In these cases the lens functions less like a wide-angle to short-tele zoom, and more like a normal to short tele zoom, with a hint of wide-angle capability thrown in for good measure

Another (huge) improvement over the 24-105 is the zoom is just stiff enough to hold its position without creeping out (from gravity), but lose enough to quickly and accurately get the desired shot

The zoom is super silent and it looks great

Update 10-6-2008:I got my Canon 24-70mm F/2.8 L lens back from the Canon repair facility and it is tack sharp at F/2.8 at all zoom settings close up and tack sharp from 35mm to 70mm out near infinity.

I got it attached almost all the time, it gives you a really usefull wide angle at 24, and a very nice 70mm zoom easy tu use handheld

So for example 18-200mm lens is good for all around purpose which covers 10x zoom from wide angle to super zoom, but the quality isn't great as lens that zooms 3x or less

(The 16-35mmII and the 70-200mm are also excellent zoom lenses)

And though it only goes down to 2.8 - the zoom is really enough of a benefit to outweigh a limited specialty use of a wider aperture

All my other Canon L zooms have buttery smooth zoom action especially my 17-40 F/4 L.

A little on the pricey sideOther:- Interesting "reverse" zoom mechanism: lens fully extended at 24mm, retracted at 70mm- Comes with hood and soft (fabric/leather) storage

it always had me wondering if only I had a similarly fast zoom lens that was a lot wider than the 50mm.**Weight

Fabulous wide angle zoom, with exceptional sharpness throughout its range.

Not as heavy as the 70-200mm but still has great sharpness and not a bad zoom

They all come in handy when I'm in just the right conditions to make use of them, but primes are only good when your shooting conditions are extremely controlled, flexible and will wait for you to move to the right framing distance, and the wide zooms are great for carry-around vacation shots, but the quality is only mediocre.

The macro feature on this lens is better than most zoom lens that purport to have a macro ability

Another (huge) improvement over the 24-105 is the zoom is just stiff enough to hold its position without creeping out (from gravity), but lose enough to quickly and accurately get the desired shot

f/3.5-5.6 Rebel XTi Kit lens Muddy, slow, pile of junkCanon EF 17-40mm f/4 L Fantastic colors, sharp zoomed 17 to 24mm, ultra smooth zoom action, light weightCanon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L Fantastic colors and contrast, sharp zoomed 40 to 70mm, zoom a little stiff at first, heavy, repair prone

The 50 would let you decide between, "I can live with f2.8, I can't live without some zoom range, especially on the wide angle end," compared to "It's not enough zoom range to matter, I need more light!"

When you take into account how much sharper this lens is than the 24-105 (at least the one I owned), the extra zoom is easily negated by the ability to

Not as heavy as the 70-200mm but still has great sharpness and not a bad zoom

lightWhat I wish would improve:Extremely heavy, no zoom lock--when this lens is pointed down the zoom will continue to sag and extend.

I was looking for a wider angle zoom to complement my excellent Sigma 70-200

the 17-55 zoom feels like a cheap plastic toy and when you zoom even with a lens hood the front of the lens moves in and out

saturation)- Complementary zoom range if you carry a telephoto lens like the 70-200.- 2.8

I used this lens as well as a "decent" zoom with the same range.

USM which is cheaper, lighter, smaller, has an image stabilizer, a better zoom range and outperforms the EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM in some of the image quality tests

The zoom ring is stiffer zooming in than zooming out

Canon EF-S 17-55 F/2.8 IS Ultra sharp, great colors, great low light, poor zoom actionCanon EF-S 18-55

My favorite zoom lens!!!Canon EF 100-400

The zoom on my 24-70 is now almost broken in and feels smooth as silk and totally

The 27-70 f2.8 is just the right zoom for everyday, event, portrait, any use.

The zoom moves nicely with enough resistance, and generally doesn't droop when you angle the lens down unlike the 28-135IS.

I was disappointed that my copy of the 24-70 has the same poor grabby zoom feel as the EF-S lens

Surely the heaviest standard zoom lens I've owned which may or may not be a plus if you are thinking about carrying this in your hands all day, deffinately lighter than a dedicated super zoom but you'll start getting fatigued after a while.

The zoom is smooth except for a tiny hitch in its linearity at 24MM.

With this lens and my 70-200mm f2.8 zoom, I'm ready for anything!

All in all I regret not having this mid range zoom lens in my arsenal until now

So, if you have any plans of ever owning one of the very popular 70-200mm mid range zooms from Canon, I think the 24-70 is the better choice

This is the nicest standard zoom lens you'll find

Versatile zoom range (at least for my needs - your mileage may vary)7

Version II is the sharpest zoom lens I have ever used and for an additional $300 is a better choice.