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Rating: 
Summary: Great walk-around lens!
Review: Figuring out which lens to buy turned out to be more difficult than which camera to purchase! At least for me. I want my lenses to be a reasonable size (rules out the superb 70-200 f2.8 IS L), acceptably fast (at least f 4.0), preferably black (so that they are inconspicuous), not outrageously priced (admittedly this last factor being entirely subjective), and preferably a zoom for the additional flexibility.
Primes are absolutely fantastic values, reasonably priced, fast, and inconspicuous, BUT offer limited flexibility which, in my mind overrides the other factors.
I purchased this lens for the wider end of my shooting needs and I couldn't be more pleased. It takes beautiful pictures, sharp, beautifully saturated, with no discernable vignetting and little flare under normal circumstances.
This lens has beautiful bokeh IMO and is every bit the equal, again IMO, of the 16-35 f2.8 L in every respect other than speed (f 2.8 vs f 4.0). With the new digital SLR cameras you can easily make up for the loss of speed by cranking up the ISO.
The construction quality is fantastic and it is a lens that you will be able to use forever. It is an ideal lens for the current crop of 1.6 size sensors, but will also serve you well into the future whether you stick with the current size sensor or move up to larger sensors as they become more afordable.
I heartily recommend this lens.
Rating:
Summary: Film Users Alert - It's Not Just For Digital SLRs
Review: For years, I have been using my 28-70 f:2.8 Canon zoom as my "normal" lens. It is sharp (Oh baby is it!) and at 2.8,fast enough for just about any pro or serious amateur. But there were plenty of times I needed a little more coverage than my 28MM end provided. Since most of my work is with long-lens and fast (and expensive) zooms, I couldn't pony up the bucks for Canon's superwide f2.8 zoom. When I saw the price on the 17-40MM lens and the fact that it was the "L" flavor with pro glass, I bought it immediately. I've had it for about a year and I have already sold several pictures - published in glossy magazines with picky photo editors. And I trust it to give me sharp pictures, even at the extreme settings - wide open and at the 17MM end. You have to remember to always use the weird looking but effective lens hood to control flare and as with any very wide lens, look at the edges of the frame (your feet could be in every picture!) It's light, good enough to use as your normal lens and with their new 70-300 IS DO lens could make for an amazing and compact travel kit. So while Canon's lens experts probably built this one for the growing digital crowd, as a film user I think it's the bargain of the year and is in my camera bag every time I go on assignment. I sugget that you get a good quality "thin" UV filter and polarizer and you will be set to explore the exciting world of ultra-wide photography.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful wide angle lens for film
Review: If you get paid for your photos, you should own the f/2.8L instead. For the rest of us, this is a fantastic lens, my second Canon L lens after the 100-400. Construction quality is first rate. Images are sharp. The range of the zoom is excellent. For film. On an APS-C sized sensor (Canon 10D or DRebel) this isn't an exciting range and is only marginally wide angle. Though the Sigma 12-24mm is slower and (on paper) lower resolution---that might be the lens of choice for this range on a digital camera.
Rating:
Summary: Great Wide-angle lens for DSLR's
Review: On a DSLR with 1.3x or 1.6x cropping, such as the 10D or 1D, you will see no difference in the images produced by this lens and the twice-as-expensive EF 16-35 f/2.8L. So if you don't need the extra f-stop, go with this one and save yourself $700.On 35mm film or the 1Ds, you'll see more vignetting with this lens, but the images are still excellent, and this lens has less flare than the 16-35. The 16-35 is marginally sharper near the 35mm focal length, and does have much better bokeh, if that's important to you. If you take lots of wide-angle shots, this lens is a must-have. It's one of the less expensive "L" lenses, making it a relative bargain.
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