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

Mink#602 date: Mar-21-2006
sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 5	tested on: film camera: APS-C: 6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP; 16MP; 20MP; 24MP full frame: 12MP24MP36MP42MP
ownership:	I own this lens
compared to:	Minolta 100-300 Xi, Sony 70-300G
price paid:	missing
positive:	Sharp, fast, well built.
negative:	It isn't a point-and-shoot lens - to get the best out of it takes a bit of practice.
comment:	Various reviews, and my own pictures, confirm that this lens is best at or near its max aperture - peaking at f/4, I'd say. f/11 is OK but by f/22 it's getting quite soft. This means for a really sharp picture, you need to work with a very shallow depth of field - which can be a real challenge for hand-held shots, whether of bugs or people. I was new to macro when I got this lens, and I had great difficulty getting any usable pictures because of the DOF issue until I bought my 5600 HS(D) flash, which allows me to work easily with smaller apertures (mostly f/11). But since then I've had a ball! There's no denying this is a classic lens - I hope and expect to discover its potential (and mine!) over many years!