Tamron 17-50 F2.8 VS - Who's got one?

[FreeloaderJoe]

Was willing to pre-order this lens until its arrival a couple of months ago. There were a series of very mixed reviews.

What are the conclusions that everyone have drawn from actually owning one? Are there any long term reviews available on the tinternet for this?

Is it razor sharp or a damp squib? Maybe you can post some links to shots you've taken with this lens.

 

[jnO]

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=179585

On the lens example forum on POTN there are more example shots too.

I still love mine (although I probably now don't need the VC and will probably trade it in soon to free up some cash for some filters). There were some copy QC issues on the initial batches but bad copies were swapped by the supplier without question.

If VC is of benefit then I would still recommend this over the Canon equivalent, the Tamron is slower and noisier to focus than the Canon's USM but nothing else makes me think the 17-55 IS is worth the extra £300.