28-105 or 24-105 'L' ....Help Please.

[InaGlo]

Well its decision time for me again. Having recently bought & swiftly returned the Canon 5D and 28-105 f/3.5-4.5 lens (due to scratches on the body). Im now ready to make my purchase again.
However, as a newbie Im still having the same issue about what lens to start out with.
Although Id really like a 85 f/1.8 as I want to do mainly portrait 'style' pics, Im thinking that to begin with I might need a more versatile lens and so was considering the 24-105mm f/4.0 'L'.
I have a few concerns though ... f4.0 being one & the actually weight of the lens being the other!
Id also be interested to hear if anyone has comparitive experience of the 24-105 'L' AND the 28-105?
If anyone has any suggestions about these lenses, or indeed any other that you think might be more appropriate, Id love to hear your opinions.
I know Im a noob but some of my nails pics have recently been blown up to posters & others used in ads for a client. There's also me blowing up head & hand shots for photographic nail comps, so Id like to get it right.

 

[Steep]

If you have the money to spend on L glass, there's really no reason to buy cheaper.

 

[SammyC]

It all depends on what you want to use it for. If it just for your nail pics then you can't beat a prime lens. You'll want a very large apperture on them to help you achieve a small depth of field (an issue with your last nail picture in critique IIRC), so the 85 f1.8 of even a 50 f1.4 would be perfect for this.

 

[Steve]

I would suggest that you take a look at the Canon 50mm F1.8 or even the f1.4 version. Both lenses are tack sharp and are capable of throwing the background well out of focus. They are also both tiny and weigh next to nothing. As most of your shots will be "set up" the fact that these are prime lenses and not zooms should not be a problem for you, you can easily alter your position relative to the subject or her nails to frame exactly what you want and how you want. The picture quality will also be as good if not better than the L zoom due to them being primes, oh and the cost is much less too, especially if you go for the f1.8

HTH