I've had the Distagon 28 f2.8 for a long time, but I haven't used it very much. The few times I have, I've been impressed by the results. Nevertheless I couldn't resist a deal on the "Hollywood" 28 f2, mostly because I got it at a good price, and I thought I might aswell "upgrade" my 2.8.
From what I've read, it seems that one of its main features, aside from the extra stop, is the floating element design which allows it to focus at close distance. However, the 2.8, without floating element, can focus to the same distance (?!).
So what exactly are the differences aside from the extra stop, and the size? Has anyone compared both lenses side by side?
The 28/2 aka "Hollywood lens" is known for its abrupt transitions from sharp to un-sharp, thus giving shallower DOF than equivalent lenses of similar FL and max aperture. It has been designed for wide open and close distance shooting. It performs very well at infinity but probably the 28/2.8 will be slightly better.
