A35-70/4 ... very ugly shape, dents in the filter attachment threads, some marks on edge of the front element. Seems nice and contrasty through the viewfinder, though, and a throwaway that only cost me $8 to play with.
A35-70/3.5-4.5 ... exterior cosmetics are very clean, but there seems to be two 'fingers' of lubricant or something else on a couple of the forward elements inside the lens. Not as contrasty as the f/4 lens through the viewfinder, interesting push-pull design. Hey, at $6, it's a throwaway.
F35-70/3.5-4.5 ... excellent plus shape, with caps. Seems to be same design as the A series lens optically, but this one is sharp and crisp through the viewfinder. For the grand price of $40.
And then in my continuing search for the "right" long/zoom:
F100-300/4.5-5.6 ... another excellent plus condition item. I like the rigid length, two touch controls (although the manual focus is very light and loose feeling, like the FA135/2.8). It's *much* lighter and more compact than the A70-210/4 Macro. An expensive purchase at $67... :-) Now to see how it performs relative to my needs.
More stuff to play with and see how useful it is...
Godfrey
