For the better part of a decade, there have been rumors and wishes spread around the interwebs for a 24-70mm f/2.8 IS lens to come about from Canon. Recently, we’ve seen Tamron introduce such a lens that is available for Canon DSLRs. Despite its positive reception, it’s still not a Canon L lens.

A lot of Canon shooters figured all hope was lost when Canon introduced the EF 24-70mm f/4L IS lens earlier this Fall. For many, this was not the lens they were hoping for and the 24-70mm f/2.8 lens with Image Stabilization seemed like a pipe dream even more than before.

However, new rumors of the EF 24-70mm f/2.8L IS lens point to an actual announcement in the next 18 months – most likely around the end of next year. Canon Rumors reports that two sources have confirmed the lens’ existence and that it really will make it to market.

Is the EF 24-70mm f/2.8L IS lens the one you’ve been waiting for? What are you willing to pay for it? (BTW, my guess would be that it retails just south of $3k given the $2300 retail of the current non-IS version.)