Quote Originally Posted by neuroanatomist
I can highly recommend the EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS that's at the top of your list. The optical quality of the Canon lens is excellent. Reportedly, the Tamron 17-50 non-VC lens is close to the Canon for IQ, but the VC version is not as good. Personally, I find that IS really helps at almost any focal length. The EF-S 15-85mm is another very good lens, but the tradeoff is increased focal range for aperture, and I prefer a wider aperture, personally (f/2.8 means a brighter viewfinder, more precise autofocus, and better low-light capability).




John, thank you very much for your tips. I'll have to check that tripod suggestion out. As for the standard zoom...well it basically looks like it boils down to between the 17-55 or the non-VC Tamron.





I just checked the comparison tool here:


http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/ISO-12233-Sample-Crops.aspx?Lens=398&Camera=474&Sample=0&am p;FLI=0&API=0&LensComp=400&CameraComp= 474&SampleComp=0&FLIComp=0&APIComp=0





I'm not sure I'm using the tool correctly, but doesn't the Tamron actually seem sharper?





<span style="color: #ff0000;"]Edit: Heh, just noticed this in the ISO 12233 tool description:





Are The Crop Samples Accurate Image Quality Indicators?

For the most part, I find the results to be very indicative of the image quality of the lens being tested and the comparisons work very well - the results are even better than I had hoped for. However, I'm not totally satisfied with the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Lens results - the 17-55 under-performed in the comparison tool images in my opinion. And the cheap Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Lens performed better at the wider focal lengths at the relatively short distance than I would expect to see from this lens - it over-performed in the comparison tool.




That might explain some of it.