Originally Posted by Miketown
Just a side note here - a lot of people would say having both the 24-105mm f/4L IS the 17-55mm f/2.8 IS is overkill, since they are both general purpose zooms. I have both, and I'd definitely recommend picking just one then getting other lenses (fast primes, etc.) before getting a second general purpose zoom. I got the 17-55mm f/2.8 first, and I still use it a lot. My primary reason for getting the 24-105mm was weather-sealing - I wanted to shoot in the rain. Until you have a weather-sealed body (the 7D is, but Rebels are not, and the xxD line has minimal sealing), weather-sealing on a lens doesn't mean anything. When I'm going somewhere, I never take them both. They are different lenses with different specifications, but they are intended for the same purpose - general use shooting. I think you'd be far better off picking one of them, and then looking at other different lenses next (the 85mm f/1.8 comes to mind as an excellent portrait lens, for example.)
So, look over your shots from the 18-55mm kit lens - do you use 18-24mm a lot? Are you at 55mm for a lot of your walkaround shots and still not close enough? Do you need the extra stop of light, or better OOF blur for portraits? Those are the factors to consider in comparing the 24-105mm and the 17-55mm.
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