SMC Takumars are legendary for good reason. They are sharp, have great color rendition, excellent shadow detail, pleasing bokeh and a nice balance of contrast. The 55mm f1.8 SMC Takumar is a great example of this legend. Optics are tack sharp and colors are beautifully rendered. Chromatic aberrations are very low. This lens is very close in performance to my Contax Planar 50mm f1.7 and that makes it a great value.