There seems to be a lot of quality control issues with this lens. The main problen i have with this lens is "zoom creep". Its also hard to focus manually. Other than that, the lens is good. I traded the kit lens that came with the camera for this lens, and i'm glad i did.

good lens if you dodge a lemon

Poor build quality; zoom creep

I put image quality for both Pro and Con just because it isn't that good but also isn't that bad. I use this as a street/walkaround lens. The only lens I would get to replace this is the Canon EF-S 15-85mm.

IS; zoom range; image quality

image quality; poorly built; F4 aperture

This is an ideal gap lens for folks looking for fast glass and really good optical quality. I got this lens to replace my 18-55 and 18-200 lenses. The glas on this is better than both of those and I find this is more versatile for a walking around lens.

In my condition of amateur, i use to buy second hand items to try to save some money, and in most cases those items work very good. But in this case, this lens has a focus problem that doesn't permit to work fine. Nevertheless the lens is very good

Canon EF-S 17-85mm, a major improvement from Canon's EF-S 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 II kit lens offers attractive features appropriate for individuals who are into photography while traveling light.

? Powerful ring-type ultra-sonic monitor (USM) produces fast and silent autofocusing (1.15ft close; ? Standard zoom lens with f/4-5.6 maximum aperture; ? Very handy weighing 475g (1 lb) measuring 78.5mm (3.1") in diameter and 92mm (3.6") long; ? EF-S Lens mount ideal for EOS (Canon) bodies...

? Intrusion of magenta chromatic deviation and marked barrel distortion brings poor performance at wide-angle; ? Average close-up performance; ? Slow aperture speed

Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

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

Heavy

Used this lens for several years, replaced it with Tamron 18-270, not as sharp. During my time with the 17-85, I enjoyed its sharpness and light weight. However, midway through, it lost its autofocus and I had to have a repair by Canon, not cheap.

I suspect that a lot of people who read reviews for this lens currently have the kit lens and are looking for that next upgrade. That was the situation I was in when I got this lens.

I purchased this lens looking for something that was powerful enough to capture candid close-ups, vivid landscapes and action photos. The 17-85MM is by far my favorite lens in my camera bag. It's a versatile, compact and easy to handle.

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

I encountered a problem which I later found was a very common one for this lens - the zoom gets stuck. This is due to a tiny screw that comes loose deep in the heart of it. There is an excellent YouTube video setting out how to take it apart (removing about 22 screws!) and fix it.

Lightweight

Lens Creep