Best Canon 'walkabout' lens between £500-£600

There's a 17-55 in the for sale section right now. Went up yesterday ~ £550 for your info.
 
I had the same dilemma a while back and went for the sigma 17-50 F2.8 which I am quite happy with. It was a fair bit cheaper than the canon which is what swayed me in the end :)
 
I'm kind of in the same situation as you, I'm after a good performing walkabout lens which can stay on my camera most of the time for all sorts of situations.

I have debated the 17-55 and the 15-85, from the reviews and pictures there really isn't much in it in terms of image quality from what I have seen, but the greater range of the 15-85 has won me over and I will be looking to purchase the lens in the next couple of weeks!

With the money saved from not buying the 17-55 you can almost buy the canon or Sigma 50mm 1.4 as a great addition to the 15-85 when you want a fast aperture and lovely blurred backgrounds!

Just my 2 pence!
 
I went from a Tamron 17-50 F/2.8 VC to a canon 15-85 is usm and it is miles better, very sharp, silent AF, vibrant colours. But before I got the 15-85 I was seriously considering the 24-105 as it is a stunning lens and I was advices by many to go for the 15-85 instead as its a more usable lens on a crop body, it's the equivalent of 24-136 of full frame and some of the people that adviced me on Flickr went from 24-105 to 15-85 and they said they were very happy with they'r decision although I would probably still get the Tamron 24-70 F/2.8 VC USD too (once the price drops down from £899) as it is a stunning piece of glass.
 
Hijacking this thread a little. I currently use a Sigma 17-70 OS as a walkabout, but would like something sharper. Would the Canon 17-55 make a noticeable difference? I can live without the extra 15mm at the long end.
 
The only thing that really puts me off the 15-85 is the variable aperture! No good for video!
 
The only thing that really puts me off the 15-85 is the variable aperture! No good for video!

Set your video for F5.6 and it will be fine - just because the aperture can vary as you zoom doesn't mean you have to let it... ;)
 
RichardtheSane said:
Set your video for F5.6 and it will be fine - just because the aperture can vary as you zoom doesn't mean you have to let it... ;)

Ah, I didn't know that! I wish that Tamron 24-70 was cheaper!
 
15-85 would be my choice as long as i stick with Cropped Sensor!! EF lenses look awesome but way out of my budget at the moment
 
I love my 24-105 L...awsome lens and not too bad on a crop..though it will be going on my 5D3 soon..lol
What about 17-55 and then a prime...more lenses for your money lol
 
I love my 24-105 L...awsome lens and not too bad on a crop..though it will be going on my 5D3 soon..lol

That was one of the things that was nice about getting the 5D3 for me - I tried it in the shop with a 24-105 on it, and remembered what it was like before crop cameras, when 24mm was actually properly wide! Using my 24-105 on the 5D3 is almost like having a new lens now (bit obvious just looking at the numbers I suppose, but still nice to find in practice too).
 
Sorry to reignite this thread, but I think I've finally decided what to go with! A combination actually... the 24-105 f/4 and the Tokina 11-16 f/2.8 OR Canon 10-22 :-)
 
17-55mm f2.8 USM IS. May stretch the budget a little but worth it IMO.
 
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