I have the Phoenix branded autofocus version of the 19-35mm, and I find that it is a very useful lens for travel photography in tight spaces like old city streets. On a recent trip to Europe, I took the Phoenix, my Pentax-FA 35mm f/2 and 28-70. I found myself using the Phoenix more than the other two combined, and I am not disappointed with the pictures I got. The photos I got with the Phoenix are sharp and contrasty. It helps, of course, that I was blessed with sunny weather, and using 400 film I was mainly shooting at small apertures. If it had been overcast, I would have used the 35mm lens much more.
The Phoenix gets a rating of about 3 on Photodo, the same as a much more expensive Sigma lens, and not too far below the 3.4 given to the (even more expensive) Pentax 20-35mm. I have compared it to the Sigma in use, and I find that it is actually sharper in the corners.
Flare is no worse (in fact, probably better than) on Sigma lenses. I find that I can actually shoot into the sun with good results, but strong sunlight coming in from the side bothers it.
There is noticeable light falloff in the corners at 19mm until you stop down to about f/8, but I don't think any ultra-wide angle lens entirely escapes this problem.
One nice thing about it is that the performance in the 24 to 35mm range really is very good, so you can keep it on the camera even when you don't need to use it for its widest view.
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