Canon 17-55 f/2.8 or Canon 24-70 L f/2.8 to replace Tamron 17-50 f/2.8

NancyP wrote:

I have the 60D, and my walk-around lens is the EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 with IS. Really excellent image quality, excellent 4 stop image stabilization, versatile range - optically this is an L quality lens. I added the Sigma 35mm f/1.4 recently, this gives me the thin DOF of f/1.4 and the light-gathering capacity of f/1.4, something I missed from my film days. This Sigma is sharp at f/1.4, really a fine lens.

Your choices of telephoto depend on your need for wide aperture lenses, in other words, your need to cover night sports and indoor sports venues with relatively weak lighting. The Canon 70-200 f/2.8L II IS is a "legendary" lens and is very expensive. If you need wide aperture on the relatively cheap,  Canon 85mm f/1.8, Canon 135mm f/2, Canon 200mm f/2.8 are fine choices, depending on the sport in question and the type of shot you want (tight vs with other players). Used Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L v. I is moderately expensive and excellent. If you don't need wide aperture, the Canon 70-200mm f/4 Ls with or without IS are excellent choices.

Those are great options.  I guess I've been so focused on an f/2.8 that I haven't branched out into thinking about the 15-85 f/3.5-5.6.  But with what you are saying about L quality optically, that is another one for me to look into!  How do you feel it does indoors with a hotshoe flash (not the camera's built in one)?

Of course, I'd LOVE the 70-200 f/2.8 II IS.  Just not sure that's in the budget if I upgrade my primary lens right now!  I started thinking about the 70-200 f/4 when earlier in the thread, it was mentioned that I really should upgrade my 75-300.  Then I also started checking into the Tamron 70-200 f/2.8--but fear I will run into the slow focusing issued I have with my current Tamron!

I've never used a prime lens--although from what I've read the IQ is good enough to crop/zoom in on processing without much loss of IQ.

So many choices!  It does get dizzying after awhile.