I bought this lens for a safari trip in Africa. It's too big and heavy to carry around for hours. but those are the only downsides. When I first started photographing wildlife, I was glad I bought this lens. The focus is very fast and the images are sharp, even though the jeep is constantly in motion, so even a monopod or tripod wouldn't help. I have some gallery shots from the trip so I'm happy with that. I still wish Sony could make a similar but smaller lens