The overall optical performance of this apochromatically corrected 180 mm lens can quite reasonably be compared to the faster LEICA APO-SUMMICRON-R 180 mm f/2. Even at maximum aperture, it delivers outstanding picture quality which can barely be improved by stopping down. Coma, vignetting, astigmatism and linear distortion are barely discernible. As a light and compact lens at this focal length, it is well suited to portraits and to fashion, sports and landscape photography - including handheld use. A sophisticated focusing mechanism of exemplary precision and smoothness make focusing reliable and easy. In conjunction with the LEICA APO-EXTENDER-R 1.4x, it becomes a very high-performance 250mm f/4 lens.