I've had this lens for 5 months now and I find it to be outstanding. My photo's are extremely sharp, vibrant and colorful. The focusing is fast, though not as quiet as an STM and works beautifully. I use this lens with the 70D and recently went on a trip to Jamaica ..

I've used this on a 50D and 7D mkII; it produces first class results on both.I'm sure if it were an EF lens and not an EF-S lens, it would have a red ring and be an L lens - the quality is that good

For those buying a brand new Canon DSLR I would certainly recommend this over the standard kit lens. Faster glass is always worth the extra investment.

As mentioned the lens is not a designated L grade lens and while this may not be really obvious based on the naked specifications it does show up with respect to its build quality.

The Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM lens is a fast lens with a maximum aperture of f/2.8, so you can use it to obtain a shallow depth-of-field or help with reasonable exposures in lowlight situations.

Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

Fast / accurate auto-focus

Weak Casing

Perhaps I am fortunate that I haven't had a dust problem yet. I took the lens, as my only lens, to an outing in Utah and Arizona. Beautiful focus and color for the sandstone formations and the wide angle shot well for the landscapes.

Comparatively light

Doesn't come with a hood

This digital-only, 27-88mm equivalent ($1,000, street) is a pro-caliber upgrade of Canon's popular 17-85mm amateur Image Stabilizer lens ($515, street). It has the hallmarks of Canon's professional, full-frame L-series (solid construction, aspheric elements, UD glass).

Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM was announced in early 2006. The lens is designed to fit APS-C type cameras and has a reduced imaging circle with protruding back element which would cause mirror clearance issues if used on a full-frame camera.

The Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Lens, with a fast, fixed f/2.8 aperture, very high image quality , 3-stop Image Stabilization and a very popular focal length range, is one of the best general purpose lenses available .