Ok what do you guys think about this?
Its obviously not a new idea, but to the typical subject I added the Italian - English dictionary... as you know I'm italian.. she's english... What do you think?

[IMG]http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u332/nathanever82/Heart-Ringweb.jpg[/IMG]

only if you don't all ask to play with my new K7....

It is a very difficult one indeed. ANd Matt, as you say, the conditions to assess the quality produced by a lens are so varied, that it is very very hard to make a fair decision.

So the story goes like this;

Lens number 2 is the DA*16-50 @ 31mm. I have bought this lens for work, without even thinking about it. I was immediately shocked at the quality across the focal lenghts, and since i've had it, I very often use it for work, and leisure shooting. Its a versatile lens, it does the job, and I love it!

The other lens (Number 1 in all test shots) is the 31mm ltd. I have lusted after it for a long long time, and saved for years to buy it. And I find myself not using it enough. I enjoy shooting with it, and I really enjoy the rendtion of the photographs it produces. But I am not in love with it.

POint is that I don't feel like i'm using it enough, and when I do need that focal lenght (photo-shoots or live-music) I always prefer the versatility of the DA*. The results are only marginally different, and whilst the 31 is IMO better at f2.8 and f.4, it is not sharp enough at f1.8, f2. If I take the lens out for a walk I will struggle to find difference wide open...

All this makes it a very expensive luxury to have...

not yet...

Thank you steve,

I am not too bothered about the exposure, because it is all shot in AV.

Here is another scene, very different from the first.
All shots are focused on the centre AF point - on the left side of the nose of the bear!

Lens 1 f2.8
[IMG]http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u332/nathanever82/_IGP5811.jpg[/IMG]

Lens 2 f2.8
[IMG]http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u332/nathanever82/_IGP5816.jpg[/IMG]

Lens 1 f4
[IMG]http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u332/nathanever82/_IGP5812.jpg[/IMG]

Lens 2 f4
[IMG]http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u332/nathanever82/_IGP5817.jpg[/IMG]

Lens 1 f8
[IMG]http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u332/nathanever82/_IGP5813.jpg[/IMG]

Lens 2 f8
[IMG]http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u332/nathanever82/_IGP5818.jpg[/IMG]

Lens 1 f16
[IMG]http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u332/nathanever82/_IGP5814.jpg[/IMG]

Lens 2 f16
[IMG]http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u332/nathanever82/_IGP5819.jpg[/IMG]


THank you again for your help here!

THey certainly do.

I am about to do another test shot, and will post it soon.

Ok, because its too complicated to download the very large files, I am now re-attaching the jpgs from photobucket. Hope it will be easier to judge with these size photographs.

Lens 1 f2.8
[IMG]http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u332/nathanever82/Lens1f28.jpg[/IMG]

Lens 2 f2.8
[IMG]http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u332/nathanever82/Lens2f28.jpg[/IMG]

Lens 1 f5.6
[IMG]http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u332/nathanever82/Lens1f56.jpg[/IMG]

Lens 2 f5.6
[IMG]http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u332/nathanever82/Lens2f56.jpg[/IMG]

Lens 1 f8
[IMG]http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u332/nathanever82/Lens1f8.jpg[/IMG]

Lens 2 f8
[IMG]http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u332/nathanever82/Lens2f8.jpg[/IMG]

Lens 1 f22
[IMG]http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u332/nathanever82/Lens1f22.jpg[/IMG]

Lens 2 f22
[IMG]http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u332/nathanever82/Lens2f22.jpg[/IMG]

it surely does. thank you very much!

A few more comments and i'll spice it up, telling what lenses we are talking about!

Dan, thank you so much for this.

John, I know they are huge files, but because there is a lot of money on the plate, I really appreciate your advise with a thorough analysis, which can (unfortunately) only be done with the full res. files.

What I am trying to establish here, is if there is such a difference in the rendition, sharpness, bokeh, etc. of these two lenses, to justify owning both, or if the difference is so minimal at this focal lenght (across the aperture range) that I will have to consider the other characteristics of the 2 lenses, and if its still worth keeping them.

Ok, this is the link to my skydrive. it takes a bit to download the photos, and they are not in order, but labelled 2.8 4.0 5.6 etc.

Please let me know what you think, thank you

http://cid-750a272e8172ce85.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/Lens%20Trial