I'm not sure if I need a camera repairman or a psychologist but here goes. I tried A50/1.4, the FA50/1.7 and the DA 16-45 on a yardstick from about 3 feet away. Manual or autofocus were all spot on in 24 shots.
I took the 2 AF lenses outside and took shots of the flowers, weeds, leaves etc. I found in the grass. The reason I chose these is that the grass shows clearly whether focus was right on, long, or short. It's a bright but overcast day so light is very even, speeds were between 1/125th and 1/500th. Shots at maximum aperture, AND the FA50/1.7 at 4.0. I kept the intended subject centered in the viewfinder to make it obvious what I was aiming at. Here's the score: FA50/1.7 at 1.7, 20 misses out of 24, almost all were focused long. (Past the intended point) FA50/1.7 at 4.0, 14 misses out of 24, again almost all were long. DA16-45/4.0 at 45/4.0, *2* misses out of 24, one was long, one was short. Again, all looked sharp in the viewfinder, if it was an obvious 'miss' I let the lens re-focus. OK, so the DA is my hero. ;-/ Any theories as to the extreme inconsistency in the FA50 (And A50) ??????? And the main question:......................... HOW can a viewfinder lie, but only SOMETIMES?? Don (The Thoroughly Frustrated) PS: I have straight from the camera samples to prove I'm not just on "Happy Weed". ;-)
