> I may be in a position to obtain an FA* 80-200 f/2.8 in virtually new > condition. As far as i know it is reputed to be a fantastic lens.
I like it a lot; but my only comparison was with its contemporary FA 80-200 f/4.5-5.6 (or so). the FA lens turned out to be pretty slow for some situations I wanted to use it for (and I once made the mistake of using a too cheap filter with it :-/ regarding the FA*: I especially like the extra light it gives me in low-light situations. have had no problems using it fully open. I'm not sure I like its weight, though... (monopod works wonders) - and weight/size seems to be something one may get used to in my experience. > For those lucky enough to own one ... I have a couple of questions ?? > > How does it perform on the K10D ? my experience is limited. I would say: fine. > I'm not just interested in sharpness & bokeh but also in digital > "problems" such as sensor flare & CA ? cannot help you there. I only recently got the K10D; my experience with digital is slowly growing. most experience I have with it is on (P)Z1. one thing I'm trying to understand for myself is how the 1.5 factor works out w.r.t. usability of this lens. it gives a bit more tele (which I like) but also loses a bit w.r.t. (for example) relative close-by portrait. but then again, this is not about the lens, but about 80-200 in general. I do wonder, though, how the promised DA* lenses will work out in that respect, and whether the 50-135 might be a better fit for existing usage patterns. time may tell :-) I am wondering how common/rare lenses are; I found the quite extensive overview of pentax stuff on the web (forgot the name/url, sorry); it could be cool to have some idea about sold numbers (hundreds? thousands? tens of thousands? millions?) I have no idea about prices, but I would be tempted to suggest: if you can make a nice deal on this lens, you may be able to try at litlle costs, by which I mean: it will likely not loose its value in case you would like to sell it again. Regards, Axel. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
