[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
> 85mm f/:1.4 A = 7 lens in 6 groups
> 85mm f/:1.4 FA = 8 lens in 7groups
> The French reference test of Chasseur d Images Magazin shows
> that the 85mm FA is better than a LEICA APO Summicron M 90mm
> f/:2 Asph or Canon 85mm L f/:1.2 or Minolta or Nikon 85mm
> f/:1.4 !!!!
The differences in optical formulas do not, per se, cause the autofocusing
FA* 85/1.4 to be a better lens than is the A* 85/1.4. Rather, I think that
the internal focusing ease for autofocusing was the main reason for the
change in optical design.
As for published lens tests, many feel that the CdI tests may be unreliable
(due to inconsistencies, I would say). However, since you want to bring up
such tests, I will point out some test results from Photodo
(http://www.photodo.com/prod/) (also thought of as unreliable by many,
admittedly) for the A* 85/1.4: (And, to be honest, I haven't looked
carefully at the most current results for the following, which were compiled
"the last time I looked".)
In tests of 42 Pentax lenses there, here's how the A* 85/1.4 compared:
At f/1.4, the A* 85/1.4 had the HIGHEST score of 0.73.
At f/2, the A* 85/1.4 had the HIGHEST score of 0.80.
At f/2.8, the A* 85/1.4 had the HIGHEST score of 0.84.
At f/4, the A* 85/1.4 had the HIGHEST score of 0.86.
At f/8, the A* 85/1.4 was tied for SECOND (along with the F 100f/2.8 Macro)
with a score of 0.86. (The highest score was 0.87, reached by the F 50f/2.8
Macro and F 50f/1.4 lenses.)
For the OVERALL SCORE, the A* 85/1.4 tied for FIRST PLACE among the 42 Pentax
lenses tested (along with the F 50f/2.8 Macro and F 50f/1.4 lenses), with a
weighted score of 4.6 points (out of a possible 5.0).
Comparing the results for all the lenses from all makers on Photodo:
At f/1.4, the A* 85/1.4 had the HIGHEST score of 0.73.
At f/2, the A* 85/1.4 had the HIGHEST score of 0.80 (although the Canon EF
200f/1.8 L USM achieved 0.82 @ f/1.8).
At f/2.8, the A* 85/1.4 tied for the FOURTH HIGHEST score of 0.84, along with
the Contax Planar T* 85f/1.4, and behind the Leica Apo-Telyt-R 280f/2.8
(0.85), the Canon EF 400f/2.8 L II (0.87), the Leica Apo-Macro-Elmarit-R
100f/2.8 (0.87), and the Canon EF 200f/1.8 L USM (0.89).
At f/4, the A* 85/1.4 tied for the THIRD HIGHEST score of 0.87, along with
the Contax Planar T* 85f/1.4, the Leica Summicron-R 50f/2.0, and the Leica
Apo-Telyt-R 280f/2.8 (0.87), and behind the Contax G Planar 45f/2.0 (0.88),
the Leica Apo-Macro-Elmarit-R 100f/2.8 (0.88), and the Canon EF 200f/1.8 L
USM (0.90).
At f/8, the A* 85/1.4 tied for the THIRD HIGHEST score of 0.86, with the
highest ranked lens (the Contax Planar T* 50f/1.7) reaching 0.88.
For the OVERALL SCORE, the A* 85/1.4 tied for THIRD PLACE among the 335
lenses tested, with a weighted score of 4.6 points (out of a possible 5.0),
bettered only by the even-more-phenomenal Contax G Planar 35f/2.0 (4.7
points) and the Canon EF 200f/1.8 L USM (4.8 points).
In ANOTHER set of lens tests, at http://www.photozone.de/olle_ii.htm, the A*
85/1.4 was tested alongside 22 other short-telephoto prime lenses from
several manufacturers, and the A* 85/1.4 came out NUMBER ONE, beating out 3
Leica lenses (at #2, #3, and #4), 8 Canon lenses, 4 Nikon lenses, and the
rest of the also-ran's. (Its most direct competitors, the corresponding
85/1.4 lenses from Contax, Nikon, and Minolta, ALL scored way down in the
BOTTOM HALF of the list.)
Of course, the above results may or may not be worth much (and my use of them
was prompted merely by your use of the suspect CdI tests), but they do show
that the A* 85/1.4 is no "slouch".
Fred
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