About
I'm a keen amateur photographer albeit disabled. I use the Sony/Minolta A-Mount system. My main areas of interest are aviation and motorsport, though also like macro and portrait.
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Reviews (66)
26 January 2017
An affordable top quality full frame wide-angle fast zoom lens
The Minolta AF 28-70mm F/2.8 G is a professional grade lens (large, heavy and expensive) meant for people on the street, such as news photographers and Paparazzi. The "G" designation is on the box only, and never appears on the lens. Sony put an end to that modesty policy and started putting the "G" on its lenses in 2006. This lens was introduced back in the early 1990s so it has the re-styled look similar to the short-lived Konica Minolta lenses in the mid 2000s.
This wide to medium range zoom is large and heavy compared to other lenses covering this length. It has a constant fast aperture of F/2.8 with an internal zoom, (see images above), so it doesn't extend out, or change length when you zoom. Currently, Sony has a lens similar to this one, the Carl Zeiss 24-70mm F/2.8. The colour and texture of the Minolta matches the Sony camera bodies near perfectly. The zoom ring is not dampened equally along the rotation, so it's either about right to slightly loose at any given time. You can one-finger it if that's your style. Since it's loose, it exhibits zoom creep, and pointing it straight up at 70mm runs it down to 60mm, and pointing it down at 60mm runs it back to 70mm. It has a focus distance window along with a single focus hold button, which can be changed to DOF on select camera bodies. The EXIF data matches up with the focal length marks, which come at 28mm, 35mm, 50mm, and 70mm. Increments are 5mm apart (after 30mm) in the data, but 65mm is missing, that's the way it is. 50mm covers about a 1/4 of the zoom ring, but that's no big deal. The lens is multi-coated with the magenta/blue/green look typical for the 1990s. Minolta also claims the use of two aspherical elements in the construction of the lens. This lens has a flare cut diaphragm, (Minolta uses the term "moving mask") but don't equate this with good flare and ghosting control, see issues below.
Auto-focusing is somewhat slow and noisy, but that's normal for the era in which it was built. It seems pretty accurate though, and I had no problems with locking focus, even at F/2.8 in poor light. Manual focusing takes just over 1/5 turn from close-in to infinity, with a little back slop, but not bad. The filter ring extends as you focus, (not to be confused with the focus ring) which is at the end of the lens barrel, and only adds a couple of millimetres to the overall length.
Lens flare/ghosting. Poor. Check out the samples below. If the sun is near the image, you'll need to block it with your hand, since the included lens hood is inadequate, and was designed wrong by Minolta engineers, then again it may have been economics, but on a $1000 lens?. If you add about an inch (25mm) to the hood, it does a much better job at blocking stray light, and causes no vignetting. You may want to try a rubber screw-on type and trim it to fit. If the sun is in the image, you're SOL. If you like taking pictures with the sun in the image, use the Sony kit lens, which has the best control of flare and ghosting of any zoom I've tested. The Minolta AF 28-70mm F/2.8 G lens has a flare cut diaphragm, (see product shot image where it's closed), which opens and closes like a regular aperture, but this one is controlled by the zoom. It's located outward of the normal aperture and closed to its fullest extent at 28mm, (though really not entirely closed because you need light), then slowly opens all the way by 55mm. It's supposed to help control reflections at wide angle, but I'm not sure how much it's helping here.
Colour fringing. Very good control here, though look for some axial CA, which goes away as you stop down. See 70mm center shots below. It is not a problem by any stretch. I see some lateral CA under extreme conditions, but overall the lens performed well here.
Bokeh. Good at normal viewing and print sizes, see crops below. Background blur is best at F/2.8, but as you stop down things start to go south. Neutral when examined at 100%.
It's not perfect, but it gives so much more than it's limitations, but if making a direct comparison, then look at the Tamron 28-70 F/2.8, Tokina AT-X 28-70 F/2.8 AF 287 PRO and Tokina AT-X 28-80 F/2.8 AF 280 PRO alternatives.
11 January 2011
Minolta AF 300mm F4 APO HS G
I bought the lens as a replacement to a Minolta AF 300mm f/2.8 APO. Whilst it was fairly quick in the AF department and the condition was excellent, it wasn't complete and the AF motor sounded rough.
The lens is capable of capturing superb quality images with wonderful classic Minolta colours, but I had been spoiled with the 300mm 2.8, so sold it on. That said, I found my Sigma AF 100-300mm EX DG (IF) APO at least as good as the Minolta 300/4, and that being a zoom, was more versatile.
I would suggest that you take a look on the Dyxum website for owner reviews as I didn't own it long enough to write a comprehensive review.
http://www.dyxum.com/lenses/Minolta-AF-300-F4--HS-APO-G_lens21.html
15 March 2012
Superb bang for buck quality lens if on a tight budget.
In short, for anyone on a tight budget looking for a decent quality short wide-angle lens can do a lot worse than this Tokina. I was fortunate to find one of three new copies offered by SRS Microsystems via eBay for a 'no brainer' sub £80.00 delivered price which was the second time I have used this specific e-tailer from whom I had purchased a Sigma AF 100-300mm F4 EX DG (IF) APO lens.
The lens was absolutely like new (old stock) as was everything else down to the box and all included items such as lens hood, end caps and documentation. The lens worked very well on my Sony A850 giving decent image quality (IQ), whilst at the same time being of sound construction, weight and operation.
Knowing a great deal when I see one, the lens was rapidly re-sold as I already have a superior short wide-angle lens, but there are variants of the same lens type such as Cosina, Vivitar Mk 1 (made by Cosina), and a Tamron version. I can't recall if Minolta made a version, but there is no need to spend a fortune if you're on a budget, but the Tokina is the best regarded with the highest feedback score of all the available versions.
If you buy used, make sure you get at least the lens hood (generic lens caps are cheap enough at a push), and don't pay over say £50.00 for a decent used example.