Minolta AF 100mm F2.8 Macro D A-mount lens review by Mink
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 5 | tested on:
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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! |
rating summary

- total reviews: 63
- sharpness: 4.95
- color: 4.98
- build: 4.70
- distortion: 4.98
- flare control: 4.89
- overall: 4.90