Thanks for the compliments.
I must say that the lens has impressed me. I only bought it as cheap access to VR for video, which I rarely do. The limited aperature aside, it is great optically. Combined with the VR, I am able to obtain images in unfavorable light that are substantially better than my 50/1.2 ai-s can in the same circumstance. Provided the subject allows low shutter speeds and I wanted f/5.6 or slower anyhow.
I never touched the lens because I found the tactile interaction very unpleasing. Now I find myself reaching for it just for the VR. I foresee myself buying more third party in the future as I modernize my lens line up. Seems a shame to me that lenses such as the f/1.8g series, and up, do not have VR.