It's like my legendary Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 was stretched into a zoom!

My Review Philosophy
When I make a purchase, peer review sites are one of my most valuable resources for non-biased experiences and information. When I come here to research a product I generally read reviews and the product specifications on other sites as well. You will find that my reviews try to focus on my personal experiences and research discoveries that I think are not easy to find through pre-purchase research. I will also highlight any differences between actual product features and performance and what the vendor's marketing states or implies. This means that my review will not spend a lot of time on basic specifications, procedures or stock commentary that you can read in other places.

Vendor and Product Info Links
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Canon-EF-S-17-55mm-Lens-Cameras/dp/B000EW8074/desktopengineer

My Relevant Product Background
This is some of the equipment I have worked with over the last 25 years or that I have reviewed or currently own. I would describe myself as an avid amateur. Canon AE-1 SLR (Film), Pentax Super Program SLR (Film), Canon G3 (4 MP) - High End Point and Shoot Digital, Canon S410 (4 MP) - compact, Canon Rebel XT (350D) (8MP), Canon Rebel XSi (450D), Canon 24-70 L f/2.8, Canon 24-105 f/4, Canon 24 f/2.8, Canon 70-300 IS USM

My Purchase
I bought this lens at Amazon for $850. Through Amazon marketplace I also bought an Adorama hood and a Hoya PRO 1D Multicoated UV filter.  Here's how I got to that point.  I purchased a 50mm f/1.4 with my Rebel XT (350D) in 2005 and love it dearly. It only comes off the camera when it isn't wide or long enough. However, I needed a wider lens for landscape and indoor people events. So a couple years ago I gave two of Canon's premier L lenses a spin - the EF 24-70 L f/2.8 and the EF 24-105 L f/4 as well as the non-L 24 f/2.8 - I was looking for what I had in the 50mm, but wider. The EF 50 f/1.4 really held it's own so well against the two L zooms - in fact I couldn't get used to the f/4 lens - I was hoping IS would overcome the f/4. In the long run the other two lenses were very expensive ($1100-1300) and very heavy (2 lbs) I then realized that a wide prime would be cheaper, lighter and faster and take the same 58mm filter and lens cap as my other lenses. I settled on the EF 24mm f/2.8. However, over the last two years I've had some challenges with this choice. Any low contrast or low light has proven a real challenge for the autofocus of the EF 24mm f/2.8. Changing lenses is ok for *most* landscapes (fast changing lighting not withstanding) - but it really is a pain when shooting indoor people events. And the bokeh has not been there with the 24mm. So I started looking again and found many glowing reviews for the EF-S 17-55mm F/2.8.

What I Like
Low light performance is astounding. Distortion is minimal.  Sharpness and color great.  Autofocus is Fast and I never have to think about it not working in low light. All of these attributes are the same things that have kept me in love with my EF 50mm f/1.4!

For build quality it equals my EF 70-300 f/4-5.6 IS USM - which I would describe as "just below L quality".

For all but very demanding professionals (and even for some of them), this lens can match the performance of all competitors for the focal lengths it covers. In my case I paid around $650 for my two lenses in this range. Also, if you haven't bought an flash gun yet, getting this lens (and learning to use it in low light) could delay the need for that for some time - so you could throw in the cost of a flash into your analysis. (with the caveate noted by another reviewer that using the built-in flash with this lens does not work due to the shadow cast by the lens). I will never give up my 50mm f/1.4 - but if I was just buying a non-full frame sensor Canon - I would skip straight to this lens and only consider primes for their super fast performance or special purposes like macro. On a 1.6 crop (APS Size Sensor) the zoom range is perfect for my needs.

Undeserved Bad Raps
Lens weight and camera balance on a Rebel - although the lens is not light, it is also noticeably lighter than the L lens alternatives - for me it's just below a threshold of what I'm willing to sling around my neck to get great shots.  Also if weight or balance are a concern for a specific shooting situation, I will put on my 50mm and just deal with the lack of zoom the old fashioned way - via creative composition and zooming with my feet.

Dust Inflitration - Haven't had the lens long enough to know about this one - I've seen earlier reviews of this lens mention this - but fewer of the recent ones do.  I was almost paranoid about having the UV filter ready to put on as soon as the lens was out of the bag.

Inconsistent zoom smoothness - I'm convinced this is a retention mechanism for the zoom.  I say this because the effect of the feel is at least twice as strong when operating the zoom pointing straight down (you know in the position where you don't want it to fall open) Also, this attribute isn't actually noticable enough to be distracting when shooting. I only notice it when obsessively trying to "qualify" the lens.

What I Don't Like
No zoom locking mechanism - however the extension is only 2 inches and if the built in mechanism lasts, it is actually more convenient.

Hidden Gems and Tips
Bayonet Mount Lens Hood - I bought the Adorama lens hood designed specifically for this camera at 1/4 the cost.  Yes it's cheaper plastic, but I can break three of them before I'm up to the cost of the Canon.  The Adorama one even looks like the Canon with the part number and canon logo printed with "made for" printed righ before.  One notable advantage to a bayonet mount lens hood is that you can mount it backwards so that when you put the lens in a bag, the lens hood takes up minimal space.

77mm filters are pricey and large - I'm just noting this fact in case this is your first large filter sized lens.  (I really dislike reviews that whine about things that are a basic necessity of the engineering feat at hand - in this case a low light zoom has to have a bigger opening).  This is my first lens that does not share the 58mm filter size.  Price is one thing - but carrying them around can be another pain - especially since I my core filters in 58mm already.  Obviously a cool thing about digital is many filters can be applied in software.  Filter strategy: I have already purchased the three filters I use most in 58mm (UV, Polarizer, ND-8).  The polarizer and ND-8 I use mostly for landscape where I *usually* have a little more time to fuss with equipment (rapidly changing light not withstanding).  So in these situations I can look at changing to one of my lenses with the 58mm filter size and use the filters I already have.  My primary pain points with the EF 28mm (low light focus and overall sharpness) are less of an issue in landscapes where I can stop down and tripod mount if necessary.

This is the first EF-S lens I own that I actually use (hmmm... where is that kit lens now?).  I find lens attachment must be done more carefully than EF lenses. Now I say that coming from doing a lot of swapping of primes - there aren't going to be near as many quick lens changes required with this one mounted.

The lens is so large that if you photograph people at close range, they feel they have a REAL canon in their face. If I take a shot in the mirror, it is hard to see the rest of my Rebel behind the lens!  I would advise that you put the lens at a medium zoom and back out - it also results in the least distortion to be in the middle of the focal length range.

So far everything I own still fits in my LowePro Slingshot 200AW bag - well, it might be a pain to fit the lens hood in.  The camera fist with this lens mounted.

Accessories
Purchased with Lens
Adorama Lens Hood for Canon EF-S 17-55mm $15 (much cheaper than Canon - looks the same - even the canon logo and part number is printed on it with "made for" before it)
Hoya 77mm DMC Pro 1D UV Filter $51
Lens Pouch $15

Wish List
Hoya 77mm DMC PRO1 Digital Circular Polarizer (multicoated) $135
Alternative polarizer: Hoya 77mm Circular Polarizer (noncoated) $37
Hoya 77mm DMC PRO1 ND-8 (multicoated) $105