28-300 seems fine to me

I've been looking at the discussions about the 28-300 and some people love it but many people dismiss it like the plague even though many of those people have never tried the lens. I thought I'd post an unmodified full size picture taken with my D700 and the 28-300. It's a jpg file and not RAW which would have made it a bit sharper. I usually degrade my pictures somewhat when posting online but this time you get it see it the way it is.

The picture was taken at 170mm at f/6.7. The aperture is a little less than one stop down from f/5.6. I know that you'll probably be able to pick out individual eyelashes using a "better" lens, but overall, I thought it was pretty sharp. The focal point was placed on the center cheerleader on the pom-pom right next to her bent elbow.

So, if you were on the fence with this lens, here's another example for you to help make your decision.

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http://www.flickr.com/photos/nathantw/
Always have a camera with you and make sure you use it.