Originally posted by audiobomber I've used the FA 35 mostly at f/2.0, and mostly because it was faster than my f/2.8 normals. It has a reputation for being sharp from f/2.
Sharp - perhaps. Honestly I don't even remember, and probably didn't care, because I noticed an unacceptable (to me) drop-off in other areas. I think it was a combination of colors and contrast.
Perhaps the images were still usable, but to me there was no point in shooting wide-open when I could get close to optimal IQ simply by stopping down to f/2.5. So while the FA35 is a good lens, I view it as a poorer value in light of the newer DA35.