Minolta AF 24-85mm F3.5-4.5 RS A-mount lens review by QuietOC
 QuietOC#16278 date: Jun-21-2015 | |
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| sharpness: 3.5 color: 4 build: 5 distortion: 4 flare control: 4 overall: 4.1 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I used to own this lens |
| compared to: | Sony DT 16-50 F2.8 SSM Sony DT 16-80 CZ Sony DT 16-105 Sony DT 18-55 SAM I/II Sony DT 18-70 Sony DT 18-135 SAM Canon EF 22-55 USM Minolta AF 24-50 F4 Minolta AF 24-85 Canon EF 24-85 USM Sony FE 28-70 OSS Sony A 28-75 F2.8 SAM Tamron 28-75 F2.8 XR Tokina 28-80 F2.8 Minolta AF 28-80 D Minolta AF 28-100 D Minolta AF 28-105 Minolta AF 28-135 Sigma 28-105 F2.8-4 |
| price paid: | 79 USD (used) |
| positive: | Smooth zoom and focus controls Internal focus Parfocal Compact Little distortion Minimal CA (purple/green at 24 mm, blue/red at 85 mm) |
| negative: | Haze that decreases contrast Barrel distortion on the wide end Focus inaccuracy/purple fringing Focus plane more curved than 28-xx and 35-xx zooms Focal length decreases with close focus |
| comment: | The 24-85 RS performs identically to the non-RS version. The apertures aren't even significantly different shapes. The RS version might be slightly smoother. The 24-85 seems to back focus often on the A58 so the corners end up sharper than the center. Both version often look washed out especially wide open perhaps caused by sensor reflection which wasn't an issue in 1994. Both are very soft at 85 mm. The focal plane of the 24-85 is not as flat as the focal plane of the 28-105, but it is flatter than the Sony DT 18-55 kit lens at least on the wide end. The 24-85 has a bit less distortion than the 28-105 on the wide end. It has very similar amount of distortion to the 18-55. It is sharper at the wide end than the 18-55, but it performs quite similarly to the kit lens at the longer focal lengths. It is a bit sharper at 24 mm than the Sigma 24 mm Super Wide II F2.8 prime lens. Overall, neither version of the 24-85 is a great alternative to the 18-55 SAM II kit lens on an APS-C camera, and the longer 28-105 and 35-105 zooms perform much better. |
; 24MPrating summary
- total reviews: 54
- sharpness: 4.41
- color: 4.69
- build: 4.33
- distortion: 4.20
- flare control: 4.11
- overall: 4.35