Thanks for the compliments! On Aug 29, 2005, at 7:03 AM, Boris Liberman wrote:
So, Godfrey, you used FA 50/1.7. How does it compare with 28-105 that you usually use. After I tried mine, I never looked back at any zoom that had 50 mm in its range...
It's an F50/1.7 which I bought as 'new old stock' for a reasonable price. Keep dithering on whether to upgrade to the latest FA50/1.4 when they come available ... I've passed that up on two/three occasions, but I think the FA might focus a little more smoothly. This lens tends to be a little jerky on AF now and then, and the manual focus ring is very narrow.
Comparing a prime against zooms ... I've got a few other 50mm primes too (A50/2, A50/1.7 and A50/1.4) and I have two zooms that include 50mm (FA28-105/3.2-4.5 and F35-70/3.5-4.5 Macro). It's about as expected: the primes are generally sharper, faster and smaller. Same goes for the FA35/2 ... when I need/want the speed, it's far superior to the zooms that include 35mm, but there are times when the zooms provide me more ability to get the shot I want.
My decision to use one or the other depends upon whether I feel I want/need the speed of the prime vs the versatility of the zoom on any given occasion. For instance, I could not have made this photo with the 28-105 or 35-70 because neither has as wide a lens opening as the F50/1.7 at the 50mm setting.
There are good reasons to have and use both, when appropriate. Godfrey
