The Nikkor 70-300mm f/4-5.6G that I bought for $138 has no VR. Still, when braced or on a tripod, I feel it will perform well. I've only taken this one photo so I have a lot of experimenting to do. I take a lot of big cat photos at the zoo so a tripod is cumbersome but not a deal breaker. I'm really excited about the possibilities. The game will change with the arrival of my pre-ordered Nikon D800, hopefully soon. I put the order in February 17. Thanks for the great samples guys.