diff --git a/python/tank/authentication/interactive_authentication.py b/python/tank/authentication/interactive_authentication.py
index 3207fd923..8ff9406d5 100644
--- a/python/tank/authentication/interactive_authentication.py
+++ b/python/tank/authentication/interactive_authentication.py
@@ -41,13 +41,14 @@
 # something usually done by the Toolkit. The worry is that the import may fail
 # in the context of a DCC, but occur too early for the Toolkit logging to be
 # fully in place to record it.
+logger = LogManager.get_logger(__name__)
+
 try:
     from .ui.qt_abstraction import QtGui
-except Exception:
+except ImportError as e:
+    logger.debug("Cant import QtGui: %s" %e)
     QtGui = None
 
-logger = LogManager.get_logger(__name__)
-
 
 ###############################################################################################
 # internal classes and methods
diff --git a/python/tank/authentication/invoker.py b/python/tank/authentication/invoker.py
index 09b2f8532..de24b1ca6 100644
--- a/python/tank/authentication/invoker.py
+++ b/python/tank/authentication/invoker.py
@@ -30,7 +30,8 @@
 # fully in place to record it.
 try:
     from .ui.qt_abstraction import QtCore, QtGui
-except Exception:
+except ImportError as e:
+    logger.debug("Cant import QtCore/QtGui: %s" % e)
     QtCore, QtGui = None, None
 
 
diff --git a/python/tank/authentication/sso_saml2/core/username_password_dialog.py b/python/tank/authentication/sso_saml2/core/username_password_dialog.py
index ef2856942..86029e0f9 100644
--- a/python/tank/authentication/sso_saml2/core/username_password_dialog.py
+++ b/python/tank/authentication/sso_saml2/core/username_password_dialog.py
@@ -13,12 +13,10 @@
 
 from __future__ import print_function
 
-# pylint: disable=import-error
-from ...ui.qt_abstraction import QtCore, QtGui
-
-# No point in proceeding if QtGui is None.
-if QtGui is None:
-    raise ImportError("Unable to import QtGui")
+try:
+    from ...ui.qt_abstraction import QtCore, QtGui
+except ImportError:
+    raise
 
 
 class UsernamePasswordDialog(QtGui.QDialog):
diff --git a/python/tank/authentication/ui_authentication.py b/python/tank/authentication/ui_authentication.py
index 486262e6a..6f68effff 100644
--- a/python/tank/authentication/ui_authentication.py
+++ b/python/tank/authentication/ui_authentication.py
@@ -32,7 +32,8 @@
 # fully in place to record it.
 try:
     from .login_dialog import LoginDialog
-except Exception:
+except ImportError as e:
+    logger.debug("Cant import LoginDialog: %s" % e)
     LoginDialog = None
 
 
diff --git a/python/tank/bootstrap/async_bootstrap.py b/python/tank/bootstrap/async_bootstrap.py
index 39abebb9d..22bd12377 100644
--- a/python/tank/bootstrap/async_bootstrap.py
+++ b/python/tank/bootstrap/async_bootstrap.py
@@ -11,12 +11,13 @@
 # Import Qt without having to worry about the version to use.
 from ..util.qt_importer import QtImporter
 
-importer = QtImporter()
-QtCore = importer.QtCore
-QtGui = importer.QtGui
-if QtCore is None:
-    # Raise an exception when Qt is not available.
-    raise ImportError
+try:
+    importer = QtImporter()
+except ImportError:
+    raise
+else:
+    QtCore = importer.QtCore
+    QtGui = importer.QtGui
 
 
 class AsyncBootstrapWrapper(QtCore.QObject):
diff --git a/python/tank/platform/engine.py b/python/tank/platform/engine.py
index b7d9ad4cf..f5e79c14f 100644
--- a/python/tank/platform/engine.py
+++ b/python/tank/platform/engine.py
@@ -181,7 +181,11 @@ def __init__(self, tk, context, engine_instance_name, env):
 
         # Update the authentication module to use the engine's Qt.
         # @todo: can this import be untangled? Code references internal part of the auth module
-        from ..authentication.ui import qt_abstraction
+        try:
+            from ..authentication.ui import qt_abstraction
+        except ImportError:
+            class qt_abstraction:
+                pass
 
         qt_abstraction.QtCore = qt.QtCore
         qt_abstraction.QtGui = qt.QtGui
@@ -409,13 +413,13 @@ def __show_busy(self, title, details):
                 from .qt.busy_dialog import BusyDialog
                 from .qt import QtGui, QtCore
 
-            except:
+            except ImportError as e:
                 # QT import failed. This may be because someone has upgraded the core
                 # to the latest but are still running a earlier version of the
                 # Shotgun or Shell engine where the self.has_ui method is not
                 # correctly implemented. In that case, absorb the error and
                 # emit a log message
-                self.log_info("[%s] %s" % (title, details))
+                self.log_info("[%s] %s: %s" % (title, details, e))
 
             else:
                 # our qt import worked!
@@ -2135,7 +2139,7 @@ def _define_qt_base(self):
 
         :returns: dict
         """
-        base = {"qt_core": None, "qt_gui": None, "dialog_base": None}
+        base = {"qt_core": None, "qt_gui": None, "dialog_base": None, "wrapper": None}
         try:
             importer = QtImporter()
             base["qt_core"] = importer.QtCore
@@ -2145,11 +2149,11 @@ def _define_qt_base(self):
             else:
                 base["dialog_base"] = None
             base["wrapper"] = importer.binding
-        except:
+        except ImportError:
 
-            self.log_exception(
+            self.log_error(
                 "Default engine QT definition failed to find QT. "
-                "This may need to be subclassed."
+                "This may need to be subclassed"
             )
 
         return base
@@ -2165,7 +2169,11 @@ def __define_qt5_base(self):
 
         :returns: A dictionary with all the modules, __version__ and __name__.
         """
-        return QtImporter(interface_version_requested=QtImporter.QT5).base
+        try:
+            return QtImporter(interface_version_requested=QtImporter.QT5).base
+        except ImportError as e:
+            self.log_debug(e)
+            return {}
 
     def _initialize_dark_look_and_feel(self):
         """
diff --git a/python/tank/util/qt_importer.py b/python/tank/util/qt_importer.py
index b03c443ed..2151bc239 100644
--- a/python/tank/util/qt_importer.py
+++ b/python/tank/util/qt_importer.py
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ class QtImporter(object):
     .. code-block:: python
         try:
             importer = QtImporter()
-        except Exception as e:
+        except ImportError as e:
             print "Couldn't import a Qt Wrapper: " % (e,)
         else:
             importer.QtGui.QApplication([])
@@ -42,13 +42,16 @@ def __init__(self, interface_version_requested=QT4):
 
         :param interface_version_request: Indicates which version of the Qt API is requested.
         """
-        (
-            self._binding_name,
-            self._binding_version,
-            self._binding,
-            self._modules,
-            self._qt_version_tuple,
-        ) = self._import_modules(interface_version_requested)
+        try:
+            (
+                self._binding_name,
+                self._binding_version,
+                self._binding,
+                self._modules,
+                self._qt_version_tuple,
+            ) = self._import_modules(interface_version_requested)
+        except ImportError:
+            raise
 
     @property
     def QtCore(self):
@@ -397,6 +400,4 @@ def _import_modules(self, interface_version_requested):
                 logger.debug("Cant import PyQt4: %s" % e)
                 pass
 
-        logger.debug("No Qt matching that interface was found.")
-
-        return (None, None, None, None, None)
+        raise ImportError("No Qt matching that interface was found.")