This lens is in my opinion a highly recommended upgrade over the Canon entry-level lenses. Use it on the 500D and am very satisfied so far. Very well made, over the entire zoom range good imaging performance (by reference to appropriate aperture settings also very good) and a precise and fast autofocus feature. Also the lens is still portable enough to act as a permanent travel companion. For me, a small all-rounder, who makes the purchase of additional lenses once superfluous and a great introduction to DSLR photography allows.