Opinions on EF 28-200mm f/3.5-5.6 USM?

[Spearin]

I was in the shop today picking up some film and paper when I wandered over to the lenses to have a look. They had a fairly nice 28-200mm EF lens that would be ~45-300mm on digital.

Does anybody have any first hand experience and opinions on the EF 28-200mm f/3.5-5.6 USM? To me, the auto-focus seemed somewhat slow, but I'm not sure if that could be as a result of being on an old EOS 650 or not. Mainly what I like about it is the wideangle - telephoto zoom capabilities. The price is also not bad for my range: $549 (CDN).

[robertwgross]

Just from the fairly broad range of focal length zoom, it is very versatile. However, it is not known to be the sharpest tool in the shed. I have it and use it when hiking along a nature trail, and I'm not sure what is going to pop up in a hurry.

---Bob Gross---