John, I realize I did not answer your question, sorry about that.
Indeed, I used a somewhat small aperture (probably f/8), and I actually would expect other lenses to perform "better" with regards to sharpness and contrast (typically my Nikkor AF-D 50 f/1.4 would at f/8). But there is something I like in what I see from this Helios, and I don't really know what... Maybe it is simply the more film-like appearance but it is hard to put words on my thoughts.
Anyway, time to go to bed as I am traveling early tomorrow.