Which 24-70mm f/2.8 EF mount lens?

trulandphoto wrote:

Like every other question like this that is asked on DPReview the answer is it depends.

On what you want to shoot.

My choice is the EF 24-70mm f/4L because my shooting is mostly stopped down and if I'm in situations where I want a fast aperture I'm going to want a prime that's faster than f/2.8.

Ahh…I appreciate the reply, and I do get the sentiment, I really do.

But-what I want to shoot subject-wise anyway, is not really that relevant to the question. I want to shoot at f/2.8 between 24-70mm. If f/4 worked for my needs I would have put three f/4 lenses up with the same question. Or even better, Inwould just pick up the 24-105mm f/4 IS II. (I already have four fast primes in that range already, but a fast zoom in that range is a pretty handy tool of it can produce the right results).

If someone has had a good or bad experience with the Sigma or Tamron, that would be helpful to me (and others?) in making a decision.

I really like Canon’s L lenses, but I have heard reports that the Sigma and Tamron outperform the version I from Canon, AND have stabilization. All three are around the $1000 mark (Canon would be used , but the Sigma and Tamron are like $1100 new). The Sigma and Tamron can be had for around $700 used from what I’ve seen which is a great deal if they can keep up with the Canon image-wise.

Anyway…

I would rather toss it up here than wade through reviews and MFT charts elsewhere. Just looking for some real-world opinions from people in the field. I figured it was a pretty simple thing to ask honestly.

Thanks for your thoughts.