Originally posted by mholford on a different note... been meaning to ask the more knowledgeable (and more deeply in the throws of LBA) - in comparing A* 85mm lenses to FA77 ltd... which one rules? I see old 85mm lenses going for some pretty big chunks of change, and can't help but wonder what are the pros/cons between the 77 and the 85?
Anyone with extensive LBA want to comment?
As a long time owner of the A* 85 who sold it to fund his FA 77 purchase I am qualified to comment on that I think.
The A* is SHARP, crazy sharp, but so is the 77. The A* is obviously very much manual focus with a feel that is so smooth and buttery you can't imagine if you haven't used really nice manual focus lenses. The A* has shallower DOF and a 1/2 stop advantage in light gathering. The A* is HUGE and heavy for the focal length. The A* has a truly insanely large hood. The lens plus hood is nearly as long as the DA* 200! And it is fatter at least the hood is (100mm opening on the hood).
The FA77 is light, small, has a built in hood and autofocus, retains the sharpness but loses a small amount of shallower DOF due to the 1/2 stop and focal length. However the character of the lenses is similar. Sharp and yet not clinical, and lovely to hold and use these lenses are excellent. The A* is a lovely lens, but some of the price is due to rarity (very short production years and very expensive for the day) and the lack of that focal length in the current stable of Pentax branded lenses. My eyesight pretty much made the decision for me as manually focusing an 85 f1.4 was hard for me to get right. The FA77 gives me a more compact, lighter, autofocus lens with similar results - and with the money from the sale I bought a new FA77 and still had money left over.