At 8,000 feet MSL, 25 degrees Canadian and 60 gallons of fuel the Lama is capable of climing and decending vertically with 1,500 lb loads. With no load the verticle rate of climb is better than 2,500 feet per minute. Nobody that has ever flown a Lama has considered it under powered.
I have never gotten into "settling" with a load on. I have had loads that I could not hold and have had to let them land so I could regroup. Apparently I am more careful with a load on than with an empty hook.