Originally posted by Just1MoreDave The F70-210 is good, but just barely better than a DA 50-200. I compared them and came up even, except the DA has more vignetting wide open at its extremes and the F has 9 aperture blades. The DA is more usable for me because it's slightly smaller, much lighter, WR and has a reversible hood. I think the F has a far superior build and probably one that looks good performs good. Maybe if you have a below-par DA you'd see a real difference in photos.
I think I'd just save up.
SO did you actually do some comparison images, or is that a general impression based on many photos? Often, what you get is not what's possible but a function of your shooting style and the lens. It may just be that you shoot a lot hand held and the lighter lens makes you less inclined to motion blur, there could be many factors in your choice. I guess my point would be, for a lot of shots a DA*60-250 is just barely better than a 70-210, especially if you shoot a lot of hand held images.
But I'm really interested, in what you were seeing that led to this conclusion. But then I want to see everything, not just this things. The F has 13 elements, making it heavier, but usually more elements means better correction.