Thats' the thing though, Brian, the sort of zooms that do have a good rep are going to be seriously expensive even by HD lens standards. The first HD lens I ever used was a Canon CineStyle, and I must admit it was excellent, but even with that I'm sure I remember that it wanted to be stopped down about a stop for optimal performance.
What do you think to the wide open tests I've just done?
Steve

Assuming the same f stop, my first thought is that the 5jpeg doesn't seem to have the transmission losses of the ha jpeg lens. The 5jpeg seems to sharper at the edges and perhaps a slight edge in the centre.

Yes, stopping down the Canon a stop does really improve the performance.