I shoot a lot of indoor/no flash activities so I tend to favor f/2.8 zooms and faster primes. Having said that I love my EF-S 17-55 and I have had no problems with it in three years of solid use. I mention this because every now and then you see someone going on about dust issues, which are not a problem in my experience. I use it less now that I have upgraded bodies, but it tends to be semi-permanently attached to my 50D.


I have never used the Tamron 17-55, but it is also well regarded, if your style includes lower light venues.