Here is my first report about that lens. I added this lens to my bag as an optional "one size fits all" package. Since Nikon does not offer anything equivalent for an FX sensor, I decided to go for the Tamron, based on my (still) excellent experience with the 28-75 2.8, one of my favorite lenses.
To summarize:
- optical performance is good (far from perfect, a bit soft, colors do not really pop up)
- the flexibility is just wonderful as a walk around solution (very similar to the 18-200VR BTW)
- AF is slow
- VC (vibration compensation) works EXTREMELY well, you win 4 stops most of the time, without a problem.
- AF and VC a bit noisy (compared to AF-S VR lenses)
- the lens extends a lot (almost the same as the 18-200VR)
- AF in (very) low light is TERRIBLE (hunting, AF sometimes does not even give it a try), even on the D3, but after a few tries, it works
- reasonable build quality
Important disclaimer: with the proper PP, the pictures would look slightly better than with the resizing I just did. This were just a few shots to try out the lens, jpeg, no PP.
Overall conclusion: does not replace the real stuff, but I would recommend the lens for what it is, a interesting compact travel companion, exactly what I was looking for. I have used the lens in places where it was a bit delicate/dangerous to switch lenses all the time in public and the lens did the job (this was just recreational photography, I would never use such a lens on an assignment for instance). If you want consistent quality pictures, this is probably not the lens you are looking for.
I don't see a lot here to complain about, unless what you're saying is these are the keepers and you're not showing us the losers. Seems plenty sharp to say the least. Colors are reasonable (can always be boosted in PP). I can't speak for the focus habits. I too was thinking about this lens as a 18-200vr equivalent replacement moving over to the D700 since I sold my 18-200vr recently. No more DX lenses for me.......
An update: I have been a bit stupid. I considered the relative softness to be normal for such a consumer grade lens. It was not about softness, the lens was just slightly front focusing. I corrected this in the D3 (+10) and the IQ improved a lot. In other words, if you own a body with AF fine tuning: highly recommend as a travel companion, otherwise you could be slightly disappointed, or need a lens calibration.
