Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This is great lens for the money. Actually, an incredible deal. It is worth the price just for the macro mode. The pictures I have been taking of flowers are excellent. Comparing this lens to it's competition - the Nikon 70-300 & Sigma 70-300: The 3 lenses are comparable in length (4.6"), diameter (3"), & weight (1#). They each have 9 bladed apertures. They are all about the same price. None have VR - you have to spend 400 more bucks to get this for a Nikon. The Sigma and Tamron are superior to the Nikon, because - they have LD glass, - they are Digital Integrated, - they have focus motors, - they have Macro modes (1:2), The Tamron is superior to the Sigma, because - it is a newer design (introduced 1/08 as opposed to 10/03), - it has a 6 year Warranty, as opposed to only a 1yr for the Sigma. Notes: The Tamron and Nikon use 62mm filters, the Sigma uses 58mm. Buy a monopod [ASIN:B0002YE6EU Canon Monopod 100 for SLR Cameras & Lenses]]