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12-12-2014, 02:24 AM   #1
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DFA vs FA 50mm 2.8

A used FA and a brand new DFA 50 has less than a $100 difference.

Are these lenses optically identical? Is it just the build quality?

Thanks!

12-12-2014, 02:30 AM   #2
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I believe so. I'd opt for the DFA version because it has a more reliable clamp.

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12-12-2014, 02:34 AM   #3
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QuoteOriginally posted by Adam Quote
I believe so. I'd opt for the DFA version because it has a more reliable clamp.
Thanks Adam.

The clamp is being held by friction, right?

So does this mean that if, by sheer carelessness or mistake, if one tries to use the AF with some "clamping", that wears out either the drive or the clamp (whichever is more vulnerable)? I'm considering this just to weigh in the "wear and tear" of used FA.
12-12-2014, 02:42 AM   #4
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QuoteOriginally posted by drypenn Quote
Thanks Adam.

The clamp is being held by friction, right?

So does this mean that if, by sheer carelessness or mistake, if one tries to use the AF with some "clamping", that wears out either the drive or the clamp (whichever is more vulnerable)? I'm considering this just to weigh in the "wear and tear" of used FA.
Something like that. I don't recall for sure whether or not AF is disabled when the clamp is enabled, but I don't believe it is.


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12-12-2014, 07:53 AM   #5
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The clamp on the FA is there just to dampen the focus ring when manually focusing. It does not lock anything.

I personally favour the FA50 because of the all-metal construction. The DFA felt cheap when I used it (relatively speaking of course).

That being said, I favour the DFA 100 WR above both of these, but it's more expensive. You can probably get a FA50 macro for about 330$ if you shop used.
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