Replacement for the 18-55 kit

Is the 17-40L a good replacement for the 18-55mm Kit?

Depends on your budget and what you shoot.

I personally wouldn't get the L as the Tamron 17-50 2.8 is a better deal in my eyes.

i got the Tamron 17-50 a few weeks ago and it seems to do quite well.

It's an outstanding replacement if you're looking to stick with Canon lenses and go to an L for the build and image quality.

Mark

If you're looking for a walkabout lens, I would find the 17-40 a little limiting on the long end. I use the 17-85 IS and am quite happy with it. It gives me a nice useable focal range. Another lens would be the Sigma 17-70, again, a nice useable range. Keep in mind, I'm not saying anything negative at all with regards to the 17-40, it's an excellant lens, just a little too short for me for an everyday lens. Another lens that gets mentioned a lot as a kit lens replacement it the Canon 28-135 IS. Nice range, but for many users, 28mm isn't wide enough on a crop body camera.

28-135mm IS USM, cant say enough good things about it.

I think the 28-135 would be a nice addition to my lens family but not as a replacement for my kit. I like to shoot wide angle so the 28 just isn’t enough.