Just wanted to give a short update on the lens. I haven't had much time at all to use (busy with work, etc.) but here are my initial impressions:
QUALITY: Feels good in the hand.
OPERATION: Working fine with my D7000
APPEARANCE: Looks big on the D7000 but I like it that way; makes the lens look even more impressive.
WEIGHT: Very manageable; probably would feel heavy on my neck if carrying around the entire day but I rarely do that with any lens.
IMAGE QUALITY: I've really just taken what I would call some testing pictures as I learn the abilities of the lens but so far the iq looks very good. Focus point seems to be where it should be. Will probably do a dot test at some point just to see what that produces in comparison with my other lenses.
APERTURE: Really like the constant aperture and the ability to use the 2.8; which I am still learning when playing with iso and shutter speed. Normally I use aperture priority but have been doing some manual at times.
FOCAL RANGE: I will admit that a little longer range would be nice but I still feel like this lens will meet the vast majority of my needs. Most likely if I need something longer, I will be a situation where the 70-300 will be on the camera anyway.
I'm looking forward to more time with the lens in the upcoming months.