Minolta AF 28-135mm F4-4.5 A-mount lens review by Rusty
 Rusty#11595 date: Jan-8-2014 | |
|---|---|
| sharpness: 4.5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 4 flare control: 3 overall: 4.3 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I used to own this lens |
| compared to: | MinO 24-50/4 MinO 35-70/4 MinO 50/1.7 and 50/2.8 Macro MinO 135/2.8 Sigma 24-70/2.8 |
| price paid: | 300 (used) |
| positive: | - Sharp, sharp sharp ! - Solid Build - Useful range |
| negative: | - Heavy - Large - Impractical MFD - No OEM hood - Prone to PF and flare - AF 'clacks' (especially when it hits the hard stops at the ends of the range) |
| comment: | Very nice lens to use, like other lenses from the original Maxum lineup from the mid-80's, the zoom action is very smooth, the lens is overall very well build and balances very well on a FF body, especially with a VG attached. Under the right conditions, IQ is simply fantastic. Unfortunately it is very prone to flare, and the fact that Minolta never supplied a hood for it isn't very impressive. The click-clacking sound of the AF is more of an annoyance than a true negative point, but it is still very noticeable. The uber-long MFD makes it an impractical lens to use as a walk-around, even with the macro mode switch option (which is only at 28mm and is still a PITA to use). Bottom line, a very nice lens, I am happy that I had the chance to own one for a little while, but the combination of downsides made be sell it, opting for a Sigma 24-70/2.8 to replace is as a walkaround zoom, which is about as big and heavy, but is much less prone to flare, and has a MFD that I don't have to work around every other shot. |
36MPrating summary
- total reviews: 194
- sharpness: 4.63
- color: 4.82
- build: 4.79
- distortion: 4.42
- flare control: 3.45
- overall: 4.42