Canon lenses question - General

I need some help figuring this out. Eventually, my goal will be to get the EF 24-70mm f/2.8 (mark I). I'm earning money for that right now, but it's going to take a good while to get there. So currently I have the 18-55mm II kit lens for my 450D. I'm just looking for a good general-purpose zoom that can give me better image quality until I reach my eventual goal. [B]Is it worth upgrading to the 17-85mm, image quality-wise? Or should I take it higher and go for the 15-85mm? [/B] Of course the 17-85mm will save money for that eventual goal (can get it for about 200-300 euros), but I was wondering if it was even worth upgrading to in the first place (with image quality in mind). I can get the 15-85mm for about 500 euros, but that will also put me back 500 euros of course. Help me out here? Anyone have experience with (some of) these lenses? [B]Edit: [/B]Shit, this is exactly one of those threads on daijitu's "bad thread ideas" list.

I would just wait, though you have to think that the 24-70 isn't that useful of a range on canons aps-c models. But the 15-85 would be a step up from your current kit lens, and it's significantly better overall than the 17-85. I'm not sure why canon even sells that lens any more. Best bet is to check amazon reviews for the 15-85, because they will probably be kit lens upgraders. Also remember you can resell the lens for most of what you paid for it

[QUOTE=Trogdon;37303646]Also remember you can resell the lens for most of what you paid for it[/QUOTE] Didn't really think of that, thanks! As for the eventual lens; I get carried away by the fact that, on APS-C models, the 24-70 offers both a constant wide aperture [B]and[/B] extra zoom range. If I had to choose between it and the 17-55mm f/2.8, I would go for the 24-70. (Also covering me for if I go full-frame in the far future.)

Well if you like length over wide then it's a great investment. Also they are phasing out the mk1 version of the 24-70, so expect to be paying a premium for the new version, and the used ones will inflate in price due to limited supply. Yay canon...

Here in holland the older version isn't available any more and the used ones are starting to go to same price you could get it new, or even over that price. So if you can get it now for a reasonable price (and can afford it), I would strongly suggest to get it now, because in a month the used prices will skyrocket if the new supplies are depleted. Well, there's always the new Tamron 24-70 VC which is a very nice lens too, almost as good as the Canon one and in some things it's even better.

True, prices for the mark I are around 800-900 euros second-hand right now, sometimes crossing the 1000-euro mark. Thank you guys for your input. Since the 24-70 will be available less and less for a good price, I'll get that first. If I ever need a light-weight zoom after that, the 15-85mm will still be available for a long while.

Strongly consider the Tamron as well. It's a great lens, and stabilization is an awesome feature.

Last time I read a review about it, there was something about sharpness when used at certain settings. Can't properly remember that, I'll check again. [editline]19th August 2012[/editline] The Tamron seems to be a good performer with APS-C size sensors, but much less so on full-frame. As far as sharpness goes, the Tamron delivers inconsistent results (as reported by [URL="http://www.lenstip.com/340.1-Lens_review-Tamron_SP_24-70_mm_f_2.8_Di_VC_USD_Introduction.html"]this review[/URL], [URL="http://www.lenstip.com/340.4-Lens_review-Tamron_SP_24-70_mm_f_2.8_Di_VC_USD_Image_resolution.html"]page 4[/URL]). And the overall conclusion of that review is not that positive ([URL="http://www.lenstip.com/340.11-Lens_review-Tamron_SP_24-70_mm_f_2.8_Di_VC_USD_Summary.html"]see here[/URL]). Take a look. The Tamron does outperform the Canon in center sharpness at both ends of the zoom range, but not in the center of that zoom range (around 50mm). Corner sharpness also deteriorates whereas the Canon offers consistent performance across the frame - and across the zoom range.