I almost sent away the lens again. Then I have a few days working extremely hard and that takes it to adapt to this objective. It is very bright and the color rendering rather little pale, pretty lackluster, as a portrait lens something very hard and very flattering, very sober, at first a bit disappointing for me. But there is sharp, crisp focus. For the price range very good, you may only the dimming not forget, so no glass for base automatic, according to the motto: the does that matter. The then makes the aperture and you get disappointing glaring and blurring the image. You hereby buys a lens that a preoccupation with photography demands, you can use the very shallow level with large aperture very nice, the other way around, you can create very sharp images when stopping down, from 2.8 aperture, it becomes increasingly sharp, razor at f 4 sharp to the edge. An expensive Nikon glass as the 105s macro is better in color fidelity, contrast and overall result, something more flattering to the eye, but this small, lightweight glass also costs almost nothing. In this price range an unconditional tip. On D80 and D90, this older lens works perfectly, also the autofocus, but the front end of the lens rotates very quickly, so that one not allowed to touch. HALT is not specifically built for the newer autofocus cameras. Total quietly buy, if you know what you're doing.
Supplement October 2010: The longer you use it in, the more one finds favor it. Meanwhile, I do not want to miss it. Prefer the popular "Always top-rubber caps" with large zoom ranges before ever coming there simply nowhere with. Is my new Continuous-top lens. The compromise of a zoom lens, I'm an only if it is absolutely necessary for the occasion and you have no time to change. The lens really allows creative use. We must get to know it, then you also learn to appreciate it. Give it no longer ago. Give now the fifth star has earned it real.
Supplement February 2013: Because I was asked just after: It rotates during AF rather than the filter thread, the front lens opening, or even the lens hood. It rotates only about 1cm wide focus ring. And because the lens is not so huge, you just always somehow a finger on the ring. You just should not be alarmed when something turns. Meanwhile, the good part is serving for a long time on the D300s, and if I had not been, I would buy it today.
