Minolta AF 100mm F2.8 Macro D A-mount lens review by riccarbi

riccarbi#46858 date: May-21-2022
sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 4 overall: 4.8	tested on: film camera: APS-C: 6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP; 16MP; 20MP; 24MP full frame: 12MP; 24MP; 36MP; 42MP; 61MP
ownership:	I own this lens
compared to:	Minolta 100-300 APO Minolta 35-70 F/4 macro Sony 55-200mm F/4-5.6 SAM (on APS-C)
price paid:	110USD (used)
positive:	Sharpness, colors, build quality, macro performances
negative:	Suffers from sensor reflection sometimes
comment:	This old lens is simply great. It's one of the sharpest lenses I've tested on my A7II, It's sharp corner to corner from F/4 onward, images are detailed and with exceptionally good colors. I bought it for macro shots of flowers and plants (which it does beautifully, and it's a real 1:1 macro lens, not a "half macro" as the 35-70 F/4), but I ended up using it also for landscape and architectural close-ups where it outperforms a highly-regarded lens like the Minolta 100-300 APO I also own. I can't say anything about autofocus, since I use it fully manual with a "stupid" AtoFE adapter. The only shortcomings are that, similarly to the Minolta 50 macro, it is prone to sensor reflection in certain conditions (especially with white and light-emitting backgrounds, which results in a sort of whitish blurry spot exactly in the center of the frame); I find it also a bit too heavy for the A7II, at least without a battery grip. That said, it is optically one of the best lenses I own if not the best.