Best value one can get for a Nikon 400 mm lens

Bought this lens recently although it has been around for quite some time. Someone asked me to wait for the AF-S version which may come out, but then it would probably be too heavy to carry and too expensive to own one. VR takes a second or less to activate so one has to be a bit patient. This could also be a drawback for fast moving objects which I believe is outside the capability of this lens. I have compared this lens at the 300 end with a Nikon 300 f4 AF lens. The results are highly comparable! Having said this, the older Nikon 300 f4 does not have VR, so it is, in a way, unfair competition. On the whole, I do not complain about the slower AF compared to AF-S since the cost of the lens also justifies this. Whenever I carry this lens out, people always admire it, especially when it is fully extended. Once at the zoo, a stranger walked past and said "you have a big one"! Even with the new AF-S technology, I think this lens is still worth buying right now as it is the cheapest Nikon 400 mm lens and yet with quite decent quality.