I snagged the FA 28 that was on ebay for $125. It came two days ago and is currently under the tree. (wife won't let me use it yet since technically it is a Christmas present) I had it out to make sure it was OK and it was indeed new and looks like a nice lens. It is one of my better ebay bargains.
I tend to choose subjects that go better with longer focal lengths. I have the DA 16-45 and find it useful for landscape type shooting. However, I am usually using it at either full wide (16mm) or at 45mm. I am looking forward to playing with the 28mm focal length and forcing myself to compose without falling back to zooming. On 12/24/05, David Oswald <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I've resisted buying this lens for some time. My ability to fight off > lens lust on the FA28 can be attributed to the following thoughts: > * On 35mm Film: I prefer 24mm as a general purpose wide angle. > * On digital: 28 isn't wide, but it's not quite standard either. > What is it? > * f/2.8 isn't fast for a nearly standard (for digital) prime. It > should be f/2. > > But then opportunity conspired with funds and weak resistance, and the > next thing I knew I bought one on eBay. It arrived yesterday, and I > have to admit I'm really pleased with the new enablement. I've already > put it through its paces. > > I find that on my *ist-DS, 28mm IS a useful focal length. The more I > think about it, the more I realize that I always felt 50mm (on film) to > be a little too 'tight' for a standard lens. The 28mm focal length on > digital feels just a little less confined, and turns out to be quite a > comfortable focal length to 'set and forget'. > > f/2.8 is fast enough under most conditions, especially on digital where > ISO800 is usable. > > I once owned the 'F' version of this lens but didn't much care for it. > That was back in my film days, and as I mentioned earlier, I didn't find > the focal length all that useful to me, plus it didn't seem all that > sharp. Now with the FA, in my limited use, I find the FA to be sharper > and to offer smoother bokeh. I like that. > > For someone looking for a fairly inexpensive but good quality standard > lens for their digital SLR, I think the FA28 should definitely be in the > running. Yes, the FA35 is faster, and offers a field of view (on > digital) closer to what people consider 'standard'. But the 28 offers a > little broader field of view which can be quite nice too. And it's > often available at just over half the cost of the 35 f/2. > > -- <----------------------------------------------------> Perry Pellechia Primary email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Alternate email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Home Page: http://homer.chem.sc.edu/perry <---------------------------------------------------->
