Canon EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM

BRANDEN: I rented one of these several months ago for some landscape shots. At the time, I wasn't overly impressed with the performance over less expensive 24mm options. The next day, before the rental was due back, I brought it with me to a dinner party just because I had it. Skip forward a month, and I was reviewing the photos, and I realized something -- the photos from the dinner party had an amazing "feel" to them, regarding clarity, color, and blur quality. So I tried this lens out again, this time specifically for events, and now I'm addicted. The photos are amazing, head and feet above what the cheaper mid-20 lenses I've tried can do. This lens is completely usable at f/1.4 -- and this alone has made this lens a staple of my event photography. The upshot is, while there are better options for landscape photos, this lens is the king of event photography.

Chad: I rented this for portraits on my 7d, and it produced some of the most unique pictures I've seen. The shallow DOF with the wide angle, combined with the stunning sharpness and colors found in L glass makes this a winner. Try it out, you have nothing to lose.