Canon 17-55mm IS 2.8 or Tamron 18-270mm for Europe???

[surfdc]

I know, I know this has been discussed to death, but, I am bringing the 7D and my Tokina 11-16mm. 2 batteries and and 1 32gb card.

We will be tooling around Europe for a few weeks, staying here and there, some back packing. London-paris-greece-italy so far.

My concern is that the 7D needs good glass, and EVERYONE loves and takes the 17-55 because it has IS and its fast....but is it sharp??

Very few have taken the 18-270, not sure why. I am only considering it because it is an all in one...

dont care about the money, I just sold my 24-70 f2.8, so IDK.

thanks, I really appreciate it, and any other advice would be great!

Also, thinking about buying and taking one of these with me and cramming it in the back pack instead of a tripod: Joby Gorillapod SLR (http://joby.com/gorillapod/slr/) Waddya think?

[Architective]

I just took my 18-270 with me on a trip and really enjoyed it. It's got a lot of range, the VC is pretty good, and you don't have to change lenses all the time (if you have others). Its not near as fast as the Canon, but it's super versatile. I took an 18-55 with me to Chicago when I went on vacation and I found it very limiting as far as its reach.

Here are a couple pictures from it:

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_-Mp8nfBQdjs/TFz0Mw_ni9I/AAAAAAAAHHo/tDNEzVJy26g/s512/13th%20Street%20Bridge-17.jpg

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_-Mp8nfBQdjs/TFz0M8rBFtI/AAAAAAAAHHs/rqq853FQ1l4/s576/13th%20Street%20Bridge-15.jpg

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_-Mp8nfBQdjs/TFz0NBEvpZI/AAAAAAAAHHw/enZSsZNV984/s640/13th%20Street%20Bridge-2.jpg

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_-Mp8nfBQdjs/TFz0NSmXQEI/AAAAAAAAHH0/jxLCZ_9-gZM/s512/13th%20Street%20Bridge-18.jpg

[surfdc]

Thanks for the input. I was waiting for someone to reply even though I know it's been discussed to death! I'm on my way to Calumet to test them now! They have 5 copies of the Tamron and salesman said I could test and pick the sharpest one!

[lensmen]

It's got a lot of range, the VC is pretty good, and you don't have to change lenses all the time (if you have others). I

very similar reason to why I got mine a few days ago.

No L lens quality or USM focusing speed but as a traveling walkabout lens, the range & VC are just fine.

[surfdc]

very similar reason to why I got mine a few days ago.

No L lens quality or USM focusing speed but as a traveling walkabout lens, the range & VC are just fine.

Yup. Just got mine, it was (or my 7D body is) front focusing, after re-calibrating, it is nice!!

I bought a $40 super small camera bag that I'm gonna cram that in and my UWA and cram that bag in an old dirty Jansport backpack and take it to Europe!!

[KCMO Al]

You'll find that there are many places in Europe where space is very limited and you'll need as wide as you can get. I travelled with my 24-105 and 17-40 (on FF). 24 was generally wide enough but the 17 came in handy in certain situations. Streets can be very narrow and interesting details require being close to the subject. The Gorillapod is a great idea. Takes little space, very light weight and very handy.