swap my 17-85 IS for the 17-55 IS?

I have heard nothing but amazing things about the 17-55. I have heard very mixed things about the 17-85, and I have been considering selling my 17-85 to fund purchase of the other. I'd like to get some input from the community, yea or nae? I will have a decent gap between 55 and 70mm, does anyone currently have that kind of a gap and find themselves really missing it? Is the picture quality out of the 17-55 really enough to warrant the ~$600 it would cost me to upgrade?

I shoot pretty much everything from portraits to sports to low-light to fast action and everything in between. I have found the 4-5.6 of the 85 to be too slow at times, so the 2.8 has it's appeal. But I am worried that 55mm may not be long enough for the everyday shooting I do and I would be forced to switch lenses quite often.

I plan on getting the 17-55 for xmas this year. wohoo i cannot wait. I want something that is very crisp and from the examples I have seen on this site..it is the hotness.

I made the switch when the 17-55 first came out. I don't regret it for a second. I don't miss the 30mm lost at all and having a constant f/2.8 is great.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with the 17-85, but the 17-55 really gives more control of DoF, has a lightning quick AF, is super sharp and is just a great lens.

I'd recommend getting the hood since I've banged the lens on my camera a dozen times (hit the hood each time) and have no ill-effects.

My 17-55 f/2.8 IS is my favorite lens since I bought it two months ago! Great lens!

But I paid $930 for it, not $600!

that's exactly what I did with my setup. I had the 17-85, which was a great lens for the price, and upgraded to the 17-55, which is a MUCH better lens. the difference is stunning, you won't regret it

jnev wrote in post #4447604
that's exactly what I did with my setup. I had the 17-85, which was a great lens for the price, and upgraded to the 17-55, which is a MUCH better lens. the difference is stunning, you won't regret it

Good to hear! I will look in to it seriously when the holidays are over.

Huge difference in speed, low light performance, and shooting subjects like kids/dogs/etc... The pictures I got when I did this upgrade were like night and day! The Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 is also a nice upgrade from the 17-85, but no IS, hence $450 cheaper than the 17-55is.

I just ordered the 17-55 2.8 from B&H this week and it should be here tomorrow. I have never owned the 17-85 so I won't know the difference but I can say that I expect a great difference coming from my kit lens.

I currently have the kit lens that stops at 55mm and the 70-200 with nothing to fill the gap and I don't really mind it. It was something that I looked at when I got ready to order the 17-55 2.8 because I also was considering the 24-70 but I decided that I would much rather have the wide end and just deal with the gap from 55 to 70 just like I have in the past. I know not every situation is this easy, but for most I just use my feet a little to get the shot I want.

Having never shot with the 17-85, I can't compare it to the 17-55... What I can talk about is the quality that I see with the 17-55 as well as the 'gap' between 55-70.

This lens is really an amazing tool - fast, accurate focus, nice contrast and colors. I've found it to meet most of my needs in that focal range. I plan to get a 28 or a 35 prime - just to add some speed to that range. Looking at my Lightroom stats I see that 75% of my shots are from this lens.

The gap to 70mm has not been an issue for me. A quick look through my Lightroom again shows me that very few (maybe 2 or 3) were shot at 55mm where I'd wished I could have gone a little longer. Generally, I have no problem at all with the gap.

I'd highly recommend this lens - you'll love it, I'm sure.