Small size and weight, fine workmanship, very sharp, large aperture (f2.8), up to 2x magnification, affordable price (almost perfect), made for APSC cameras . For people like me who are used to focusing manually and using a tripod when needed, these limitations are not a problem but a perfectly acceptable compromise. But autofocus (and image stabilisation) may be good or necessary for many users, and of course the larger size, weight and cost, but on the other hand the lens can also be used as a (good) regular lens. It's about what's more important to the user.
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