By: mcompagno (28-Aug-07)      Experience with product: 2 Days

Strengths:	IS, USM, PERFECT FOR EVERY DAY USE, GREAT PICTURES INDOORS AND OUT
Weaknesses:	NOT WIDE ENOUGH FOR WIDE ANGLE SHOTS ON 1.6 DIGITAL CAMERAS

Full User Summary
I am stunned at the image quality this lens has produced for me. Action shots are crystal clear thanks to IS which is extremely quiet compared to my other Canon lenses. And indoor shots without a flash are a breeze, thanks to the 3.5 aperture and IS. The USM focusing is EXTREMELY fast so you can get those unexpedted shots too.The only downsize is if you need wide angle shots on a 1.6 system, stick with your 17mm lens.

By: touristguy87 (02-Aug-07)      Experience with product: 1 Days

Strengths:	it has a decent zoom range, and not too slow
Weaknesses:	focus accuracy at wide angle is just awful

Full User Summary
I hate reviews like this..."Strengths: Perfect zoom range for everyday general purpose use"...trust me, it's not,it's too long..." Weaknesses: Only one I can think of is the 3.5 F-stop but has not prevented me from shooting in most low light conditions" no, and it wouldn't, would it? You can always use a tripod..."Summary: I love this lens! It produces sharp images." sure, if you get lucky or you shoot telephoto during the day. And how many dull, out of focus shots did you get for those sharp images? "I have two shots taken with this lens in Maine that I printed 13"x19" on my Epson 2200 printer that everyone raves about at the office. Incredible sharpness! Looks like the photo was taken with an "L" Series Lens." AAAugh! at what fstop, ISO and focal length? The difference between L lenses and cheaper lenses can be minimized by picking the best combination for the cheaper lens. "You won't be sorry buying this lens." Yes, you will, or I would not be writing this review, like this..."Newbie, Advanced Amateur, or fledgling PRO, this lens will be a workhorse for you!" Er, no. Not even close. The lens just does not focus well at wide angle. I took about 500 shots with one in one day on a Rebel XTi and I got about half of them in decent focus. And I mean quite well-lit, sunny even shots, plenty of detail...it just botched them. Plus it suffers from a lot of internal reflection and it is just too long for me to shoot casually "walking around town". The zoom is nice, it seems to work "ok" between 70 and 135mm, and it isn't too slow. But I would not buy this lens, I would never rely on it, and I have the 17-55 IS at twice the price. So, ok, there are 3 things that really limit the XTi with *any* lens. One is the focus system of the XTi itself. The focus points are too widely-dispersed, they "get in the way" if there is anything in the foreground hanging over the scene...a lot of time i leave branches, walls etc in the foreground and I want to focus on the background. Or I shoot with a lot of depth of field so there is a long range between the foreground and the background and I want the whole shot in focus...so I'll use the center focus point and focus in the middle somewhere. This may not be enough focus points for the XTi to get a good sharp focus. And you can tell, really, the shot will be hazy, at least, and none of the fine detail will be sharp. Even if at full-screen it looks ok. But this also happens with shots that are flat and full of good, well-lit detail, but usually not so much. Second is the in-camera NR which is ISO dependent, and last is the available light. It simply tends to have more blown-focus shots as the light goes down...but that doesn't mean that all of the shots taken in full daylight are in sharp focus! Far from it. And I never imagined having to distinguish between "in focus" and "in sharp focus". I had this problem with my Olympus SP-500 and a little bit with my S2 and certainly the A710, but not at all with my FZ5 or A610. I just am not used to this as a problem. If you're used to it...it may not be a problem, but I'm not used to losing a third of my shots to a dodgy focus. Having said that, when the 28-135 F3.6 hits a good focus, it can give you some good shots, and certainly if they are at a range beyond the 17-55, and you want it tight so you can maximize the chance of getting a good focus, and also, so you don't worry about having to crop later, it *can* give you some good results. Then you just have to deal with stuff like this. Those are headlight reflections, even a streetlight or two. 28-135mm F3.6 at F5.6 ISO800 1-60s 112mm.

By: Kailani (26-Mar-06)      Experience with product: 1 Months

Strengths:	IS, useful focal range, quick USM focus, full time manual focus
Weaknesses:	seems heavy at first, somewhat pricey

Full User Summary
bought this for use on my digital Rebel XT. At first I was a little bothered by the weight and questioned whether the IS was worth the extra $$. Now that I've had some time to use it, it's become the lens most often on the camera. The focal range covers most of my walk around shooting, and images look sharp. I got some great surfing photos from the pier (the surfers were already fairly close, obviously) recently. Also got some nice close shots of bumblebees on flowers in the yard (with a little cropping to enhance the subject). Great general use lens! My only drawback has been that it's longer than the kit lens & sometimes I missed having a wider angle. Solved that by picking up a EF-S 10-22, but that's another review.... :) Can hardly express the improvment over the kit lens, there's really no comparison. If you only have the funds for one lens right now, this is a good one to pick up!

By: alexveksler (10-Oct-05)      Experience with product: 40 Days

Strengths:	Image Stabilizer - very much worth the difference in price. Fast focus speed. Great every day lens
Weaknesses:	Don't have any yet.

Full User Summary
This is my first Cannon purchase for my new 20D. I purchased 70-200 IS for action photography (too big for everyday use) and also was looking for every day lens. I had to put a stop somewhere on the price, as there are so many products on the market. However, if price was no issue, I would have purchased Canon Zoom Super Wide Angle EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM and have it as every day lens. I had an advantage - I had never own any SLR cameras/lenses, so I am really starting from 'scratch'. If you are first time buyer, this is a great purchase.

By: d9175 (02-Sep-05)      Experience with product: 1 Months

Strengths:	image stabilization, fast focus, good zoom
Weaknesses:	would rather have a wider angle and don't need as much zoom

Full User Summary
OVerall a decent lens. Definately better than the standard lens, but not as good as the pro series. Nice general purpose lens, but a little heavier than I would like. I use it on my digital rebel-xt and it feels heavier than the camera itself.