Canon 17-85mm f4-5.6 - Sell or get a new lens ?

ItsMeta wrote:

A few years ago, I've purchased the Canon 17-85mm as a replacement to the 18-55mm kit lens that came with my camera. Now it just happens to me that the lens' auto focus function started malfunctioning as it wouldn't focus on subjects and tends to focus in and out repeatedly, never locking on. I've done some research about this issue (My camera body, being the 70D, is perfectly fine. I've tested the auto focus on other lens and they all work) and it turns out I only have 2 choices. Either I can fix the lens (which will cost me more than $100) or sell the lens and upgrade to a better one.

I love the focal length of the 17-85mm as my photography style range from portraits to macro and to landscape, but one of the lens' drawbacks is how small the aperture is.

Due to the lens' auto focusing function not working correctly, I'm deciding whether I should just pick up another lens as trying to repair my 17-85mm simply wouldn't be worth it.

If I were to sell the lens off and buy another lens, what lens would you guys recommend ? I would highly prefer if the focal length was similar to the 17-85mm and generally under $400. I'm currently considering the Sigma 17-70mm f2.8 or the Canon 17-40mm f4 USM L (Yes, despite the small aperture, the pictures come out great, along with somewhat similar focal length. And of course, it's a "L" lens).

Any feedback would be helpful Thanks !

My ten year old 17-18IS has just gone the same way (it progressed from failure to focus to error 09when taking pics, even when using manual focus).

So I replaced my very venerable 20D with a 700D (arthritis is making it hard to hold a heavy camera lens combination) with the 18-55 stm IS. My 18-55stm is unambiguously better in picture quality than my old 17-85.  And the IS works better.  It is of course light weight plastic, no where near as well built, If the quality of the newer kit lens is anything to go by, I'd have a look at the 18-135 stm, if image quality for the $ is what you are after and lenses are not going to be exposed to rugged use.

I was never impressed by the 17-40L, although it is built like a tank.