlled environments. You've all been very helpful.

Sounds like you'll be happy with your choice. I had both the 24-70 and the 24-105 and truthfully I never thought I would sell either one until I recently decided to sell my 24-70 for a fast prime. The primary fact that the 24-105 was such a great walk around lens on my 5d was one of the main reasons (along with the weight of the 24-70) on why I sold the 24-70 since I decided to go all primes for weddings.

Yeah, like many have already said, I cant go wrong either way. I just got the impression that the people who use the 24-70 used it for more specific shoots whereas the 24-105 was more so a walk around lens.

I got a 24-70L last week secondhanded. I really adore it on my 40d!
But hey, I hope my 5d-mk2 kit will come next week too. So in that way, I luckily don't have to decide!

Good luck with your decision, I would go for the 24-105L if I had to choose between them. But seeying the way my 24-70L performs on my 40d makes me very happy that I actually will have them both in future.

Ha, rub it in.

My vote goes to 24-105. I think I'm biased though since I never used a 24-70 before.
I had to make the same decision few months back and my main reasoning for choosing the 24-105 was that I thought it would be a better walkaround lens.

I am also waiting for 24-105mm f2.8 IS "L" that maximus78_06 thinking of. I have the same problem to sellect between 24-105 or 24-70. Problem still there....

another 24-70 vs 24-105 thread. woot!

poppie guy wrote in post #7242164
I have a 5D and a 24-105. I've also used a 24-70 with the 5D. I'd like to have both, but the 24-105 would easily be my choice.

i have both the 24-105 and 24-70 and i cant decide whether i should sell the 105 or not and keep both of them. just out of curiousity, why would you like to have both? is it because of the IS or something else?

I'm partial to the 24-70 but like everyone says it really depends on what you want to shoot. I had the 28-70 2.8L and now have the 24-70 2.8L because I shoot aquariums and zoos. There isn't much light inside aquariums so my choice is fairly obvious. But for any other purpose, I would use a 24-105 if I had one. It seems like the best general purpose lens and it will weight a whole lot less.

I'm in the same boat right now, waiting on the tax refund. I thought I'd initially go for the 24-105 but now i'm starting to lean towards the 24-70...I'll probably end up flipping a coin. Is anyone selling either lens at a good price?

It seems like the 24-105 is the smarter choice. If you shoot portraits or weddings, maybe a nice 85mm prime would be nice, instead of the 24-70. I don't speak from experience so don't call me on it. I, myself have thought of the 24-70 vs 24-105 debate. 24-105 seems like a good lens to stick on and keep on.

JasonBr wrote in post #7315421
I'm in the same boat right now, waiting on the tax refund. I thought I'd initially go for the 24-105 but now i'm starting to lean towards the 24-70...I'll probably end up flipping a coin. Is anyone selling either lens at a good price?

How about searching for the answer next time instead of rehashing this old turkey?

Same here. Love my 24-105...first len and loving it.

pennies_hatchie wrote in post #7247269
Another happy 24-105mm owner. You know my vote