Originally posted by smc I can understand the attention for the 80s.....I have the 80/1.9 Tak, 80/1.8 Auto Tak, 80/1.8 SMC Tak, K80/1.8 and the 77ltd. I haven't jumped at the FA* or the A* mainly because of the price.
I'm not sure why you are thinking that the Taks and the K are 80mm instead of 85mm. Maybe you don't even own them?
Like you, I was also holding off the A* and FA* because of the price. But I then realized that for instance the FA* at f/2 is sharper than the 85mm f/1.8 SMC Tak at f/2. And I really like the DOF control at f/1.4.
Quote: I find the my K7 spends most of it's time with the K85 on it. I simply love that lens, as it (and the SMC Tak) provides a quality to the pictures that I don't seem to get from other lenses. Sometimes I wish it was sharper, but that might take away from the look that I like.
Indeed; the 85mm f/1.8 SMC Tak is very good, but I found the Carl Zeiss Jena 80mm f/1.8 Pancolar even better, so that one is my favorite when I want uncompromised sharpness and contrast in a small M42 package.
Less sharp and not contrasty, but with lots of magic in its rendering, is the 83mm f/1.9 Asahi-Kogaku Takumar. As a dedicated portrait lens it's unsurpassed IMHO. Interestingly it has 7 elements in 4 groups (a Sonnar design), more than any of the later Takumars. Example:
http://i385.photobucket.com/albums/oo293/spotmatic/akpor83-05-b.jpg.
Quote: Ignoring PF issues, is the A*85 that much sharper than the K and does it still have the 3d effect?
I've only had one on loan for testing for a few weeks, but it's indeed sharper and the 3D effect is definitely there. Example (maybe not so much for the 3D effect:
http://i385.photobucket.com/albums/oo293/spotmatic/a85-02.jpg).
And why I got the FA*? Of course, LBA is the no. 1 reason for me. But I also feel that the FA* incorporates all of the good points of its predecessors, with the right mix of desirable features and rendering. Of course, compromises have been made so it's not very good at longer distances, although I personally have no complaints about that. You'll have to pry it from my cold, dead fingers