Originally posted by CraigR And they are a bit uninteresting...they don't make me think "wow".
When sites like DPR do their in-depth reviews with photo samples I've rarely seen anything in them that looks "impressive". Looking at a smallish JPEG on a random computer screen simply is not going to offer any real idea of what you'll see for yourself using the lens on your camera. So we go by "the reviewer says it's great, just trust 'em" because those JPEG photos on a social sharing site or blog offer little useful evidence. There are exceptions, particularly if you can click to get full-size images so you can move around one to see details and nuances. In general, that's not what we're offered.
So yeah I agree with you, sample photos are not all that helpful. Those larger images posted here in the DFA21 thread are more indicative of what the lens is capable of. FWIW I watched that video the day he posted it. He likes the DFA21. But what was a more important point for me was he's buying lenses he wants [B
]now[/B], fully anticipating the prices will be going up significantly in the very near future. He may be right. if you think you want this lens but waiting for prices to go down they may not, at least not by much even "on-sale". Volumes aren't what they used to be for any camera or lens and it's tougher to make the argument "sell it cheap and make it up on numbers".
Anyway, that's a discussion for a different thread, so staying on topic.
What's encouraging about the DFA21 is I've yet to see a user review that doesn't praise the image results. Specs aren't telling the story with this one. I'm inclined to "just trust 'em" on this lens.