original vs II series lenses

[Jayson]

Stuart, you might just have to fine tune your tamron. Mine is crazy sharp and I prefer it to my 24-70 vI most of the time indoors. I did have to send my tamron to the factory 2 times but once it was adjusted, best standard zoom I have. It is going to be a shame to give it up when I eventually trade in my 7D for a full frame. But regarding your question. The II usually receives new coatings and usually has better micro contrast plus some internal upgrades. Usually the II is going to be much better than the version I. I don't have any point of reference, but rumblings from other forums suggest that Canon doesn't quite have the sharpness figured out on the UWA lenses like the Nikon versions, but when you reach the other way they are clearly the standard. That might be why your finding little difference in the 16-35mm's. Some of the others might have some better insight regarding your questions.

Edit: I suppose I should clear up a point. My Tammy is the non-vc version. It does have a noisy AF and it really does not play well when using video. Best manual focus then. The focus is almost as fast as my 24-70 but seems slower since it is noisy. I use my 24-70mm Ver I outside almost all the time since I am on the long end 9x out of 10. My tammy gets all its use inside.