I have borrowed this lens and thought I would start a lens archive thread for it since the existing one is the DG version. This is the older non-DG version.

100% crop

It's still a great lens despite it's age. I bought one (relatively cheaply) in October 2012 and it's become my lens of choice for flower and larger insect photography. Here's three examples:

Azure damselflies in a mating wheel.

Flesh flies mating in my garden.


Dew on Adiantum venustum, hardy maidenhair fern.


It's a pretty good telephoto as well - providing you use it on a support.