Originally posted by Avantphoto I know a place where I can get a brand new 24-90 (I assume it's been discontinued) and for me that can be a awesome walk around lens, but what are peoples thoughts about it. I only wish someone would come out with a 24-90 but at F2.8, I don't imagine that would be that hard on a cropped sensor, but one can dream
It's extremely good - said to be slightly less sharp at the long end but I've never found that a problem. If I had to go on a trip with one lens and one only, this would be the one. At any given FL you will find a prime that will be slightly better but the 24-90 is as good as any zoom IMHO, and the range covers an awful lot of situations. I find the limitation at the wide end more of a nuisance than at the long end, so my two-lens solution would be also to pack the Zenitar or the DA21. The slightly sloppy-seeming build is a non-issue as far as I am concerned. The inner barrel does seem quite loose.
Now, if you already have a 16-45, say, you have a dilemma. You might do better to get a longer lens than the 24-90. On the other hand some overlaps reduces lens-changing.
Anyway I would decide entirely according to the usefulness or otherwise of the 24-90 range for your particular needs. In terms of performance you need have no worries about it.
Hope that helps.
Tim