[mst]

I didn't like the idea of a non detachable lens hood because of the bulbous front element.

You're probably mixing up the Tokina 11-16/2.8 (for crop cameras) and the Tokina 16-28/2.8 (full frame lens). The latter has a fixed hood and bulb front lens, the 11-16's hood however is detachable and it has a "normal" front element with filter thread.

However, unless you really need wide perspectives, the 16-85 VR may indeed be the better choice for you, especially since you now gain VR. I somehow assumed you owned the VC version of the Tamron, that's why the advantage of VR did not come to my mind in my last post.

-- Markus