For under $500 I don't believe you can do much better unless you find a Tokina or Sigma prime that is just a right on example. I bought mine used through KLH and I am beyond pleased with the condition, there is nothing you or I could tell between new and their excellent rating. In bright daylight with subjects under 25' in distance it does an excellent job and I'm more then satisfied. In cloudy or longer distances ( more extreme circumstances where you should get what you pay for ) you can have problems with focus hunts, ragged edges, and Chromatic Aberration/fringing. Let's be real...you pay more money to solve these problems and when you do pay for it, it better solve it. Is it worth 3, 4, 5 times as more to you to spend that much money? I use it hand held in good light, on both a Nikon D80 and D70. It's lightweight enough not to wear you out lugging a 2.8 or other big metal tubed long focal length lens. Not only will a budget minded person save and achieve great results, you'll have a good time doing it - just keep the price - performance ratio aspect in mind. If you want budget minded practical performance under $500 that produces sharp enough images look here. If you need to look fashionable or have the money then look elsewhere... but please, I've tried the Tamrons and they simply aren't as sharp and do not deliver the same colors.
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