Static factory methods vs Instance (normal) constructors?

Question

In a language where both are available, would you prefer to see an instance constructor or a static method that returns an instance?

For example, if you\'re creating

Answer 1

I prefer instance constructor, just because that makes more sense to me, and there's less potential ambiguity with what you're trying to express (ie: what if FromCharacters is a method which takes a single character). Certainly subjective, though.