Minolta AF 28-105mm F3.5-4.5 RS A-mount lens review by QuietOC
 QuietOC#16276 date: Jun-19-2015 | |
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| sharpness: 4 color: 5 build: 3 distortion: 4 flare control: 4 overall: 4 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I used to own this lens |
| compared to: | Minolta AF 24-50 F4 Canon EF 24-85 USM Minolta AF 24-85 & RS Minolta AF 24-105 D Sony FE 28-70 OSS Sony 28-75 F2.8 SAM Minolta AF 28-80 D Minolta AF 28-85 Minolta AF 28-100 D Sigma AF 28-105 F2.8-4 Canon EF 28-105 F3.5-4.5 USM II Minolta AF 28-105 & Xi Minolta AF 28-135 Minolta AF 35-70 F4 Minolta AF 35-80 II Minolta AF 35-105 & New Sigma AF 35-135 F3.5-4.5 |
| price paid: | 54 USD (used) |
| positive: | Smooth zoom and focus controls Corners Fast internal focus Flat focus plane |
| negative: | Misalignment/variation Distortion Lateral CA Somewhat noisy focus control |
| comment: | This lens was $320 when released in 1994--$100 cheaper than the 24-85 which was released a year earlier and slightly more than the 28-85 RS. This definitely looks and feels like a premium lens, though the rounded 90's styling is dated. This lens is larger than the 24-50, 24-85 and 24-105 zooms but smaller than the 28-85, 28-135, and original 35-105 zooms. "JAPAN" I purchased a fourth excellent copy with original hood from a large eBay seller. The third clean copy came without caps or hood and claimed to be untested, which probably meant tested and found poor. My second copy was purchased 2 years after the first copy. This fourth copy is much sharper than the previous copies. The 28-105 RS has the same optics as the non-RS and Xi versions. The non-RS also has curved aperture blades, but those on RS version do seem to form a slightly smoother aperture shape. It has more contrast than the 28-135. Overall it performs similarly to the 24-85, 24-105, and 100-300 APO zooms. The 24-85 lens focuses closer than the 28-105 lens despite both being listed with a 500 mm MFD. The original AF series 28-135 and 35-105 zooms might be more reliable for sharpness. It has less distortion at 35 mm than the DT 35 SAM but more distortion than the 24-85. It doesn't seem to have mechanical issues like the later clutched focus lenses. Flat back plastic hood looks and feels cheaper than shinier black plastic hood on the non-RS version. The hood is deeper than the similar 24-85 hood, but both use the same 3-lobed bayonet mount and are mechanically interchangeable. |
; 10MPrating summary
- total reviews: 45
- sharpness: 4.54
- color: 4.76
- build: 4.76
- distortion: 4.40
- flare control: 4.27
- overall: 4.54