The way you presented your findings was a little confusing.
I never owned a Pentax film SLR and I haven't done explicit testing other than very casually. However, looking at my photos, these are my impressions from the lenses that I have used on the DS body:
DA14/2.8 - contrasty and sharp wide open, best between f/4.5-5.6
DA16-45/4 - a little soft on center wide open, very close to the primes at f/5.6-8
A24/2.8 - contrasty and sharp wide open, even better at f/5.6 and smaller
A28/2.8 - somewhat soft wide open, excellent at f/5.6 and smaller
FA28-105/3.2-4.5 - sharp and contrasty wide open, very sharp 1-3 stops down, very close to the primes at f/5.6-8
A35/2.8 - sharp wide open, more contrasty at f/5.6 and smaller
F35-70/3.5-4.5 - contrasty and sharp everywhere, peaks around f/5.6
A50/1.7 - sharp and contrasty wide open, peak at f/5.6
A50/1.4 - slightly soft wide open, equal to the f/1.7 at f/2, peak at f/5.6
F50/1.7 - same as A series lens
M85/2 - slightly soft wide open, very sharp and contrasty by f/5.6
FA135/2.8 - sharp and contrasty wide open, peaks at f/11
A200/4 - sharp wide open, more contrasty at f/5.6, peaks at f/11
A70-210/4 Macro - across the FL range virtually the same as the A200, the A200 is *slightly* better.
F100-300/4.5-5.6 - soft wide open, satisfactory at two stops down, best between 150 and 250mm.
Godfrey
On May 13, 2005, at 6:31 AM, Collin Brendemuehl wrote:
I've shot a few shots to compare the image centers and right edges. Nothing scientific. Just looking at which are better.
I shot at 1/60, f3.5, and 1/250, f6.3.
FA50/1.4 Very Sharp K30/2.8 Very Sharp M75-150, Very Good results. Reasonably Sharp. A50/1.7, Good results at 1/250. Mediocre at 1/60. A35/2, Good results at 1/250. Mediocre at 1/60. A100/2.8, Good results at 1/250. Mediocre at 1/60.
I'm going to do more extensive testing after I return home from Oklahoma. But for now, it looks like the excellent A film lenses are not necessarily excellent digital lenses. The nicer contrast that the blue-cast coatings provide for film DID NOT translate to digital.
So, it looks like the contents of my digital and film kits is now decided. It amazed me that the M75-150 was so good, comparatively speaking. But I'll take it.
Sincerely, Collin
