A monster of a lens in itself but worth the haul. Weighing in at a whopping 31.3oz, this lens isn't bought for it's portability. However, with a construction of 15 elements in 11 groups (2 ED-2 Aspheric) this lens is solid to the touch. You can feel under your fingers how well-made this lens is. The ED elements combined with the fast aperture creates wonderfully clear images in even the most un-nerving lighting scenarios. It's 2.3ft needed to focus works well in most situations, even in close-up portraiture! Thank god this 3.5 x 4.9 in. monster comes with a hard leather case. It won't fit in any 'normal' sized bag! I absolutely love the MA/M focus switch on the lense itself. No more fumbling under the lens for that pesky nikon focus switch! The 77mm filter size makes for pricy filters but it's a small price to pay for magnifigance. The lens hood seems oddly big. Either use it properly or take it off as it's hard to get around when it's 'backwards' (unless you auto focus of course!).
Now, the weight doesn't bother me so much. Mostly because I don't think about it when I'm concentrating on the shot. Some people may have trouble with it. However, I was amazed by how big this lens actually is. Something I can only (logically, without knowing) assume this is from the 2.8 aperture ability all the way accross the board. So to me it's forgiveable. It will probaly take some time to adjust purely to the size if you're used to the kit lenses. The focus system is impressively quick when using the AF, and even more quiet!
The price for me is still hard to swallow but I deal with that. At a bank-busting $1579 (wolf camera -$100.00 mail in rebate) it's not for the average shooter. It is however, when I think about it, a small price to pay for a medium-zoom lens to cover all your bases. It just seems that despite it's durability, I'm afraid of it falling and smashing into the ground. Thank god for insurance!
Hope this helps... I've only had it a little while and I think it's great. If anything changes I'll update.
Joe
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