This is a lens that has some criticism thrown at it in reviews. But, guess what. On a D300 it has just the right range to get all the jumps while standing in one place at your average horse show. Its light (and if there IS light), just pop the cam with this lens in a simple holster bag and off you go. No 40lb backpack, monopod, nada. Some say its soft at max zoom, but I can't say I am seeing it. I am mostly printing 8x10, and typically apply a smidgen of sharpening anyway, and they are just fine. Funny too though that the event photographer last week was using one as well, and I noticed that many of the sharpshooter guys out on the ski slopes use something that looks very much like this, and also the 18-200 VR.