This is the Nikon equivelant to the Canon 50mm 1.8 mk1. In terms of sharpness and cost, they are the same. Bokeh seemed to be kinda better (maybe) with the canon. This lens has somewhat distracting bokeh, but for the cost you cannot really fault it for that. For portraits on a crop body, this lens works for me just fine. Sharpness is where this bad boy shines. It is very sharp from 2.0 onward. 1.8 is a weebit soft, but still very usable as long as you nail focus. Contrast and colors are very nice. The lens has a metal mount, and aperture ring as well as distance scale. Much like other 50 mils, the lens surface is recessed, and for that reason I do not use any filters with it. It is small, light and compact like other lenses of similar build. AF speed and noise are where they should be. No problems there.
Overall, everyone should and can have one of these in their gear list, unless of course you feel the need to have a 1.4 version instead.
