Originally posted by link81 so, for those with the 20-40 as well as other ltd's,
does the zoom have the starbursts of the 15, the bokeh of the 31 and 43, and the "charm" that is characteristic of all the ltd's?
Starbusts: I now carry the DA20-40 plus the DA15, so the DA15 doens't get replaced. However, starbusts are not my thing, and I would actually rather prefer not having them. Personal taste I guess. And if you do miss starbusts with the DA20-40, there's always Cokin's star filters...
Bokeh: Obviously it's harder to get pronounced bokeh, because of the smaller widest aperture (f/3.5 vs f/1.8 at around 30mm and f/4 vs f/1.9 at around 40mm), but when moving close enough to the subject, I find bokeh actually very pleasing in the DA20-40.
"Charm": Optically it certaily has the charm. Physically, the lens handles very nicely, and I find its feeling in hand more tactile, i.e. closer to the FA limiteds than the DA limiteds. I expect the design of the zoom ring to be one reason for this, as well as the overall size of the lens. I feel its focus and zoom rings are also better damped than the DA limiteds. Just my impression, I didn't compare head-to-head...
Wim