I guess I could have said "don't expect this to be your penultimate lens purchase, but buy it because it's a great value and if you enjoy photography you will find a use for it." It isn't the greatest lens of all time, but it shouldn't be overlooked, either. Nobody is going to die because someone didn't make an optimal lens purchase. Similar comments could probably be made about most inexpensive fast fifty's, but my experience outside Pentax is limited to a couple of Canon 50mm lenses. If there is a paradox there, I can deal with it.