Instruct: Classify an Amazon review as either positive or negative.
Query: Essential for the Price

This lens gets 5 stars for its performance vs price. Many pro photographers are using this lens in place of the 70-200mm VR for fraction of the cost. It it very sharp and has accurate and fairly quick focus. Zooming the lens does not provide the silky feeling you get with the pro lenses as the barrel is plastic, but it's hardly a concern.