The only redeeming value is the f/2.8 aperture

Howard said:

I've read some raving reviews about this lens -- some say "It's the best non-L lens Canon has made.", etc. Not so. The optical quality is mediocre at best -- okay sharpness, pronounced distortions and vignetting; and the build quality is below average. The only redeeming value is its f/2.8 aperture, which does come handy in low-light situations, and it is the only dedicated EF-S zoom lens with a constant large aperture and useful focal length range, so that leaves one with no choice if such is needed.

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porsche997 said:

I have used the lens quite a bit - mine was razor sharp at all focal lengths at f/2.8. I've used a lot of L lenses and the 17-55 can stand with them sharpness wise. Vignetting and distortion are fixed with a click each in Lightroom.

Agree with below-average build quality: zoom creep, jerky zooming action, but disagree on calling the optical quality "mediocre."

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porsche997 said:

I have used the lens quite a bit - mine was razor sharp at all focal lengths at f/2.8. I've used a lot of L lenses and the 17-55 can stand with them sharpness wise. Vignetting and distortion are fixed with a click each in Lightroom.

Agree with below-average build quality: zoom creep, jerky zooming action, but disagree on calling the optical quality "mediocre."

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mkphoto79 said:

So the question is what would be the replacement "fast-ish" zoom lens for a crop camera? The EF 24-70/104 and L versions are often suggested but frankly they all suck at 17-23mm so they really aren't alternatives for most. Its a really goofy focal range for crop cameras.

I see the Sigma 17-50 f/2.8 OS suggested a lot but the reviews I've read here and on other site suggest that it is an equal to the EF-S 17-55 but not really blowing it out of the water. It's better in some areas, worse in others, generally an equal if you want to deal with potential auto focus issues. Nothing I've been able to find yet is the "this blows the EF-S 17-55 out of the water" option, unless you go to full frame glass with odd focal ranges.

So what is a good replacement for the EF-S 17-55? I was (still am) looking at this lens as a replacement for my kit lens because its faster than my kit (f/2.8 vs f/3.5-5.6......I have the 18-55 IS II lens). Just get it, go for the Sigma version, or just keep the kit lens?

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mkphoto79 said:

I was thinking of getting the Sigma 30 f/1.4 ART and a flash for now and seeing if that works. Maybe the15-85 could serve as the kit lens replacement then.

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