Canon Users - What's your favorite general purpose lens?

[whitemug]

my "general purpose" lens right now is my recently-acquired 24-105 f/4. it gives me some wide and some tele.

i gave up my sigma 24-70 f/2.8 to get this lens when i decided that i needed more focal length instead of the speed in a walk-around lens.

so far, it's been a good decision!

[ditch_azeroth]

50mm 1.8 is a no brainer to get first. after that, you can probably save up and get one of them L's. 24-70 and 70-200 2.8 are two lenses that i dream of carrying in my bag.

[mar529]

my general purpose lens is the 24-70 2.8 L but i also really like to use my 50 1.4 for portrait type shots

[whiteflyer]

For me it's my Canon 17-55 2.8 IS. Wide enough on a crop body and very sharp, it's an L lens without a red ring. Not cheap mind you.

[javavibe]

I've got to give a shoot out for the 28-135mm USM IS. Is is the lens that's attached to my camera the most. Great zoom, sharp images, and nice wide angle. Great lens.

[kparlin]

Originally Posted by joefish

I'd also throw in a recommendation for the 50mm 1.8, as it's very cheap but does a good job. I especially like it for shooting in low light situations. It does depend exactly on what you'll be shooting though. What sort of photography would you like to do that your current lens is restricting you with? The answer to this question will help you choose another lens.

I mostly shoot outdoors, since I generally hate the results I get indoors with my current lens. I do have a Speedlight and a couple of Lumiquest diffusers, but haven't tinkered enough to get proficient.

Most of my photos are portraits of my 3-year-old, so I want something quick with sharp focus. I'm sure some of the problem is user error as well, so I'm not expecting the lens to perform miracles!

So I'd say the most important features are quick/sharp focus and good low-light results for candid portraiture.

[kparlin]

Thanks everyone! I decided on the 50 f/1.8 so I can start doing more indoor shooting and play with DOF. I'll hopefully post some shots this weekend.

[kparlin]

Yay! I got my lens today, and my fire for photography is re-ignited. Unfortunately, this self-portrait came out a little blurry because this was my first time trying to set up a shot (without being in it) and setting the timer. But this is the best photo of myself that I've seen in a while. Thanks for everyone's suggestions!

[khan]

K,

One way to minimize the potential for depth-of-field blur is to go to an image mode that allows you to select your aperture. Of course, one of the fun things to do with that lens is shoot at f/1.8...

But if you're setting the timer and moving to the front of the lens, you'll have a wider depth of field (area in focus in front of the camera) by going to, say f/8 or f/11.

That said, I have the 50mm f/1.8, but it's probably my least used lens, unless I'm indoors/low-light. I try to use my 70-300mm f/4.0-5.6 IS lens as much as possible, moving myself or my objective before I switch to my 18-55mm kit lens (which I'm seeking to replace, see this thread.)

[eski]

+1 for the 24-105

this is one awesome piece of glass