I used this lens on a Pentax MZ60 film camera and although the camera was underwhelming the lens was half decent. The build quality is medium with it feeling like its made of plastic although we already know it is. It just doesn't feel tough. The lens is pretty weighty but compared to a 500mm prime its a walk in the park! I could and did use it handheld at times, although in the end I used the tripod like a steadicam system to ease the weight from my forearms which to an extent worked rather well. I would advise a tripod or monopod with this lens as it lacks image stabilization. The zoom and focus rings were what I consider the wrong way round which took some getting used to but once I did I had no problem. The lens was great for catching those slightly further away moments and got decent enough results. It was a shame the film or camera ruined them really. The optics in the lens aren't too bad and the distortion is pretty minimal so all in all a pretty good investment.