Canon 17-40mm f/4L - 15-85mm or 17-55mm

[NaMcO]

I'm sorry for the newbie question (and has been probably asked before) but considering i have my zooms covered with a 70-300mm Canon lens and that i have the default and not-so-happy-with-it 18-55mm from Canon, which would be the logical choice for wide angle photos and the best walk-around lens?

My instinct tells me the 15-85mm is the best one for me as it covers everything from 15 to 300mm (x1.6) alongside my other lens and it also has IS which the 17-40 doesn't. The 17-55mm doesn't look so appealing from the reviews i've read...

I know i have a 18-55 (shouldn't have bought it in first place) but i do want a better wide angle lens (good sharpness mostly) and i don't want to make another mistake which can be expensive unlike the 18-55 was...

Thank you,
Nuno

 

[cfusionpm]

The 17-55 is a great lens. High quality optics and fixed f/2.8 aperture with IS; its about the perfect crop sensor walk-around lens I can think of. I don't know what prices are like there, but it's about $1,100 here in the states, so it's a bit pricy. I hear good things about the 15-85, but the down side is the max aperture (3.5 at 15mm, 5.6 at 85mm). Excellent range and decently good optics.

Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Lens Review

Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Lens Review

 

[NaMcO]

The 17-55 costs around 999 euro. It's 200 euro more than a 15-85 and i wonder if i will notice the difference in quality (still new to reflex)

And then there's the 55-70mm 'gap'... I guess i will read those reviews with attention and see what suits me best

Thank you!

 

[Munky]

If you have a Crop Sensor I'd Recommend Tamron 2.8 VC!