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Hello fellow R users, I'm a facing a little dilemma and decided to count on your experiences to make a decision, if you don't mind. Basically, I am looking for a mid-range tele lens to use in small valleys especially. But I'm living in a big city and remain there most of times, though... So I came across two classifieds selling these lenses at quite a good price. Here's my current state of reflection: APO 280/4 Pros : legendary quality, APO will help for difficult lighting conditions I guess. A bit lighter than the VE. Slightly brighter than the VE (well, it's more of an anecdote at this point). Cons : fixed focal (280mm isn't that versatile in a city, huh?). VE 105-280 Pros : good reputation albeit less praised that the 280/4. More versatile. 500€ cheaper. Cons : heavy zoom, tripod required. Not APO. Price isn't that important (I prefer to wait a bit more if that helps), and I will use either lens on my tripod anyway. Also, I am especially careful on vignetting... and on this point, the VE seems to be better! (VE charts available here, and 280/4 charts here) That sounds surprising since fixed focals are usually more optimised... Finally, my longest lens at present is a Lux 80. I consider buying an Apo-Extender later; even though not on par with the 90AA or 180 Apo (), results should be acceptable. And the gap problem posed by the 280/4 would be eased. Still, I'm unsure about all this... Do you think the quality of the fixed 280/4 (vignetting wise, especially) is worth giving up the versatility of a zoom, for the city person that I am? Maybe the zoom feature of the VE is more psychological than practical after all, since I will have to use a complex setup with a tripod? Any hint will be appreciated!