Range vs IQ: advice to make the move or not

@ photosen
I did consider an UW lens but budget-wise that would mean dropping the 15-85 for a 10-22, so I'm forced to keep using my current 18-200 for the hole in the 22-70 range.

At the moment I'm limited to 18mm at the wide end and when that is not wide enough I resort to panos which works quite well for me, hence the preference for the 15-85. That being said, I do concur with your statement so an UW is still on my wishlist for the future.

As for the swapping lenses being a privilege, can I interpret that as : put on the lens you need and swap if necessary, because you can ? So basically, you are recommending a multi-lens combo if I cannot get a cure for my pixel-peeping illness ?

@ biza43
I do use a tripod (with backpack hook on the center shaft for added weight/stability) for most landscape/archi pictures and sometimes in other cases. A remote release trigger is permanently attached to the tripod with the jack-end, leaving about 1.5meters of wire to the controlbox. Mirror lockup is used for all long exposure tripod images but rarely for fast shutter (1/80 or faster) images. I do shoot in RAW and I don't have any filters on my lens but do use the hood at all times.

The images lack some overall sharpness (when pixel-peeping) so the larger prints will lack sharpness too, something that is not all that visible on small prints. I can only sharpen them to a certain degree in PP before they become unnatural-looking if you know what I mean. Maybe this is a inability of me personally to do it right ?

I tested the sigma 70-200 in the shop with my body together with my 18-200 for reference. If I recall correctly, both tested at f8 (sweetspot of the 18-200), same focal length/iso etc and scene. Where my 18-200 had quite heavy CA in the corners and slight overall softness, the sigma clearly had a better IQ (lot less CA and much sharper across the board). So I really do think - at least part of - the softness is lens-related. I would love to show you the testshots for comparison but I seemed to only have copied them to a temp folder.

With this info, maybe you could share some more of your personal insight and maybe my errors in my thought-process about this move to a multi-lens combo ?

@ 2esetters
I think your tip about having a monopod that doubles as a walking stick is a very good idea. Something to think about as we regularly do day-hikes during our holidays. Thanks!

@ all: I thank the three of you for your unput.