Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di LD

A strong competitor to the two midrange Canon zooms, the Tamron is smaller and lighter. It is nearly as sharp as the Canon zooms, has a wide aperture, and is significantly less expensive. Autofocuses accurately and almost as quickly as the Canon zooms. It may be important to consider that 24mm (on the Canon zooms) is quite a bit wider than 28mm if you don’t have another lens to cover wide angle shots.

For Sale: We have one Tamron 28-75 f2.8 XR Di lens rotating out of stock. It grades out in our 8/10 condition, meaning the mechanical and electrical systems are flawless, but there are minor scuff marks on the plastic hoods and caps, and very small hairline coating scratch at the very edge of the front element that cannot affect image quality. It comes with a 3 day inspection period during which you can return them for refund if not completely happy. $325.

Roger’s take: The Tammy is the best lens nobody knows about, and possibly the best bang-for-the-buck of any camera lens, period. Its nearly as sharp as the Canon 24-70 or 24-105, at least on crop frame cameras (T1i, 50D), but much smaller, lighter, and cheaper. Think about it: you can get 3.5 of these for the price of one 24-70 f2.8 L.