Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

Consistent Output; Easily Interchangeable; Lightweight; Quick Focus; Sharp Focus; Strong Construction

Scratches Easily

My most shots are outdoor of plants and wildlife. Recently, I shoot some indoor activities, such as musicals, plays, meetings, awards, etc. I use the lens with Canon T4i camera. I am struggling and learning. I had some good shots and some not so good shots.

Pros: Fast / accurate auto-focus, Consistent Output Cons: Other thoughts: I've been using a Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 lens for a number of years but really wanted a lens that focused faster and more accurately, especially in low light.

This large-aperture EF-S Series standard zoom lens features an optical system consisting of 19 lens elements in 12 groups. A class Canon lens, this is one on the expensive side. A great upgrade lens, pictures taken will be crisp clear.

This lens is fast and sharp. It replaced a Tamron 17-50 DiII VC. Incredible difference especially in low light. The only thing I miss is the zoom lock, but I can live.

Consistent Output; Fast / accurate auto-focus; Nice Bokeh

Lens Creep

The 17-55mm is on my camera 90% of the time. I love this lens! I highly recommend this to every Canon crop sensor camera owner from entry level to semi-Pro (EOS 7D) who are after image quality. This lens can produce the output quality of an L lens (i.e.

- Fast and bright f/2.8 aperture with IS and USM; No other lens in the Canon EFS Line up can match this (so far) - Sharp pictures wide open from edge to edge (best @ f/5.6 up to f/11 if focusing is done correctly).

- Not weather sealed - Can be susceptible to dust accumulation in front element (if reviews in the net are to be believed); I don't put UV filters on my lenses, but for this lens I didn't want to risk the lens collecting dust, a filter will complete the dust sealing.

I have always been a canon user but have never been satisfied with the system when it went digital. My ef lenses never worked quite right and the ef-s lenses left a lot to be desired. This ef-s lens makes a great difference. It is well made, fast and gives crystal clear images.

Easily Interchangeable; Fast / accurate auto-focus; Strong Construction

Heavy

This large-aperture EF-S Series standard zoom lens features an optical system consisting of 19 lens elements in 12 groups. A class Canon lens, this is one on the expensive side. A great upgrade lens, pictures taken will be crisp clear.

This lens, even with the EF-S format and inferior build quality, produces surprisingly good images, outcompeting even such "L" lens as 24-105/4 L IS USM. Particularly related to chromatic aberrations which in this lens are neglegible.

Super-sharp images

Poor build quality

If Some One wants to shoot portraits or landscape from not much distance on a APS-C size sensor camera ,i would say you can't have better lens than this.

Consistent Output; Durable; Nice Bokeh

Heavy