Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM Standard Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras
Review by Trevis Rothwell : prime-quality images in a convenient zoom package

My all-around favorite lens in the Canon EOS system is the 50/1.4. I find that most of the time, most of the pictures I want to take can be achieved using hte 50mm focal length, and the fast aperture allows me to take photos in low light.

I bought the 24-70/2.8 in hopes of getting high quality images from a zoom lens, as a lot of my pictures weren't in particularly dark places, and the flexibility to get a little wider or closer sounded appealing.

I was not disappointed.

The image quality produced by the 24-70/2.8 is outstanding. Great color, great sharpness. It might not make images quite as striking as Canon's 135/2 lens, but they are very good indeed.

Does this lens replace the 50/1.4? No way. The 50 is a lot smaller, weighs a lot less, and is still much better for low light shooting. But for photographing events where you don't want to lug around several prime lenses or go to extreme lenghts to frame the shot better, the 24-70 can be a great tool.

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM Standard Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras
Review by R. Kohary "Karma Photography" : Best available all-around Canon lens

Simply put, this is the best all-around lens that Canon manufactures. It produces razor-sharp images with startling color and saturation, and at f/2.8 across the zoom range is capable of shooting in all but the dimmest of lighting conditions. The "L" glass (Canon's professional line of lenses) is simply the best out there, bar none, from any manufacturer. It's pricey, but well worth it.

I use this lens for portrait and wedding photography, landscapes, sports, and anything else that doesn't require extreme telephoto. In concert with my EF 70-200mm f/4 L USM lens, I find that these two lenses cover just about everything I ever want to shoot. Of the two lenses, if I could pick only one, it would be the 24-70mm, because it's so versatile and can shoot so many situations (the 70-200mm is also a marvelous, invaluable lens, but at 70mm is limited in wide-angle situations).

I can't recommend this lens highly enough. If you can afford the entry fee, you'll have no hint of buyer's remorse once you see the spectacular images this lens produces.

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM Standard Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras
Review by P. Hill : Quality, Heavy, Priced High

The EF 24-70mm f/2.8L is a high quality lens that gives sharp details and saturation of color throughout its various focal lengths -- it is as though you are using several straight lenses all in one lens. Even though this is a fast lens, during a professional shoot in Las Vegas in a dimmly lighted hotel, I still needed to use a flash (580EX w/Stroboframe Pro-RL) to get professional results. Despite being very heavy (2.1 lbs), the lens is a favorite of photojournalists and professionals who shoot weddings and conventions. You will need a grip on your camera to balance the lens and it is too heavy to be considered a true walk-around lens. The autofocus, which has a manual over-ride, is quiet, quick and smooth. The lens is also sealed and gasketed against dust and moisture. Its hood is large (4.25" diameter by 3.25" length) and when attached to the lens it can make any photographer look like a professional. Since the price of this lens is more than $1,000.00, I suggest that you do not buy this lens unless you really are into photography. There are a lot of other non-L Canon lenses that give near equal quality images at much lower prices.

Note: For a lighter weight zoom lens in the (Luxury) L-series, I suggest the 24-105 f/4L (23.6 oz) with (IS) Image Stablization which can be used for portraits (with greater depth of field than the f/2.8), landscapes and as a walk-around lens. If you don't want to spend quite as much, the non-L 28-135mm with IS is also a very good lens that is used by professionals as a general use/walk-around lens and gives L quality-like results. Unlike Canon's EF-S lenses, the 24-70mm, 24-105mm and the 28-135, can be used with both the full-frame and APS 1.6 factor digital camera formats -- which is a Major Plus!