I'm intrigued that people seem to like the FA 300/4.5 clutch mechanism and focus feel better, since the F 300/4.5 seems pretty nice to me in those respects.
The F*300/4.5 is a very nice lens, just that when I had to switch 2 things between AF & MF everytime, especially in a hurry, the FA* design is clearly better.
3) The F* lens handled backlight MUCH better than the Nikkor. It didn't have a filter on it (haven't gotten around to buying one) whereas the Nikkor had a fairly clean Hoya UV on the front, but I suspect that the difference is primarily in the coatings and perhaps the optics themselves. The Pentax built-in hood also appears to be a little longer, which would have helped combat the low-sun backlight.
I don't think the hood is useful for backlight situation. HOYA monocoated or HMC flare easily. Their Super HMC is good however.
Alan Chan http://www.pbase.com/wlachan
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