EXCERPT page containing first few paragraphs. 2024-04-30 18:44:42
UA_SEARCH_BOT_compatible_botmozilla/5.0 applewebkit/537.36 (khtml, like gecko; compatible; claudebot/1.0; +claudebot@anthropic.com) @ 3.15.143.181
For full access, subscribe here. Or click title to login. 
Pentax-FA 80-160mm f/4.5 vs Pentax-A 150/3.5
Under good lighting conditions (relatively easy to focus), I compared the Pentax-A 150mm f/3.5 prime lens to the Pentax FA 80-160mm f/4.5 zoom at its 150mm setting.
The 150/3.5 is a nicely compact lens, and would easily be my preference in terms of carrying it. Its manual focus characteristics are also much superior to the 80-160 zoom. And the extra stop of brightness is very important for focusing by eye, especially in low light conditions (autofocus is simply not up to the task in my view).
Focusing
I focused both lenses manually, multiple trials. The results shown here appear to be optimal or nearly so for both lenses at center, and since there is no way to know for sure, the results speak for themselves as a practical matter. Lighting was not a limitation, not to my eye in the viewfinder.
Article continues for subscribers...
Diglloyd Medium Format is by yearly subscription. Subscribe now for about 33 cents a day ($120/year).
BEST DEAL: get full access to ALL 8 PUBLICATIONS for only about 75 cents a day!
Diglloyd Medium Format covers medium format camera systems, including the Hasselblad X1D and Fujifilm GFX.
These systems are hugely expensive, so make the right choice for your own needs (full frame vs medium format).
- In-depth lens evaluations covering behaviors not likely to be found anywhere else, based on real-world field shooting.
- How to configure menus and buttons and best operating practices, gotchas and how-to.
- Real world examples with insights found nowhere else. Make sharper images just by understanding lens and camera behaviors.
- Jaw-dropping image quality found nowhere else utilizing Retina-grade images up to 100 megapixels filling up to 5K display, plus large crops.
- Aperture series from wide open through stopped down, showing the full range of lens performance and bokeh.
- Optical quality analysis of field curvature, focus shift, sharpness, flare, distortion, and performance in the field.
