I purchased this lens because of all of the outstanding reviews it had received. I was thrilled to have a lightweight lens for my Canon 7D as the other lenses I have are quite heavy. Although it had a plastic casing, so many reviewers felt it produced excellent images. I was sold and agreed this was good purchase and, indeed, I liked the images produced with this lens.However, now I have a different perspective about the lens. In the middle of taking a photo about a month after purchase, the front of the lens literally fell to the ground. I could not believe it came apart. This also damaged my Tiffen UV Protector filter. I have contacted the seller and will await the response before commenting about customer service. Perhaps I just received a defective lens and all will be remedied with a replacement. None the less, I wanted to post this review as a indication that perhaps you get what you pay for!