[Bob L]

Rick,

I've owned this lens and you definitely have a bad copy - probably a loose element, like you summise.

I bought this lens from Mark and would agree 100%....it's better than my ability and up there with the best of my Canon and Zeiss lenses.

[rdenney]

?

Even in Mirror Up, to see in Live View the shutter's open. So when you hit the shutter must first close, then open again for whatever shutter duration you chose.

The K-1 has an electronic shutter option, BTW, for this very reason.

Yes. Mirror up not using live view is the preferred approach. A tripod that doesn't jiggle for ten seconds is important, too.

The 300 A* is longer and heavier than the 28-45, and if hanging such a lens out front on a tripod is what causes that sort of vibration, then it will be worse than the zoom. And the 300 will magnify the motions about 11 times as much as the 28-45 (at 28). I found that with tripod mounted at the camera and the lens hanging out front, I would get motion without mirror up, but with mirror up I only needed to wait a second or two for the motion to attenuate before the image would be sharp. And that lens is sharp enough to test that aspect. The 400 is less likely to show motion, because it has a well-designed tripod ring and the tripod is loaded more evenly. But I still use mirror up with that lens, too.

I saw no difference with the 28 mirror up or not, but I was trying to rule out possibilities, so I used it.

I use live view for checking focus, particularly with manual focus lenses, not for timing the shot. I'd rather look directly at the subject for timing the shot, so I turn live view off before making the photo. If timing is important, I use mirror up and then look at the subject directly--the same technique required for most cameras with that feature, including all my second-world cameras and the Pentax 67.

Rick "thinking using live view to time shots will mean missed shots--can't anticipate from that digital display even without shutter lag" Denney

---------- Post added 11-16-18 at 08:25 AM ----------

Both Adorama and B&H are good companies....but I am very underwhelmed by their used gear and their ratings. KEH, Roberts/UsedPhotoPro, and Lens Authority are far better choices. I have never had an issue with KEH---in fact, I have bought "bargain" from them and thought it "very good", and "excellent" as pristine, and my 25 came from Lens Authority, which is the sales outlet for Lens Rentals, where Roger Cicala, maybe the preeminent lens tester in the U.S., works. FYI, Roberts is great to sell to.

Yes, I'd agree. Roberts has this lens at a reasonable price. But they impose a 15% restocking fee on lenses over a certain price, which this most definitely is. I've bought lots of stuff from them, but I have returned a couple of items that were damaged in ways that affected use. (They were, of course, completely cooperative on the trade). I have also needed to return a lens to KEH some years ago, and they were great about it. I'm not generally that picky--I bought a 75mm LS lens from somebody maybe a dozen years ago, and it had acquired a dent on the barrel that inhibited cocking the shutter. The optics met my requirements, so I simply pushed the dent out enough to solve the problem and have used it ever since.

I bought my DFA 55/2.8 lens from Adorama for an excellent price, and it's rather marked up from use but the optics are exceptional.

Buying this lens from Lens Authority was an option, but the extra hundreds of dollars gave me pause, despite the blessing of going through Roger's shop. B&H is usually pricey on used stuff, but I'm happy to buy new stuff from them, and try to stop by on every trip to New York.

In any case, I'm finalizing a deal with a member here, who offered it after seeing this thread.

Rick "who generally buys used" Denney

[rdenney]

Update: I returned the lens tested in this thread, and, as expected, Adorama refunded my money quickly and cheerfully.

I have purchased a replacement from a member here, which arrived yesterday, and it looks to be brand new. Initial play looks positive. I will conduct a new test and start a new thread.

I would like to leave this thread here, though, because it is possible for these lenses to be damaged and someone else may face the same issue.

Rick “who will edit the OP appropriately” Denney

[2351HD]

Good luck.
Compared to the flatter field of the DFA35, I found the 28-45 to have some forward field curvature towards the edges which can be used to your advantage when taking landscape shots with deep DOF, you can focus point deeper into the image and the foreground still sharpens up when stopping down sufficiently.