40D lens upgrade?

[AdamK]

After 5 years with my 40D I have concluded I need to move on from the 17-85 IS USM kit lens. Its' lack of sharpness has been frustrating me for sometime. I think I am already sold on the 70-200 L IS 4.0, but I'd also need a general use lens. I'm thinking a wide to low telephoto zoom similar in focal length to what I have now.
What would you recommend?
15-85 IS USM, 17-55 IS USM, 24-70 L IS?? $1000?


Your advice is appreciated

[Tannin]

All three are fine lenses. You need to decide not on quality - there isn't a great deal between them - but on aperture and focal length range. Does the 17-85 suit you? Could you live with a much longer wide end? Would the short range of the 17-55 be OK in exchange for constant f/2.8? The 15-85 is the obvious like-for-like replacement, but would it be enough of an improvement over the 17-85? Maybe your 17-85 is below par as, while that model was never a raging success and is considered a bit poor optically, most of the complaints seem to relate to CA and distortion rather than lack of sharpness. If that is the case, then just getting your 17-85 adjusted correctly might even be the cheap and practical answer.

[William W]

After 5 years with my 40D I have concluded I need to move on from the 17-85 IS USM kit lens. Its' lack of sharpness has been frustrating me for sometime. I think I am already sold on the 70-200 L IS 4.0, but I'd also need a general use lens. I'm thinking a wide to low telephoto zoom similar in focal length to what I have now.
What would you recommend?15-85 IS USM, 17-55 IS USM, 24-70 L IS?? $1000?


Your advice is appreciated

24mm is not that wide.

I think that the probability would be that most Photographers would miss the 17mm to 23mm range on a “a general use lens” for a 40D Camera.

There isn’t a Canon 24 to 70 IS lens.
Do you use the IS? If so, that fact rules out the 24 to 70, I think.

If so, for my uses, the weight of the choice would therefore come down to a Non-varying maximum aperture zoom, vs. a Varying maximum aperture zoom.
And for me, that choice is easy I would without hesitation choose a NON Varying maximum aperture zoom – but your requirements might be different.

WW

[LJG]

The 70-200 F4 IS is a great lens, I love mine and get it out as often as I can. You certainly will not go wrong with one of them.

Out of the others you have mentioned I have had the 15-85. As a general purpose lens on a crop body it is terrific, but does not have that constant F2.8 aperture that the 17-55 has. You need to decide what you need more, the wider constant aperture, or the focal length.

The longer zoom of the 15-85 is quite useful and I think you would be surprised at the difference between 15mm and 17mm when you need it. If you want to shoot portraits or kids I would say go with the 17-55. If you want a more general outdoor lens go 15-85.

I will say this, like William I also do not like varying aperture lenses anymore and now steer away from them in favour of constant aperture ones. If I brought another crop body sometime and wanted a general purpose lens, where last time I went 15-85, I probably would now go with the 17-55 instead. As for the 24-70, 24mm really is not that wide on a crop body and while it is a really fine lens, it may leave you wanting wider.

[William W]

For clarity of what I wrote - I agree with Lloyd:


As for the 24-70, 24mm . . . it is a really fine lens

I was just cautioning about the 24mm on APS-C


WW