As soon as the DA 70 Limited was introduced several years ago, I bought one and have thoroughly enjoyed it ever since. However, after my wife handed me an FA 31 Limited (which I adore like my first Mustang in 1964) on Christmas morning, I started to mull the idea of an FA 77 - something I require about as much as I need a lacrosse rule book. So, when B&H offered the 77 for about 800 smackers last week, I found myself ordering one . UPS delivered it last evening and now I report my experience after a whole 24 hours of ownership.

In general, I'm positive. I have little interest in "testing" lenses, but I did compare the sharpness of the the 77 and my 70 by mimicking the qualitative technique employed by PF in its evaluation of the two lenses (I used a flat, membrane microwave keypad rather than a focusing chart as a target). My observations mirror those of PF; the 77 is slightly but noticeably sharper down to about f/4, although "real world" difference under most circumstances is debatable. Also, I'm finding that the blurred, out-of-focus areas of photos shot with the 77 are more homogenous and delineate the in-focus subject with greater clarity - to me, a bit more satisfying. Finally, AF feels quicker and more resolute with the 77, especially in low light. On the other hand, the 77 is twice as heavy as a 70, and I dislike weight in lenses as much as I hate it in sports cars. Even so, based on my very limited experience (no pun intended) with my FA 77, I think it is - save for my FA 31 - probably the best AF lens I own (including my 5 DA Limited primes). The lens is, at the very least, the optical equivalent of my 70 and offers the modest advantages of somewhat higher speed, marginally longer reach and, as I mentioned, snappier AF. My only misgivings: I'm not quite seeing that ephemeral and undefinable "magic" with the 77 that I picked up in the first 5 frames shot with my 31 - but hell, that's all mystical mumbo jumbo, anyway .

Below are seven photos I took with the 77 this warm, sunny afternoon. None are keepers, but they represent the kind of photography I do 60 - 80% of the time. I'm keeping the 77, but my DA 70 (along with my other DA Limiteds) won't be retired; it'll come into action when I travel or when I need to lug my kit around for several hours.

Jer


Power Pole for Bob (f/8, 1/180):



Tanks (f/8, 1/500):



My Little Hot Rod (f/8, 1/180):



Park Pavilion (f/8, 1/250):



Brutally-Cropped Egret (f/8, 1/250):



Botanical Arch (f/5.6, 1/250):



Magnolia Leaf (f/2, 1/1500):

[Bob Harris]

I sent your image to a buddy that works for SCE "electric company" and waiting for him to check what the pole covering is. Jer, have you noticed it on any other poles in your neighborhood?

[OnTheWeb]

Perhaps Bob can explain what this netting wrapped around the pole is all about. Never seen this before

I helped put up a lot of poles in Ohio, mostly phone but some shared phone/power, and I've never seen that mesh used before.

[Sailor]

I sent your image to a buddy that works for SCE "electric company" and waiting for him to check what the pole covering is. Jer, have you noticed it on any other poles in your neighborhood?

I helped put up a lot of poles in Ohio, mostly phone but some shared phone/power, and I've never seen that mesh used before.

Bob and OTW - as I mentioned above, I've never noticed anything like this before and at first thought what I was seeing was corruption of the file.


Jer