I used it exclusively recently on my city break to London (albeit with a D7000), and found the FL and portability perfect. Image quality wise I could really see much of a difference to my faithful 17-55 F2.8 except maybe wide open the 17-55 is a bit sharper. When shooting landscapes however, usually you will be at f8-f11, so any differences disappear.
A really good lens, however if you believe the rumors, Nikon are due to launch a constant F4 aperture version sometime this year (however it will no doubt be quite a bit more expensive).