The lens arrived today, I gave it a quick try out, it impressed me with producing images that were clear and could be viewed at 100%. The lens arrived with IS turned off, so thats how I used it. realistically, even at f/5.6 and overcast, I was still getting 1/160 sec shutter speeds, so IS was not needed.
I did try close focusing of a couple of small items on my desk, the close focusing seemed reasonable, but my lighting was poor and uneven. I want to try it on my copy stand to see how well that works.
I'll need to spend more time with it, it was cold and stormy out, I can't handle that kind of weather anymore.
I'm pretty sure its a keeper.