Hi Brendan,


Of the lenses you list, only the EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 really qualifies as a 'general purpose lens' on a crop body. You may not find many 'satisfied' people since the lens is fairly new. It's one I strongly considered purchasing, since 15mm is decently wide angle on a 1.6x body (equivalent to 24mm FF), but I really wanted the constant and fast aperture of the EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8, which is well above $700. I shoot indoors a lot (family) and prefer natural light. Outdoors in the daytime you'd be ok with the 15-85mm, I would think. I voted for the 15-85 as the best (only?) choice from the list as a 'general purpose lens'.


But, picking one lens on your list and one not on your list, you can actually get a pair of decent primes instead - something that is in line with you beinga self-declared 'fast lens snob'. At the current Amazon prices, EF 35mm f/2.0 plus the EF 85mm f/1.8 USM total up to a few pennies under $700. 35mm will approximate 'normal' on a 1.6x body and Bryan indicates the lens has decent IQ. The 85mm f/1.8 is a great head/shoulders portrait lens (I really like mine). The trade off is the flexibility of the zoom (and IS, too) vs. the faster apertures of the primes.


You might also consider the lens which theEF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 replaced - theEF-S 17-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM. You could put the extra $250 towards that 580EX II...


Either way, good luck with your choice - let us know!


--John