I agree with the two before me. The EFS 17-55 2.8 IS is a wonderful lense. I have it, and it's got L quality glass. With the 2.8 and IS it's a wonderful lens for low lighting, plus it's wide enough for the group photos. You can't get any wider, unless you go with the 10-22, and while that lens is fabulous, it's not very versatile.


It will do fairly well for portraits because of the big aperture. You'll want to zoom all the way to 55mm to get the best background blur, though.


Given your description, I think this is the best fit for what you're looking for. If you look at the review on this website, you'll see that it's much better than the kit lens. The $1000 price tag is very well justified by the quality of this baby!