Originally posted by Ed Hurst I presume you mean f3.5 rather than f2.8?
Yes, f3.5.
Today I made large prints to compare the D FA to the A version. The A is very good! At the time of my first post I was judging by what was seen on the monitor. In some sections it appears the the D FA is giving slightly better sharpness and at other places the A is giving better sharpness. The D FA is producing better contrast graduation.
The A is listing on Ebay for about $500 while the D FA is 1k more. The choice betweeen the two boils down to the budget and use, the D FA being better at the wider aperatures, has the updated lens coating, auto focus and a lens hood.