Minolta AF 24-105mm F3.5-4.5 D A-mount lens review by GlassEye

GlassEye#11858 date: Jun-6-2014
sharpness: 4 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 4 overall: 4.6	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:	Sony 16-50 f/2.8 Minolta 24mm f/2.8 Tamron 90mm macro Tamron 70-200 f/2.8 Sony 50mm f1.8 SAM
price paid:	280 USD used
positive:	Mostly sharp (see comments). Good range for day to day use. Feels good in hand and on camera, small size makes it a great 'walk around' lens. Reasonable maximum aperture.
negative:	Old design. Not as contrasty or 'snappy' as more modern designs. 24mm is a bit long for some things. Not as sharp zoomed out to 105mm.
comment:	I like this lens! It is compact and comfortable to carry and use. It seems fairly sharp open and by f/5.6 it sharpens up real well. Zoomed all the way to 105mm things get a bit soft at all apertures. If not for this I would have rated it a 4.5 for sharpness. Generally, any deficiencies can be corrected in post. Sharpen a bit, add some contrast, and the images are very good. The build is fine. The only problem I've had ist the zoom ring. It became so loose that I had to make a replacement from a leather strip. There is a bit of mass to this, but comfortably so. The zoom and focus rings are smooth throughout the range. Auto focus is quick and accurate. A keeper!