Originally posted by normhead I was in a local outfitters, getting a small waterproof hard case for my 21 and 40XS. Gerry who shoots Canon FF and sells his images right there in the store, ask to see the lenses. I handed him both lens from one hand, I think I saw the same look, when they came apart and it was two lenses not one.
Just curious, normhead (and BTW, I saw the picture of you in full regalia!), did you ever test the '40' XS against the DA Limited version? I ask because, XS already in hand, I very recently acquired a copy of the Limited after looking closely at photos in the PF In-depth Test (tainted by a sample problem as it may have been) and thinking about the difference in aberrations noted at ePhotozine/photodo and DxO. The latter rated the XS as one notch sharper, you may have noticed, just compounding the on-paper comparison issues. Adam has pretty much summed up any differences as a "wash", of course. Willing to be perfectionist to the extent of the present cost differential in the secondary market, I decided I just had to "know" (and I am kind of laid up presently)... To be honest, there's an aspect or two about the XS form factor I actually think I prefer, given its potential for some creative modification I can envision. Of course, Limiteds have a certain seduction quality in their own right, especially now that I have others.
But being a form follows function, performance first sort of guy, I am very interested in your (or present others') perspective, particularly regarding the IQ question. Any helpful thoughts?