Originally posted by RICHARD L. I was a little wary when ordering this 645 FA 33-55 mm f/4.5 zoom. There is almost no information on its performance available anywhere. In the 3 reviews on this Forum, users say the corners and edges of the pictures are unacceptably soft due to spherical aberration. Well my image was taken handheld at 1/250 sec, f/11 and 33 mm focal length. The sharpness seems to hold up to the extremities of the frame with this sample at the usual aperture I use. I will try to test it at all focal lengths and all apertures on a tripod to build my own opinion.
My first thought was Velvia too.
I too was wary about buying the FA33-55 for my D due to the lack of reviews (I scoured the web with little luck). I summised that since most (all?) related to 645 film, the corners had to be better on 33x44. I mainly use mine for landscapes handheld and haven't noticed significant issues. I should also test and post a review.
In reality, the 28-45 is simply over my budget. I thought about a 35mm prime but the 33-55 gives me the option of a two lens outfit with the FA80-160.