Hi, Dave. > The F*300mm f/4.5 is fantastic. A real gem, ultra sharp and high > contrast even wide-open. In fact its wide-open performance is > very impressive. It handles really well even when manually > focussing. This bit of glass is a real keeper and I certainly > don't regret buying it.
The F* 300/4.5 is indeed a real gem. It is very sharp and contrasty, even wide open. And, the design of the built-in hood, the presence of the removable tripod mount (even if its size is a bit of an overkill), and its decent manual focus feel (for an autofocus lens) make it a joy to use. John M. said a while back that "The F* 300/4.5 is as sharp or sharper at f4.5 than the M* 300/4 is at f5.6", and he was right. > In fact, this lens is optically better than the A*300mm f/4 I > tested it against. The difference is much less noticeable below > about f/8 but when wide open the difference is "chalk and > cheese". In fact I am strongly considering selling the A* lens > as I am not likely to need the extra 1/2- stop enough to justify > keeping it. Well, I have sold my M* 300/4 and one of the two A*/300/4's that I had and have replaced them with F* 300/4.5's. However, I still have one A* 300/4. Although not quite as sharp and although without tripod mount, it still has its place - sometimes that half-stop (and I think that it's only a third of a stop) can be important, and it is a more compact lens to pack for traveling. Plus, an ol' A* 300/4 "mushroom" is just so-o-o-o cute - <g>. Fred
