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I'm considering upgrading from a 40D to the 5D but have heard : "Soft images straight out of the camera -- requires a good lens for best results; Some detail smudging from noise reduction, even at low ISOs" Is anyone using it with the lens generally sold with it (the EF 24-105L)? Are you getting sharp detail with this lens? If I need to buy a high end lens to receive the benefit of this body it may just bump me out of my price range. Any suggestions are appreciated!

the 17-40l canon is a good lens, at least mine is. not for low light without a tripod

The 24-105L is a good lens, and the best results are at about f8.
Honestly, because I look for better results, I use it only on holidays, or on location to check with focal will be the best, and then I switch to a prime (35f1.4, 50f1.8, 85f1.2II are excellent).
Also with a max aperture of f4, this is a limitation associated with the quite noisy 5D (mark I) sensor after ISO 800.
Everything depends of which quality you are looking for.
To get some idea, check out this gallery I just added, 24-105L + 5D.
http://www.pbase.com/nicolasdechamps/ardeche
Regards,