Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM Lens

I got this lens after some hesitation, partly because of its supposed "softness" and partly because of the lens working only on the aps-sized sensor cameras. I have been very glad that I decided to get it. The list price _is_ probably too high, but this is eBay, right? While I am amazed that some people will bid lenses and other things higher than mail-order retail prices, I was able to get this lens new from the eBay retail operation of one of the big New York stores for very much less than retail-- so much for its cost. As for softness-well, it produces images on a 20D that are sharper than the 35mm Kodachrome images from my best Nikkors, as digitized at 4000 dpi. It's not a copy lens, but the image stabilization is even better than that on the older IS lenses, and combined with the Canon high ISO abilities, this lens is a treat. By comparison with the little kit lens (18-55mm), it weighs a ton, but the total lens and camera package is well balanced and comfortable to use. Finally, the new 30D Canon shows that Canon is committed to the smaller sensor size for a little while longer, for sure.

LATER - hey, I did get a 5D and a 24-105mm IS L lens, but I still use the 17-85mm IS as my main shooting lens on my two APS-C cameras. I still don't regret buying it -- for one thing, I've had the use of it for a couple of years.

Still later - This lens has been replaced by a new EF-S 15-85mm IS. Many of us who love this lens had hoped for a fantastically improved new one, but it seems to be only somewhat better, and costs almost half again as much. Makes the old one still very attractive used.