Well first of all. I don't have or had the 17-85 but I really doubt it,s quality.


Maybe this helps:


http://www.dpreview.com/lensreviews/canon_17-85_4-5p6_is_usm_c16/


For a really nice lens you could also look into the Tamron 17-50 2.8, that's a really nice and high quality lens. Only downside is that it doesn't have the USM that canon lenses have, so for sports, it's not ideal. For everything else it is Perfect!


That being said, I had the Tamron 17-50 but I mainly shoot sports, so I bought the 17-55 2.8 IS from canon. This is really a very nice and sharp lens. Read the reviews and find that it matches or even exceeds L lenses.


About the 24-70 L .... I think for a 7D it's not a really good choice. With the crop factor, you get to little wideangle in my opinion. Build quality might be very high, but if you handle with care, the 17-55 sure is just as great for half the price. Also it lacks the IS, which is for most people a really nice feature. Looking over your budget...buying this lens will definitely not help you buy a 70-200 over a short period of time :P Looking at pros and cons, I really don't think this lens is worth the money on a APSbody such as 7D.


About the 24-105... I never had it, so I can't really tell you my opinion. I can remind you of a small things which might help you decide.


First of all, it is an L lens so the build and imagequality should be really good. Although, the maximum aperture is "only" F4 which could be annoying indoors. f2.8 is really much better.


Again 24mm is not wide enough to put on an APS in my honest opinion. I think you will want to buy a 10-24 or something later to cover that up.


IS is really a nice feature, also noticing the maximum aperture.





I say, try to get your options to about 2-3 lenses and then try them at your local store and see what you like most. Good luck