focus is much more effective for obtaining the results
Is the focus of the binoculars simple and accurate?
I own and have used the lens for over 3 months now. I have experienced some softness out beyond 200mm while using it on auto-focus, but I am learning to work within the limits of the lens. Given what has been said in some reviews about softness out past 200mm (and my own initial experience) I decided to run some tests for how sharp the pictures could really be. The one caveat I had is that for the tests I ran I used manual focus - I wanted to test the optics not the AF or VR functions since they are not a requirement for using the lens. Also, I am starting to get very interested in Equestrian photography. I need the long zoom and have found that pre-focusing on a point, rather than depending on Auto-focus is much more effective for obtaining the results I am looking for.For my test I used this lens mounted on a D300 to take some pictures of a bell tower. Because I was specifically testing the lens for sharpness past 200mm (I shot several at 300mm) I focused the lens manually, and used a tripod. As it turned out there was chain link fencing over the opening to the bell which I could not see, from where I was standing in a parking lot across the street. That made my test even better.I then took several shots of the bell and the tower, being careful to focus the lens on specific characteristics of the bell. The shots were all sharp. I then downloaded and examined the photos at high magnification on my PC. I did not lose any significant resolution of the chain link (which I could only make out after I downloaded the pictures) or the objects I was focused upon until I viewing the shots at 200% or greater magnification. At that point you could actually begin to see the individual pixels. So I have to say that I do not agree with the reviews about how the lens gives poor results out past 200mm. I have obtained excellent results through the entire zoom range.I will say that the AF-S system for the lens seems to hunt a lot when there are a lot of objects in the field of view (i.e., the leaves on a tree while trying to photograph a bird), so it does sometimes focus on something other that what I want - that could have been what the others were complaining about. But if I assure myself that it is focused on my target and use the AF lock built into the camera that problem goes away. Also if I use the lens on manual focus the problem goes away.I am very happy with the lens and highly recommend it. I believe it is an outstanding value for the price. 