Biggest asset is its incredibly light weight. My f/1.4 50mm prime is heavier than this, and although that is partly a matter of plastic vs metal construction, having a lens that equals 300mm on digital barely weigh anything at all is great. Speaking of plastic, the construction is durable, even in the steamy rains of a Costa Rican jungle. The VR does wonders in cutting down on grain and noise, and in daylight and cloudy conditions, the image quality is amazing. However, these things increase when the sun goes down, and then you are almost required to use flash (which I try to avoid.) In addition, this is not a fast lens by any means. Shooting futbol/soccer games are a joke with f/5.6 (although I tried this indoors...) but capturing things such as birds in flight, etc. with good light easily done. All in all, a wonderfully light and sturdy lens for most telephoto situations, but look for faster glass when shooting faster subjects or in low-light.