Sony a77 and Minolta lenses?

I recently picked up a used Sony a 77. I have a pile of old Minolta A mount lenses that I use with it.

My favourite lens so far is a 28-135, but I often find it to be not wide enough. (landscapes, streetscapes etc.)

Wondering if I’d do better with a Minolta 20 mm f2.8 that I’m thinking about acquiring. I’m on a limited budget, so older, used is the only where I can build my collection.

Aside from the 20 mill Minolta, any suggestions on really good older wide angle lenses that won’t break the bank?

I plan on moving to an a99 or a7 down the road and will be keeping these lenses unless my financial situation changes. (Using an adapter with the a7)

I do the same and have many Minolta lenses for my A7R. 24mm is actually significantly wider than 28mm than the numbers would suggest. The 24mm f2.8 Minolta AF is a great lens and damn cheap for its quality.
Another excellent 24mm is the Sigma Super-Wide II. With its closest focus down to 18cm, it allows you to separate subject from background really well and is also a superbly sharp lens. However, make sure it has been tested on an auto focus camera before you buy because Sigma had some issues with chip design and some lenses just don't work.
The 20mm Minolta is also a very fine lens and relatively cheap as well. However, it is a lot wider and you might find it harder to frame subjects with. I love mine but I am predominantly a wide angle user anyway. My FF lenses start at 12mm and include these two as well as the Minolta AF 16mm fisheye.
I have thew 28-135 but rarely use it now as it's just so damn heavy. I prefer to carry the 28-105 or 28-80 and carry a 100mm separately (plus at least the 24mm for wider shots).

QuietOC wrote: The Sony DT 16-50mm F2.8 SSM has gotten about as affordable as the Minolta 20mm and better optically. Samyang 16mm F2 is quite good if you don't mind a manual lens.

Thanks for the suggestion. I see you’re right, quite a few on eBay. How do these compare against the Minoltas for colour? I didn’t like the drab-ish colours in the Sony kit lenses I got back with my a330. Mind you, these were low end kit lenses.

Phil Wood wrote: The issue is how much you want to future-proof? If you intend using the A77 for a while then you should consider APS-C lenses. The Min 20/2.8 is a very nice lens, but not very wide on the A77. The Sony DT 16-50/2.8 SSM is as good at 20mm, and goes wider and longer - it really is a very good lens. It costs more than a 20mm but not that much more and they are getting cheaper. Or get a Sony DT 18-55 SAM II, which is stupidly cheap these days and is a pretty good performer, not in the 16-50 class, but a decent lens for peanuts that would enable you to work out just how wide you need before spending a lot more on a wide prime. On the other hand APS-C lenses are not so useful with full frame bodies like the A99. On those the 28-135 will be a lot wider, wider than the 20mm prime will be on the A77 - you may not need any more width. The downside, of course, is that the 135mm end might begin to seem a little short! If you do want wider the 20/2.8 is great fun FF, but you may find it too wide at times. The Min 24-105 is a good compromise walk around zoom and is much lighter than the 28-135.

I know the crop factor limits the Minolta lenses on my a77 but I do quite like them even having to work around the shortcomings. Because my end goal to to upgrade to a FF body when the used prices fall in line with my budget or I may even foray into shooting film, I think I’d rather continue to invest in A mount.

That being said, I don’t mind investing in a good APS-C walk around zoom to go with the a77 as a spare cam or to give the 77 to my kids.

Thanks for the suggestions. Will keep my eyes peeled for those.

The folk advocating APS-C lenses for you seem to be correct. If your goal is to get really wide views, you'll need to seriously consider APS-C specific lenses.
For a while, I had a Sony 10-18mm f4 which I used on my Sony QX-1 (APS-C) body. It was very good value and surprised me on my A7R in that it could actually cover full frame from about 12mm.

On the other hand, a Sigma 12-24mm (or the new 12-24mm from Sony if you can afford that) is a great option too. These are full frame but give you the wide angles you seem after and they are well corrected with very little barrel distortion etc. Early versions are not quite as good but are damn good value and, if you do switch to FF; you'll not have 'wasted' money

Edited by Idleidolidyll - 26 September 2021 at 20:49

Frozenpixels wrote: That being said, I don’t mind investing in a good APS-C walk around zoom to go with the a77 as a spare cam or to give the 77 to my kids.

if you want something with a wider range than the 16-50 for that then the DT 18-135mm SAM is really pretty good [you obviously lose the f2.8 though)

Idleidolidyll wrote: The folk advocating APS-C lenses for you seem to be correct. If your goal is to get really wide views, you'll need to seriously consider APS-C specific lenses. For a while, I had a Sony 10-18mm f4 which I used on my Sony QX-1 (APS-C) body. It was very good value and surprised me on my A7R in that it could actually cover full frame from about 12mm. On the other hand, a Sigma 12-24mm (or the new 12-24mm from Sony if you can afford that) is a great option too. These are full frame but give you the wide angles you seem after and they are well corrected with very little barrel distortion etc. Early versions are not quite as good but are damn good value and, if you do switch to FF; you'll not have 'wasted' money

What new Sony 12-24mm are you referring to ?
The Sony 10-18mm f/4 on a QX-1 is E mount gear , like your a7R .
The O.P is asking about lenses to fit on his A-mount Sony a77 , and while he'll be able to mount A-mount lenses on a full frame E mount camera ( via an adapter ) if he decides to get one , the reverse is not possible .

Frozenpixels wrote: I know the crop factor limits the Minolta lenses on my a77 but I do quite like them even having to work around the shortcomings. Because my end goal to to upgrade to a FF body when the used prices fall in line with my budget or I may even foray into shooting film, I think I’d rather continue to invest in A mount. That being said, I don’t mind investing in a good APS-C walk around zoom to go with the a77 as a spare cam or to give the 77 to my kids. Thanks for the suggestions. Will keep my eyes peeled for those.

I shoot mostly full frame with an A-mount a900 and now an E-mount a7Riv and most of my lenses are the older Minolta ones .
I used my a77ii mostly for telephoto work with the extra reach over the a900 but still with 24mp , but wanted another option for a walk around lens .
I used to have a CZ 16-80mm on my a100 and then a580 until it packed in due to build quality .
I got a Sony 16-50mm f/2.8 SSM for it , which is a good lens , though quite heavy , but lacking in reach .
I tried an old 16-105mm but found image quality to be reasonable , but the lens was decentred .
So after giving up on both these older lenses ( 16-80 & 16-105 ) I thought I'd try a copy of the Sony 18-135MM SAM .
I would highly recommend the 18-135mm for your a77 , it's not full frame , but it will give you good service while you have the camera .
Good colour and sharpness , I can't find any flaws with it .
If you keep the camera when you go full frame , you'll still have use of the lens .
Given the price of these lenses used , you can't really go wrong .