Kids' soccer this morning was my first opportunity to really use my new DA 55-300 PLM. I was pretty pleased with the results. It's not only dramatically faster and quieter than my old DA 55-300 ED, but quite a bit sharper especially on the long end. I think my old lens may be softer than what's typical, it was bought second hand five years ago. But the PLM is definitely a step up.
It's not a miracle worker, I still missed focus occasionally, and had a small handful of the 150-odd shots I took where it focused on the background. But definitely better.
The middle shot is at 300mm.