When I got the D90, I knew that I would require a lot of range, to photograph things, people and wildlife. I knew I would be getting the 70mm-300mm VR for the long end, based on the reviews I had read, looking at other options in my price range and a little in-store testing.

Auto focus speed is quite good for static objects, in good light. As the lighting gets dimmer, the AF will hunt more, and more. As this isn't the fastest lens around (70mm f/4.5 to 300mm f/5.6), that is to be expected. You can override the focus manually, if desired, though I haven't really bothered - while the camera may hunt in darked settings, once it locks, you're good. Outside in good light, or in a well lit room, you'll never notice this, at all. If your target is on the move, things can get a little more dicey. For example, a bird in flight is one of the hardest targets to get, regardless of body and lens. This type of situation will really test the equipment (and your patience).

The 70-300mm VR is quite sharp, corner-to-corner up to about 250mm. From 250mm-300mm, there might me a little added softness, but I've been very pleased, to-date. Most of my captures with this lense are at 300mm, and I have not complaints. Stopping down one or two f-stops, and 300mm sharpness is excellent.

The VR (vibration reduction) works well on this lens. It needs to be noted that I have very shaky hands - picture a coffee addict jonesing for his next hit of caffeine. As a result, any lense not offering VR will e a hard sell, unless I can use very high shutter speeds, or some form of stabilization. As my intent is to use this as a walking/hiking lense for wildlife, VR was a must. Based on my testing, VR easily saves me 2 stops throughout the focal range.

Here are some sample I took with this lens: