Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Lens for Canon DSLR Cameras
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Lens for Canon DSLR Cameras
Customer Review: A great alternative to the Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L lens
Summary: 5 Stars
Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Lens for Canon DSLR Cameras
I use this lens mostly for existing light interior photos and portrait photos. (It does work well with strobes in a studio setting too.)
Between the fast, constant aperture and the IS system, you get great low-light capability.
It's as sharp as my 50 1.4 but more versatile for use in group portraits.
It appears to be at least as well-built as the 40D/30D I use it with.
It is expensive, but it is really the best thing you can hang on a Canon crop frame camera. If you intend to go to a full frame format at some point then this will not be the lens for you and you should look into the 24-70mm L lens.
Pros: Smooth bokeh, Fast, Sharp, Versatile
Cons: fairly large & heavy (but not as heavy as the 24-70), Hood has to be purchased seperately
Best Uses: Portraits, Night/Low Light Photography, Travel Photography
Customer Review: Great lense for Canon XTi
Summary: 5 Stars
Update 2010: I still like the lens but one issue is that the design tents to Suck dust into the lens chamber. this is a problem if you are not comfortable dissembling the lens from time to time for cleaning. They need to redo the mechanical design.
I bought this lens instead of the kit lens for the Canon XTi camera. The lens is great to cover normal day to day photography needs. With ISO 800 and 1600 and this fast image stabilize lens I can do available light photography even at night or faintly lit rooms. The weight distribution with the camera is very nice.
Update:
I have been using this lens for 3 months now and it is my workhorse lens (my other lens is a Canon 50mm f1.8). This lens is an excellent piece of glass. The pictures are sharp throughout the range and with a f2.8 aperture in combination with image stabilization you can shoot in extremely low light. Great lens for street photography as it has a super fast auto focus. I also use it as my main lens for portraits, I use the 50mm f1.8 when I want a extra short depth of field.
Customer Review: Great lens, but learn maintenance
Summary: 5 Stars
The 17-55mm f/2.8 EF-S is one of the most surprising lenses I have. It has an edge-to-edge sharpness that compares nicely to my 70-200 2.8 L. If you want to know more about its image quality and Image Stabilization, just read the tons of reviews.
The one problem with this lens is the pump design of the zoom elements. Dust collects quickly below the front element after repeated use, because of the vacuum the lens creates when pulling the zoom element back in. Keeping a UV filter on the lens seems to help, but you will need to clean it once in a while. Either send it back to Canon for a cleaning, or learn to clean it yourself. A quick google search finds picture guides on how to remove the front element and clean the surface that all the dust collects on. The process is very easy to do, quick, and safe, so long as you are careful.
For those who aren't interested in self-cleaning, this lens does qualify for Canon Professional Services (CPS) despite being a non-L lens. I'm giving it 5 stars because of the overall excellent value.
Customer Review: Great glass
Summary: 5 Stars
When a switch in equipment forced me to change from Nikon to Canon - I immediately set out to find the equivalent to my favorite Nikon lens and quickly found this one. And I can't recommend it more.
It looks and feels right - it has a nice heft that works beautifully on my 40D. The 2.8 speed across all focal distances is the type of speed one expects at this quality.
The photos this camera produces are sharp, color saturated, and can't be bettered.
And for those who ask "Why would you need IS on a lens of this short focal distance?" -- well, in the last week alone, I've taken handheld photos at a evening football game, a Christmas Tree lighting ceremony, and a dimly lit church interior. All of the photos came out beautifully WITHOUT a tripod. Try that with any other lens in those same situations and you would have NOT gotten the shots.
Highly recommended. Please invest the additional 30 dollars on a 77mm UV filter while you are at it to prevent dust and fingerprints on your brand new thousand dollar lens.
Customer Review: Great lens!
Summary: 5 Stars
I am a serious amateur, and I have found this lens to be a tremendous improvement over the kit lens. The quality of my photos has improved greatly, and I have just begun to learn how to use its true capability. Sharpness, contrast, color and the ability to keep the subject in sharp focus with the background soft are excellent. I am shooting a lot more in available light and achieving very interesting results. The lens is fairly heavy, compared with the kit lens, and large due to the IS. I think a similar quality lens without IS would also be an attractive alternative if it were significantly lighter and smaller. Using it on a Rebel XT body, I find that it is fatiguing to the fingers to hold the weight of the lens on the small body, so I may investigate adding the battery grip for more leverage and comfort or consider getting a larger body. It is worth it for this lens.
I also bought the Canon 430 flash with a Sto-Fen diffuser, and they make a great team with this lens. I feel like a pro when I shoot now, and my results are getting there.