I'm very glad this thread was started, I hope it grows and grows. I had mostly written this lens off for what I consider acceptable IQ. I'm starting to see more than decent shots if stopped down with a proper shutter speed. I'm sure there's copy variation, but it's something worthy of consideration now.
Thanks! It is a wild Juvenile Red Tail Hawk. According to exif approximate distance was 32 feet. This Hawk didn't care at all about us humans and would perch, dive after moles and then fly about 60 feet to another tree. That shot is only cropped, not resized...