Last week, I was using it for shooting dragonflies, and the detail you get is getting close or equal to what you get with a macro lens.
You can't go as close as you can with a macro lens(*), but a dragonfly isn't a little insect neither.
Next to amazing sharpness this lens provides, it also has an extremely effective VR.
Another important quality that counts for shooting is these conditions (handheld, AF-C) is the nearly instant AF.
As an image says more than a thousand words, a sample, taken handheld, with 100% crop.
The underneath image has been taken with my D500, but IQ with this lens is even better when mounted on my D800.

And the 100% crop:

(*) to get closer I will test similar pictures with an extension ring.
Thanks for looking and kindest regards,
Stany