I think it's traditional to celebrate the arrival of a limited lens with a post. Though it's been in my sig in anticipation, only today did I receive an FA 77, from Evolution here on the forum. I am well used to my FA 43 so I knew what to expect in terms of the brilliant workmanship and handy size.
Only one thing took me aback. I love the screw-on hood and felt-lined cap on my 43mm. At first glance the 77mm is the same, but the hood is collapsible rather than screwed. This means that pushing the cap on pushes down the hood. This would not be too big of a deal except when there's a filter on the lens. The cap needs a certain depth of hood to get a proper grip. With a filter on there is not enough of this, so the cap is prone to fall off. I wonder why they changed the design from the 43mm?
At least now I know what everyone in the
review forum is on about!
I think I am going to like using a 77mm. The minimum focal distance seems more convenient for the focal length than on the FA 43.
I didn't have a chance to set up any fancy shots. Here are two about town before my batteries died. (Shot all weekend and forgot to change them!) These are not straight from the camera but rather use my usual post-processing work-flow, which includes exposure compensation, sharpening and colour balance.