General / Walk around lens for 7DMkII

Look595Rider wrote:

I recently upgraded from a T2i to a 7DMkII. In connection with this upgrade, I've taken notice of the fact that my current general zoom lens, the Sigma 17-70 HSM OS (not the newer "C" version), is quite soft in the corners and sloppy at longer focal lengths.

I've analyzed my photos from the past year, and found that my photography, which is primarily of my kids doing stuff, is about evenly split between indoors and outdoors. Indoors, I'm using mostly focal lengths 17-55mm, often wide open. About 20% of the time, I'm using the full 70mm of the Sigma. Outdoors I'm mostly using >55mm focal lengths, so I mount he 55-250 STM. That being said, we take a few trips each year where I need to carry one lens, so it's usually the Sigma. So, I'd like to replace the current Sigma with something sharper (and maybe faster), and I've evaluating the options below. I'd appreciate input from others, as my research has my head spinning in circles.

Option 1 - Upgrade to Sigma 17-70 C and perhaps down the road get the Sigma 18-35 f/1.8 as supplementary for indoors

Pros:

• The "C" version of the Sigma is generally sharper than my version, although it's quite soft at 17mm
• IS on the 17-70
• Initial upgrade to "C" version is very reasonable in terms of cost
• The Sigma 18-35 would give me amazing sharpness and f1.8 for indoor action.

Cons:

• I'm left switching between 2 lenses to achieve ideal solution
• I've heard of focus issues with the 18-35
• Total cost is somewhat more than I'd like to spend

Option 2 - Get the Canon EF-S 17-55 f/2.8

Pros:

• f2.8 throughout the range, although my research indicates that it's soft at the edges at f2.8 on the wide and long extremes
• One-lens solution
• IS

Cons:

• Limited focal length as a walk-around lens on trips
• Heard of issues with dust and IS failure
• This is a 10+ year old lens and I worry an updated model from Canon would torpedo this lens' value

  

  Option 3 - Get the Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8 L II USM

Pros:

• f2.8 throughout the range, sharp everywhere

Cons:

• Cost - Really more than I'm willing to pay, but I can squeeze it by getting a refurb / used
• 24mm isn't particularly wide on APS-C, so limited use as walk around lens
• No IS

I currently have the 17-40 f4L as my daily walk around on the 7D Mark ii, which technically is almost a 24-70 on an apsc body. Its quite a lovely lens, and is a lot cheaper than the 24-70 2.8 II. Just remember with that one, you multiply by 1.6 to get your focal lengths. I'll attach some photos from the 17-40.