This zoom lens has me, the 40-150mm accustomed once bowled! Not only that more focal length, but also the image quality that occurs an almost enlarged, partly because of the sharpness and image quality. But for me as a macro lovers is the surprisingly good ability to fairly close approach to objects and thereby being able to make unusual macro shots particularly gratifying. These shots I like almost better than with the 35mm macro, although you now can not reach up to 1cm close. But the ability to go so get close without being close and just wonderful! If one uses the MF, you can even closer to objects up and gets even more beautiful and unusual shots! The long focal length about playing a little less bright optics, since the beginning, unfortunately only at f 4. Due to the long focal length of 300mm (equivalent to 600mm on small picture) but you get wonderful background blur and makes so almost forget that the light intensity is not better , For portraits also very nice to handle. Only in Sport mode, the AF speed is sometimes a little slowly in place, it is recommended for images that will cover fast completely different focus areas, prefocus halfway so that the lens is not in a hurry an eternity in the sometimes unsuccessful search for the focus point toiling.
Of course, this lens is slightly heavier, it however you get a wonderful lens with only little weaknesses as just the slower AF and initial aperture 4. If you can live with it, then here you have really an extraordinarily inexpensive, not to say outrageous priced, Lens for many applications. I own the lens for a week now and have it hardly taken from my camera down since then, so much fun it is me, take it!
My applications are mainly macros, but the real reason was the acquisition animal photography, especially of birds. There can never be enough focal length at the fearful beasts and thus one is already better equipped lot.
As I said, I'm quite pleased and can only recommend vollstens! For the price an absolute blast!