A quote, the final verdict, from Bryan's review on the Tamron:


In the Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di II Lens, we have avery useful tool. Since it issmall and light, we cantake it everywhere. Since it isfast(f/2.8), we can use it inlow lightandindoors- andto stop action. Since it hasvery good image quality, we can use it for important shots. This list along with a nicegeneral-purpose focal length rangefills the requirements of a huge range of photographic opportunities (I'll let you think of them). For the price, the Tamron 17-50 is abargain lens.