So, for some reason I'm considering a 24-105mm f4 IS L lens. The question is, is it worth it?

What are the pros and cons

The cons first...cost (£849)...f4 is the widest aperture...and 24mm is the widest focal distance

The pros...IS down 3 stops...great range for a general purpose lens (currently I have 17-50mm, and 100mm)...L series build quality/weather sealing.


The dilemmas are that I am trying to do some gig stuff, so I really like the tamron 17-50mm f2.8 as its quite fast. It's also quite wide. But I am constantly changing to the 100mm macro I have to get a bit more range.

The question is, I'm going to the lake district and doing some other travelling over the coming months. What would you rather have...f2.8 17-50mm & a 100mm...or a single 24-105mm f4 with IS? (and better optics)?

best place to ask is http://photography-on-the.net/forum/
Its all canon talk...
and a nice 200+ pages of samples.

walking in the lakes it's no contest, 24-105 hands down, every time.

You'll miss the speed at gigs though, so it comes down to which you do more of/get more out of.

Cheers. It was a bit of a dilemma, but I think the 24-105 is probably the better choice. The f4 was putting me off, but for gigs I'll still have the f2.8 100mm and 17-50mm. And other than gigs I generally shoot outdoors anyway.

no contest then, 24-105 all the way

I use a 12-24mm and 28-135mm combo, works well for me.

24-105 F4 should do too, although I did notice that occasionally I couldn't get everything I wanted into the 28mm, which is why I went for the  short lens.

Really everything you buy is going to be a compromise somewhere, you pays your money and takes your choice.

Have you already got the tamron 17-50?

If so I'm not sure I'd necessarily bother with the 24-105 on a crop sensor as you've already got a decent portion of the range it is intend for on a full frame -. I'd be looking at getting something like a 50-150 or 70-200 personally.

FWIW I love my 50mm and 85mm primes for gigs

Already have the 17-50, but the driving factor behind the decision is wanting 1 jack of all trades lens that doesn't sacrifice too much. I don't want to be carrying a large bag with multiple lenses with me on long walks, and I'd appreciate the additional weather sealing of an L-Lens given the majority of stuff I do. Having a 70-200 would be great, but just not wide enough for a "1 lens fits all" affair.