This is another one of my favourite M42 lenses. It's a shame lenses are not made like this any more. This lens, like most early Takumars, are made entirely of metal. Even after more than 30 years, the focusing is still silky smooth; the aperture ring clicks with authority, and its previous owner really took care of it, as it looks and feels brand new. I wish it were a little faster, but for the money, I can't complain.

It's very sharp wide open, and the colour is fantastic. Its focal length is perfect for day to day shooting.

[Update March 2009]
I have acquired an f2 version of this lens and I must say that apart from being 1 & 1/3 stop slower, this is a better lens than the f2 version. Perhaps I have not used the f2 version long enough to evaluate it in more details, but the initial impression is that I like this lens more. It seems sharper across all apertures.