I should have bought one of these lenses when they were new and affordable. It's very hard to find them now. That extra speed would make
focusing a lot easier, esp for handheld work. The lens has been seriously tested on a far more objective basis than this thread .. so I'd take some of the previous remarks with a grain of salt. It should be deadly sharp just one stop down. I work primarily off a tripod, so for my budget the 74/4 is adequate, though unless its being used at inifinity, I routinely use a supplementary critical focus eyepiece. The magnifying hood also gives better focus than the ordinary prism, but then you're looking down into it at the backwards subject. But I have a 105/2.4 as well, and a 165/2.8, which are quite bright for MF. My only serious question mark about the 75/2.8 concerns the hybrid aspheric element and
how well this might withstand temp extremes or fluctuations over the long haul, if you are an outdoorsman like me. I've seen separations even in all-glass lenses in places like high desert canyons where the temps can swing seventy degrees between day and nite.
lenses, and optically excellent.