I cast my vote for the 24-105.


When I go on vacation and can only take two lenses I take the 24-105 and the 100-400 and the 24-105 is my everyday walk around lens. I find that most of my shots are around f8 and I and only occasionally get down to f4 so going down to f2.8 is not a huge deal for me. Much of my photography is of wildlife, aircraft & boats where I rarely get the chance to carefully do anything so the IS is a major bonus for me. I get a clear picture and more depth of field which is what I want.


My father-in-law is a very different photographer than I. He does a lot of wedding, portrait and carefully planned landscapes. He is big on primes and big aperture and often uses the 24-70 for his walk around flexible lens.