J i m

The Tokina is just a hair sharper. I think I like the color better also. Hardly any distortion.  The big problem is filters. There are third party solutions to this. But by the time you add that to...

I think your referring to his comment "I'll let you know when mine arrives in March". He had that there when there was no comments on the lens yet, I believe as a placeholder, I'm sure he just...

My 17-35 was a Canon version. I sold it with my Canon gear. I can't comment about wide open performance too much, because I used it mostly for landscape photography. Here is a sample shot closed...

I have owned both Tokina lenses. The 16-28 is a superior optic, but it is huge, heavy and does not allow filters.If you plan to shoot mostly landscape, then the 17-35 is not a bad option. For...

It says that it has a backlit sensor. Was the 4S backlit?

You also need to think of what type of photography you intend to use this lens for. Example; for landscape, it's not much of an issue. You rarely get horizontal lines running through the immediate...

... and after I cancelled my order at onecall because I thought I snagged one "in stock" at Bestbuy. Ended up getting a D800 (not E) at Frys.

I did not get one either. I'm on the West Coast.