Okay, on the strength of the forums here I finally picked up a copy of the famed 28-75 Tamron lens. Unlike my other purchases, this was more of an impulse buy while travelling through Thailand. It worked out to be slightly cheaper than at home (Philippines) and more importantly, it was in stock, which was just the nudge I needed. I paid roughly $365 US.

First impressions are pretty good. I'm not trying to compare it to a 24-70 Canon 2.8, I'm just trying to rate it as an inexpensive alternative. So far, I've only had a chance to tackle indoor work at home - so I haven't gotten good results with the lighting, and the colors don't pop out like a Canon lens. But Sharpness is very good.

The lens hood is abysmal and the zoom action is opposite to a Canon lens but only time with will tell wheteher its is worth the compromise. I'll post some more pictures here as I get the chance, so drop by when you have some time.