Minolta  AF 24-85 F3.5-4.5  reviews

sharpness: 5 

color: 5 

build: 5 

distortion: 5 

flare control: 4 

user: Epic Win   review date: January-22-10  

    tested on film camera:

    tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:

    tested on full frame:25MP

compared to:

price paid:

573 USD (new)

positive:

negative:

comment:

sharpness: 5 

color: 5 

build: 5 

distortion: 5 

flare control: 4 

user: petesidewalk   review date: January-12-10  

    tested on film camera:

    tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:

    tested on full frame:25MP

compared to:

28-75 2.8
24-105 3.5-4.5
24-70 2.8 HSM

price paid:

99USD

positive:

SHARP, light colors cheap

negative:

none

comment:

GREAT SHARPNESS AN COLORS.

sharpness: 4,5 

color: 5 

build: 4 

distortion: 4 

flare control: 4 

user: Basil   review date: December-08-09  

    tested on film camera:

    tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:

    tested on full frame:25MP

compared to:

SAL 18-70 kit lens
Minolta 24 2.8
Tamron 17-50 2.8 Di II LD
Minolta 35-70 f4
Minolta 50 1.7
Minolta 28-85 3.5-4.5

price paid:

$125 USD (used)

positive:

My walk-around lens. Light enough to carry aroun dall day
The colors are fantastic
Sharp when stopped down, but a tad soft wide open.


A nice portrait lens

negative:

Lens hood could be better. I can get it to produce flare, but I have to try hard to do so.

comment:

This is my outdoor walk-around lens. I can usually work within the range of the cropped sensor. I love the colors this lens produces. The pictures have that classic Minolta look that makes them really pop. It is possible to produce flare, but under most "normal" circumstances it is controlled by the petal hood. (I use the word normal with tongue in cheek. Normal is such a subjective term...especially in photography!)

sharpness: 5 

color: 5 

build: 4 

distortion: 4 

flare control: 4 

user: KPaw   review date: December-05-09  

    tested on film camera:

    tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:

    tested on full frame:25MP

compared to:

Sony 18-70 (350 kit-lens)
Minolta AF 28-105 xi

price paid:

N/A

positive:

Vivid color
Light in weight
Sturdy in build
Petal hood
Fast autofocus

negative:

Nothing to speak of

comment:

This is probably my favorite lens and the one I usually reach for. It’s light in weight but sturdy in build and a good balance in weight for the Sony Alpha 350. It produces images with very beautiful and saturated color, excellent contrast and total sharpness (at f8 it’s totally sharp). All my Minolta lenses have a certain something to their color and this one, in particular, has that dreamy color everyone wants. The difference in color between this lens and the Sony kit lens is light night and day. Autofocus is fast and non problematic.
Be perfect if it were wider than the 36mm efl but I am very happy to own this lens. As for flare, I have only noticed a very slight flare and only under extreme sunny conditions.
You will only be pleased with the images this lens will render.

sharpness: 5 

color: 5 

build: 4 

distortion: 4 

flare control: 4 

user: hans   review date: November-11-09  

    tested on film camera:

    tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:

    tested on full frame:25MP

compared to:

positive:

negative:

comment:

sharpness: 4 

color: 4 

build: 4 

distortion: 4 

flare control: 3 

user: BertH   review date: October-19-09  

    tested on film camera:

    tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:

    tested on full frame:25MP

compared to:

Sony AF 18-70
Tamron 18-200

price paid:

€ 70 (used)

positive:

sharpness
size

negative:

flimsy hood
heavy zoom mechanism

comment:

Not my favorite. It's already on ebay.

sharpness: 3,5 

color: 5 

build: 5 

distortion: 3 

flare control: 3 

user: spada   review date: October-02-09  

    tested on film camera:

    tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:

    tested on full frame:25MP

compared to:

Sigma 24-70/2.8 EX DG
Tamron 17-50/2.8
Sigma 17-70/2.8-4.5
Sony 18-70 kit lens
Tamron 28-75/2.8

price paid:

105 USD (used)

positive:

Very fast focus
Build quality
Compact
Brighter apretures than the kit

negative:

Tiny lens hood
Makes a snapping noise at infinity and MFD

comment:

Well, this lens meets some stiff competition with my previously and currently owned lenses.
I bought this lens hoping to get a nice walk-around lens for vacationing and general use when I don't think the 50mm of the Tamron 17-50 would be long enough.
It's not really the sharpest lens, and I would actually rate the sharpness about the same as I would the Sony kit lens. All of the other lenses in my "compared to" list exceed this lens in sharpness, and I would rather have a Tamron/KM 28-75/2.8 in place of this lens. The reason The 24-85mm needs to be stopped down to f/8 to get a sharp picture, but then again I am guilty of pixel peeping too much with this lens. Printed photos will turn out great with this lens, as they would with the kit lens.
Sharpness is best at 24mm, and it creates very nice images for landscape or closeups. Sharpness seems to have a linear decrease all the way to 85mm. Colors are great all the way through.
I will keep this lens in my "cheap lineup" until I can find something as versitile, compact, light, good looking, and inexpensive.

sharpness: 5 

color: 5 

build: 4 

distortion: 4 

flare control: 5 

user: shendra   review date: June-15-09  

    tested on film camera:

    tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:

    tested on full frame:25MP

compared to:

SAL 18-70mm

price paid:

250 USD

positive:

strong built
great for walkaround lens
the weight is just perfect!

negative:

comment:

It is a nice built lens with a very good quality. Compared to the kit lens, this lens produce much much better image. its sharpness and color saturation that I like the most.

Images taken with this lens, tend to show a better quality on the color gradation.

A Must Have Lens for Sony Users!

sharpness: 4,5 

color: 5 

build: 4 

distortion: 4 

flare control: 5 

user: Rush2112   review date: April-29-09  

    tested on film camera:

    tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:

    tested on full frame:25MP

compared to:

24-105 (Sony version is sub-par to this lens, by far in just about every category.. get this one before the Sony do not be fooled by the larger range of the Sony)

price paid:

160.00

positive:

Well built, sharp at almost all apertures, good overall useful focal range, small and reasonably light, decent hood, great price, can even find new models to this day.

negative:

Not much to nitpick about actually, some vignetting wide open on 24mp A900, but thats to be expected. Mag ratio could be better as well, but it's not bad.

comment:

This lens is much better than its reviews although they are good overall. It lacks something, perhaps an F2.8 minimum aperture would have sent the reviews into the stars, I really don't know. Build is Minolta good of this time period, solid, no zoom creep, smooth smooth manual focus ring with no play, zoom ring can be a bit stiff-yet it doesn't creep.

Build is a 4.5 to me, but certainly not a 5. Color is excellent and this lens overall will be sharper than you will expect. If you want a budget landscape lens for your A900 while you are deciding whether or not to plunk down 1600.00 for the 24-70 Zeiss, get it and have fun. I have landscapes that are tack sharp in 95% of the frame, with the corners showing only slight softness compared to the center performance. At f8-f11 no real visible difference in diffraction, over f11 it starts to set in.

Barrel is reasonably controlled even on full frame, no real pincushion to speak of at 85mm. Would be nice if it had a bit better magnification ratio. Maybe that is why the reviews don't go through the roof, it does just about everything above average but never one thing perfectly, perhaps with the exception of color. It needs a G badge and a constant f2.8 aperture to be 5's across the board, yet without those two items it is still a steal.

Recommended!

Carl (www.alphamountworld.com)

sharpness: 4,5 

color: 5 

build: 4 

distortion: 5 

flare control: 4 

user: lifeodyssey   review date: March-12-09  

    tested on film camera:

    tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:

    tested on full frame:25MP

compared to:

Minolta 24mm & 70-210 Beercan

price paid:

140 uSD (used)

positive:

Nice wide to medium length zoom len. Compact and fairly well built.

negative:

Zoom creep problem occured as it goes aged.

comment:

A very good compact zoom . Can get sharp image at @24mm close to 24mm prime at f8, just with little bit more CA but sharpeness are same.

Long end 85mm is a bit soft if wide open but becomes sharp as well at f8. Bolken is ok but not as good as the beercan @80mm

Color is very good, preserve Minolta tradtion.

sharpness: 4,5 

color: 5 

build: 4 

distortion: 4 

flare control: 3 

user: Pochmahone   review date: January-18-09  

    tested on film camera:

    tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:

    tested on full frame:25MP

compared to:

Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 EX DG

price paid:

£140

positive:

Quite sharp at all apertures on A900

negative:

Flare

comment:

Just acquired this lens from fleabay. Not many of them about.
Nice walk about lens with great colour. Better colour than the Sigma 24-70 EX DG. Sharp enough if you're not pixel peeping.

sharpness: 4,5 

color: 5 

build: 4 

distortion: 5 

flare control: 5 

user: Pirate   review date: January-10-09  

    tested on film camera:

    tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:

    tested on full frame:25MP

compared to:

Sigma 24-70 EX DG Macro
SAL 18-70
Minolta 24-105 (D)
Minolta AF 50 f/1.7

price paid:

£72.50 delivered

positive:

Weight
Size
IQ
Build
Fast AF
Colour rendition

negative:

None as yet

comment:

I bought this from Dyxum member 'Watty' to replace my Sigma 24-70 EX DG Macro which was heavy and bulky (IMHO). I wish I'd never sold my Min 24-105 (D), but when this lens was offered I was in two minds whether to buy or not.

I'm pleased that I did. The IQ is excellent, colours superb, bokeh smooth, weight and size are perfect.

I much prefer it to my former Sigma albeit it's not f/2.8, but miss the range of the 105 (D) and the aperture of the 50 f/1.7.

That said, as an overall compromise, it's just right for me and is now attached to my A700. This lens is an 'all-rounder' and has shown itself to be most worthy in tests I've conducted and will be much used in future. A definate candidate for anyone looking for a versatile lens in this range.

sharpness: 4 

color: 4 

build: 4 

distortion: 4 

flare control: 5 

user: jvandegr   review date: October-25-08  

    tested on film camera:

    tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:

    tested on full frame:25MP

compared to:

Minolta 100-200mm f/4.5
Minolta 35-70mm f/4
Minolta 24-50mm f/4
Minolta 50mm f/1.7
Minolta 24mm f/2.8
Nikon 18-70mm AF-S f/3.5-4.5

price paid:

$150 USD (new)

positive:

Sharp throughout range, compact, decent build quality, smooth zoom action, quick autofocus, decent maximum aperture (although not constant)

negative:

Loses some sharpness beginning in middle of range at larger apertures.

comment:

This lens has been a pleasant surprise. On the Sony A350, 24mm - 35mm is nearly as sharp as my Minolta 24mm f/2.8, and at all apertures. From 40mm - 85mm, this lens shows noticeable edge softening at larger apertures and must be stopped down to f/7.1 to compete with the primes. However, it *can* compete with (but not beat) some of the primes when stopped down, and this is no easy accomplishment for a modestly priced zoom. At all comparable focal lengths and apertures, it is slightly sharper than the Minolta 24-50mm f/4.0, which is a good lens itself. My much newer Nikon 18-70mm AF-S is slightly sharper still for the same price, but not by much. The Minolta 35-70mm f/4.0 is the sharpest of all of these zoom lenses, but the trade off is reduced focal range.

Color and contrast lag behind the Minolta 24mm f/2.8. That being said, this lens still provides natural, saturated colors in nearly all shooting conditions. Compared to my Nikon 18-70mm AF-S, this Minolta is much more contrasty with much better color rendition.

I've noticed no problems with flare or vignetting at any apertures or focal lengths. The included lens hood does help to reduce flare. Chromatic aberration is well controlled and only noticeable in high contrast situations at the largest apertures. Curvature distortion is also well controlled at all focal lengths and is almost never noticeable.

Autofocus accuracy and speed are both good on the Sony A350. Even in low light, this lens tends to hunt very little. I purchased this lens new and as of yet, I haven't noticed any zoom creep even when pointed straight down at the floor. The zoom ring is well-dampened and the manual focus ring is easy to grip and fine tune.

Build quality is good, but not quite as good as the Minolta lenses of old. This is a reasonably heavy lens, which is good because it balances well on the A350 and provides for more stable shooting.

Although I much prefer constant maximum aperture lenses, f/3.5 - f/4.5 is a very usable range. At 24mm, f/3.5 is nearly as fast as my prime, and at 85mm, f/4.5 is as fast as my Minolta 100-200mm f/4.5 zoom. This makes it easy to integrate this lens into my workflow, and also allows just enough light in for those low-light outdoor shots when used in combination with the A350's SSS.

For its low current price, this lens is a must have if you need a zoom lens. I still prefer my Minolta primes, but when I need a "catch-all" lens, this one doesn't disappoint. A much better choice than the Sony 18-70mm kit lens.

sharpness: 4,5 

color: 5 

build: 5 

distortion: 5 

flare control: 4 

user: bluebear   review date: October-06-08  

    tested on film camera:

    tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:

    tested on full frame:25MP

compared to:

Sony 16-80ZA (used on Alpha 700)

price paid:

£199

positive:

Compact & relatively lightweight. Impressively sharp.

negative:

Nothing to speak of really, at least at this price

comment:

Just bought this lens new (£199) from Warehouse Express (old stock) for my 5D, which I use as a backup for my Alpha 700. It's beautifully sharp and perfectly balanced for the 5D. I can see me using this camera/lens combo quite a lot now, at least for general walkabout etc, despite having the magnificent Alpha 700/16-80ZA combo.

sharpness: 4,5 

color: 5 

build: 4 

distortion: 4 

flare control: 4 

user: floor6   review date: August-30-08  

    tested on film camera:

    tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:

    tested on full frame:25MP

compared to:

18-70 alpha kit lens

price paid:

GBP 149 (used)

positive:

color
sharpness
micro-contrast

negative:

not much

comment:

this Minolta lens phenomenal in comparison
to the get-you-started kit lens.
useful focal range for general photography.

i use Nikon F3/Nikkor system for longtime.
Now for digital i think i stay with Minolta.
I like even more. wish i had shot film in past
using KM.

sharpness: 4,5 

color: 5 

build: 4 

distortion: 4 

flare control: 4 

user: Jeroen   review date: November-16-07  

    tested on film camera:

    tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:

    tested on full frame:25MP

compared to:

35-70 F4
28-135 F4-4.5
24 F2.8
Sigma 70-300 Apo Macro

price paid:

100

positive:

sharp
good colors
nice range (just not wide enough for digital)

negative:

almost nothing
distorion at 24mm

comment:

Like it a lot (especially sharpness and colors). Use it a lot. Great alround lens.

sharpness: 4,5 

color: 5 

build: 3 

distortion: 4 

flare control: 5 

user: teejay   review date: September-30-07  

    tested on film camera:

    tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:

    tested on full frame:25MP

compared to:

- minolta 18-70
- sigma 10-20
- Minolta 35-70 f4

price paid:

100 E

positive:

- Sharp stopped down 1 stop
- color neutrality
- high contrast
- good range

negative:

- zoom creep
- plastic on the zoom ring gets loose
- bokeh not so pleasant

comment:

This lens can be had for 100 E and it is absolutely worth it.
From f5.6 onwards you can be confident that sharpness will be good at any focal length. Colors are great, distorsion is very low and range is useful. Detail and contrast is well preserved in the shadows with this lens. However, build quality is not great, zoom creep occurs, and the plastic on the zoom ring is loose on my copy. Also, the bokeh can be a bit intrusive in the pictures sometimes, meaning that you notice its roughness.
All in all, a great bargain and walkaround lens, is well complemented by a superwide angle zoom.

sharpness: 4,5 

color: 4 

build: 4 

distortion: 4 

flare control: 4 

user: KJPhoto   review date: May-29-07  

    tested on film camera:

    tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:

    tested on full frame:25MP

compared to:

Cheap Sigma 28-200, AF DT 18-70 Kit Lens

price paid:

$170 USD (used)

positive:

Sharp, vivid colors good stopped down in bright light.

negative:

Zoom Creep

comment:

I have just started using this lens but it works quite well. Very good colors and I love the size. Not bad if you can find it for less than I paid for it.

sharpness: 5 

color: 5 

build: 4 

distortion: 4 

flare control: 4 

user: Photobyronnie   review date: February-17-07  

    tested on film camera:

    tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:

    tested on full frame:25MP

compared to:

18-70mm kit lens
Tamron 18-200mm zoom lens
Minolta 50mm 1.7 lens
Vivitar 100mm 3.5 macro
Minolta 70-210mm 4.5 - 5.6, Minolta 75-300mm 4.5-5.6

price paid:

75.00 USD

positive:

Very sharp, lightweight

negative:

Flare

comment:

I have only had this lens for an week and have been really amazed at the sharpness and vivid color it produces. This lens can easily become my favoroite lens. If you have the opportunity to pickup this lens used don't pass it up. This is an lens that can easily grew on you.

sharpness: 4,5 

color: 4 

build: 4 

distortion: 4 

flare control: 4 

user: jvc2000   review date: February-16-07  

    tested on film camera:

    tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:

    tested on full frame:25MP

compared to:

Minolta 50mm F1.7 Old
Minolta 100-200mm F4.5
KM 18-70 F3.5-5.6

price paid:

150 USD (old)

positive:

Fast focus. Good colour, sharpness. Relatively cheap. Small and light weight.

negative:

Not wide enough when used with DSLR. Front cap design is not good.

comment:

This is a very good lens and i put it on my Dynax 5D most of the times, especially during travel. I suggest other owners to buy a Nikon lens cover so that the cover could be put on/off even hood is attached.

sharpness: 4,5 

color: 5 

build: 3 

distortion: 4 

flare control: 4 

user: pacorro   review date: January-19-07  

    tested on film camera:

    tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:

    tested on full frame:25MP

compared to:

Minolta 200/2.8 APO G,
Minolta 100/2.8 Soft Focus
Minolta 24-105/3.5-4.5
Minolta 28-105/3.5-4.5

positive:

Great picture

negative:

Poorly built

comment:

It has an extremly sharp picture among the zooms, and the zoom range is very well usable. Unfortunately the built quality is not the best... But even so it's a really good lens, it's worth to buy!

sharpness: 4,5 

color: 5 

build: 5 

distortion: 4 

flare control: 3 

user: kathyk   review date: October-26-06  

    tested on film camera:

    tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:

    tested on full frame:25MP

compared to:

35-105N

price paid:

170 usd package

positive:

Focuses quickly, nice color, not a large lens.

negative:

Smaller range but still useful.

comment:

While not as wide a range as some zoom lenses this seems to be a very nice lens. It seems to focus quickly and I just like the images better than the 35-105N that I also have. Since it appears the reviews can be updated then I will try to test against 28-85 and/or 28-135 and see how it compares & report back. Flare control was untested so I will have to update that as well.

sharpness: 5 

color: 4 

build: 4 

distortion: 5 

flare control: 4 

user: Alex 007   review date: August-12-06  

    tested on film camera:

    tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:

    tested on full frame:25MP

compared to:

DT 18-70mm Kit.

price paid:

$:400.00 6 years ago

positive:

Just cover my Sunpak AF-443 flash as it!
Very sharp, built very good, superb color rendition. Show me the subject/body distance.

negative:

Today the zoon moves when it's downside. Sometime disturb me this issue.

comment:

Really I love this lens, I change the lens cap by a "Tamron" one...so now I can cover the lens with the lens hood ON.

Highly recommended lens!

sharpness: 4 

color: 5 

build: 3 

distortion: 5 

flare control: 4 

user: alberto   review date: May-11-06  

    tested on film camera:

    tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:

    tested on full frame:25MP

compared to:

Zeiss Planar T* 50/1.7
Minolta AF 50/1.4
Minolta AF 24-105/3.5-4.5 (D)

positive:

Sharp and contrasty enough at 24-35 mm or when stopped down to f/8.
Lightweight and small all-around zoom.
Quite cheaper than 24-105.
Less flare-prone than expected.

negative:

Zoom creep when in vertical position.
Small MF ring.
Not very useful in low light conditions.
Front cap is not manageable (put/remove) when the hood is attached.
AF slightly slower than24-105.

comment:

Great lens in good-light shots, at f/8 put the sun at your back and you will get images with contrast and detail not far from the best glasses, edge to edge of the frame.

When shooting with the sun in the frame, you get some ghosting (obviously it doesn't match the Zeiss' quality), but this is expected for every zoom and many not-so-cheap prime lenses. I've not see any Chromatic Aberration.

Zoom creep can be annoying. Colour quality is just perfect.

sharpness: 4 

color: 5 

build: 5 

distortion: 5 

flare control: 4 

user: Chris GB   review date: February-14-06  

    tested on film camera:

    tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:

    tested on full frame:25MP

compared to:

Sigma 18-50 f2.8 EX DC
KM 28-75 f2.8D

positive:

Good zoom range, compact, good colours.

negative:

Sharpness not as good as some, a little PF evident occasionally.

comment:

A good walkround lens. Versatile, sharp and contrasty unless compared to more expensive glass. Focusses quickly and accurately.

sharpness: 4 

color: 5 

build: 4 

distortion: 4 

flare control: 4 

user: gm4jjj   review date: October-21-05  

    tested on film camera:

    tested on APS-C:6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP:

    tested on full frame:25MP

compared to:

AF 18-70 (5D kit lens)

positive:

Sharp

negative:

Zoom Creep

comment:

I bought this lens used, seems to be noticeably sharper than the KM 5D 18-70 kit lens. Quite a nice carry round lens on holidays. The zoom creeps easily if camera is pointed up or down. With its 62mm front filter thread I have been able to use my Olympus WCON-08B wideangle converter on the front of this lens, I will post some results with that combo later.