dothesteve

<p>I took a closer look and the FD adapter does indeed have "Built-in Multi-Coated Glasses with 1.4x focal correction". So your 200mm lens will have the image circle of 280mm. You can take the glass out, which makes your lens a macro. </p>

<p>I'm using the Fotodiox M42 adapter. The A-mount adapter for M42 lenses basically shims out the lens ~1mm, and it doesn't need a lens in it to make the image hit the sensor. I looked at the FD adapter and couldn't tell if it had glass. An adapter that needs a lens within it makes your lens quality dependent on the adapter glass, so if that's the case for FD lenses, I'd buy the best quality you can afford. </p>

<p>A couple of samples at ISO 160, no post processing. Shot JPEG Extra Fine. Manual mode with one at f5.6 (sky more realistic), other at f8 (better highlight detail). Fair bit of vignetting that LR can take care of. Not a SMC lens. I am used to Minolta glass on my Sonys, so I will have to get used to color rendering with this lens. Sharpness is pretty impressive. <br> <img src="http://gallery.photo.net/photo/18259741-md.jpg" alt="" width="680" height="453" /><br> f5.6</p> <p><img src="http://gallery.photo.net/photo/18259744-md.jpg" alt="" width="680" height="680" /><br> f5.6</p> <p><img src="http://gallery.photo.net/photo/18259742-md.jpg" alt="" width="680" height="453" /><br> f8</p> <p><img src="http://gallery.photo.net/photo/18259743-md.jpg" alt="" width="680" height="680" /><br> f8</p>

<p>Oops, had a brain fart about the tripod collar comment. I do indeed have the lens on a Chinese adapter with a long tripod foot. I was having a problem using it with a small tripod head, which caused the rig to be off-balance. </p>

<p>Yes, the 200mm was challenging to use on a travel tripod and with wind gusts. No place to put on a tripod collar. But compared to the Pentax 200mm I just got, it's tiny, and so pretty easy to use hand held. <br> Nice duck, BTW. The human brain is a little creepy, tho' :-)</p>

<p>100% samples<br> <img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/18258543-md.jpg" alt="" width="680" height="680" /><br> <img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/18258544-md.jpg" alt="" width="680" height="680" /></p>

<p>Both photos shot Adobe RGB RAW with Sony NEX C3. The flower pic was shot handheld and had no Lightroom processing; the thistle was shot on a tripod and has -.3 exposure correction, slight clarity boost, minor sharpening and defringing. I think I'll be keeping this lens. </p> <img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/18258530-md.jpg" alt="" width="680" height="451" /> <p><img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/18258529-md.jpg" alt="" width="680" height="451" /></p> <p> </p>