Just got me the Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di II LD IF(that`s a mouthfull :D ) and I`m pretty glad about it.
Looks good, feels good, noisy as a mother... (the focusing mechanism that is, not the image quality), the petal lens hood came with the pack so that`s a plus in my book for Tamron.
It`s pretty heavy, as heavy as the 450D with the 1.8 50mm attached but it`s f2.8 all the way on the focal length so it`s worth it.
This will replace my Canon EF-S 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6 IS, which, although a great kit lens, you reach its limits pretty fast.
Can`t wait to test the 17-50 it to it`s limits, hehe. :)