Summary: I recently bought a Canon Rebel 350 8 mega pixel but it does not come with a lens so I have to search for one. I read reviews from other sites about this lens some positive from beginners and some not positive from hobbyist/professionals. Professional lenses of this size is costs too much money and since I am a novice I decided to take the risk and bought this lens on-line. So far my wife can't seemed to put it down, she's been using the camera with this lens to snap pictures of our baby daughter every day. Needless to say she is very happy with with it. The features are very easy to use and price was very reasonable. I highly recommend it to novice users!

Summary: This lens is a perfect compliment to the 18-55mm kit lens supplied with the Rebel XT - it even looks similar to the kit lens. For the price, you get a lens that offers the equivalent of 10x zoom from the kit lens. The quiet USM focusing is also a big plus. You can get better lenses in this zoom range for sure, but at a significantly higher price.

This lens will give you the ability to fill your shots with the subject when you're at a distance, rather than having pictures with your subject in the center and a whole lot of space around it. I've used this lens to take pictures of hummingbirds nesting in our backyard. With the kit lens, I could not get close enough to take detailed pictures of the baby birds - they looked like little specks in the picture. With this lens, I was able to take shots where you can see the patterns on the birds' wings.

I also like the fact that this lens is light and compact. It fits in my camera bag easily next to my Rebel XT. Many zoom lenses at 200mm or 300mm are long, heavy and unwieldy, both in the bag and while on the camera. This one is very easy to keep around your neck for long periods at a time.

The downside is that relatively bright light is necessary for a good exposure with this lens, since the maximum aperture is only F5.6 at the 200mm end. If you need to do low-light photography with a telephoto zoom lens, this isn't the one for you. Also, while I am very satisfied with the images I get with this lens, it isn't going to challenge a Canon L-lens for image quality.

If you are looking to extend the reach of your Rebel XT and are satisfied with the image quality of the kit lens, I'd recommend this one wholeheartedly. You won't find a similar product for the price. If you want the best image quality possible and don't mind large heavy lenses, save up for a Canon L lens like the 70-200mm F4.0L.

Summary: This is an excellent addition to the efs 18-55 lens for the digital rebel owners out there. If you are a pro photographer, dont bother with this lens. It is not meant to be compared to the expensive lens out there. And it is not priced in that market. However, for the normal person out there taking photos, it is great and produces wonderful images. Perfect extension from the kit lens (18-55). I highly recommend it. I paid $184 after Canon $10 discount which is good through the end on July 2004. Trust me, I searched everywhere.