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03-10-2010, 09:18 AM   #31
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QuoteOriginally posted by yurihuta Quote
There were three at one point last week and KEH.com had one too. I have noticed KEH's prices have crept up with this lens in the last few months. You can also get the lens hood for it from Japan Exposure (Dirk Rosler) - I purchased two from him, as this is the same lens hood that is used for the FA 33-55mm.
I'm very tempted by the manual focus version.

03-10-2010, 12:48 PM   #32
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QuoteOriginally posted by GeneV Quote
I'm very tempted by the manual focus version.
This is a really nice lens. Very solidly built. From my limited use of it I am very pleased with the results. I am hoping to shoot much more with it this weekend and compare it with the FA 35mm as well as the FA 33-55mm.
04-15-2010, 10:11 AM   #33
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The FA 35 is way sharper than the 33-55 and has nearly no CA which is clearly seen on the 33-55- I preferred the 35 therefore. But I have to give up my 645NII equipment so it is for sale as well as other 645 FA lenses and bodies. Just have a look at my website

Peter Weimann Photography

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04-21-2010, 10:29 AM   #34
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QuoteOriginally posted by GeneV Quote
I'm very tempted by the manual focus version.
I really like mine. I don't miss the AF at all.

04-21-2010, 12:22 PM   #35
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Used mine (manual focus) for the first time yesterday - hopefully, the results will be in tomorrow (found a local Cambridge UK lab). I never had AF so I hardly know what I'm missing, except that i have it now on my K-x which I need for library work. Would not be something I'd use all that often for the real thing

Now, looking for a lens hood, as it came without one. I understood from this forum that the original Pentax version wasn't all that useful.
04-22-2010, 05:05 AM   #36
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Peter:

Why are you selling your 645 equipment, now that there is a 645D?

Tom
04-22-2010, 08:06 AM   #37
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Thomas
It is just not what I wished it would be, full frame 645. And my style of photography has changed and I am better done with 35 mm. And then I can not justify the cost when I see the insane low royalties that are now payed.
That are the main reasons.
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04-26-2010, 01:38 PM   #38
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Peter:

Thanks you for the reply; but I must say that given your collection of 645 lenses I'm still surprised you are not acquiring a 645D. I have often considered buying a 5D; how do the Canon lenses compare to the Pentax? I have the impression that physically at least they are as large as the 645 equivalents.

Regards,

Tom
04-26-2010, 02:25 PM   #39
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QuoteOriginally posted by yurihuta Quote
You can also get the lens hood for it from Japan Exposure (Dirk Rosler) - I purchased two from him, as this is the same lens hood that is used for the FA 33-55mm.
The hood for the FA lens is 82ø, for the A lens ø77. Since the latter cannot be obtained any longer, would there exist something like an adapter ring for the hood? Perhaps problematic because the 82mm version is a bayonet while the other is screw-in.
04-30-2010, 09:43 PM   #40
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@Thomas
I would say the lenses are on par. The new TS-E are really fantastic, like the 645 FA35. I had to sell at least all the lenses that are sold now because I did not use them much. What is left I am considering to keep, depending on how easey or not they can be sold. I do not want to lug 2 systems around and therefore the Canon is the workhorse right now. That may change one day again.
05-01-2010, 04:33 PM   #41
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I did see an A 35mm lens hood at one of the New York City stores' website a little while back. I considered buying it and offering it up here, but have to curtail my spending. I think it was $29 USD.

I have not seen an adapter going from bayonet to filter thread, however, I had not thought of that option. Good idea. I suspect someone might be able to fashion something themselves - might look a little rough, but is an option.

The FA35/FA33-55 lens hoods are rather pricey - $50 USD.

QuoteOriginally posted by Smolk Quote
The hood for the FA lens is 82ø, for the A lens ø77. Since the latter cannot be obtained any longer, would there exist something like an adapter ring for the hood? Perhaps problematic because the 82mm version is a bayonet while the other is screw-in.
07-05-2010, 08:23 PM   #42
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Hi, I've purchased an FA 35 f/3.5 in readiness for the new 645D which I'll be getting in the near future (pending funding ). I noticed the comments about the lens performance in the corners, and that sharpness is only achieved past f/8... I should be able to comment further on this once I've done some tests with the digital sensor, but since there will be some crop factor on the 645D then hopefully this characteristic will be minimized somewhat.
I'll be using the setup mainly for aerial photos, so they'll need to be tack-sharp - but from what I've read, this lens is the distagon of medium-format. I'm also getting a converter to use this lens on a 5D MkII, which will have an even greater crop factor & will be using just the sweet spot of the lens... But according to the 16-9.net review, this lens in the corner at f/11 almost equals the Hasselblad 40mm in the center!
I look forward to posting any results within the next couple of months, but it would be interesting to see the difference between FA & A versions.
Cheers.
07-20-2010, 10:30 PM   #43
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Hi all,

I'm excited to be able to give a quick (preliminary) test of the 35mm-A vs FA...

Note that this is a quick comparison only, I only just received the 35mm-A & a 645-to-EOS adapter a few hours ago; so had to rush home to grab my Canon & 35mm-FA! (I wont have the 645D for another few months, but this Canon test should do).

I only shot these in jpg, so once I do a final test in RAW & do proper post-processing then the test will be more valid (both lenses will show their resolving power much better in RAW). However I did apply deconvolution (Optipix Refocus) to both images to achieve a sharp result (by the way, I found out that Photoshop CS5's 'smart sharpen' with lens blur achieves just as good a result as Optipix for deblurring the sensor Color Filter Array image softness...) The attached images show a small 100% crop in the order A/FA/A/FA.

Preliminary findings:
1. The FA is *subtly* sharper, and quite extraordinary (but even so, the A is still sharper than my Zuiko 21mm!)
2. The lens coatings on the FA give superb color rendition (I had to apply curves editing to the 35mm-A image so it's color & tonal depth was comparable to the as-shot 35mm-FA image...!)

Sorry about the lack of inspirational shots; but I'll do another proper test within the next week, comparing the RAW's. But all in all, they're both great lenses (these jpg's look like my Zuiko RAW's!). With a bit more post-processing; the 35mm-A can get quite close, but the FA appears to in fact be superior & rightly claiming it's place at the top...

Cheers, Marko
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07-21-2010, 09:37 PM   #44
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Thanks for the info - and looking forward to the RAW shots although this would seem to confirm received knowledge about the FA 35mm. And I thought the A version was amazing already...
07-21-2010, 09:46 PM   #45
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Hi, I've done some RAW comparisons now & they tell a different story! (There's not much difference...?)
These were shot properly (same aperture of f/8, 1/250th sec, ISO100) unlike my previous jpg's which were all over the place (different apertures etc.).
I probably wont go to the trouble of shooting resolution charts but these two shots show that they really are both great lenses! (the 1st pic is the A, then FA).
Cheers.
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