Minolta AF 28-135mm F4-4.5 A-mount lens review by QuietOC
 QuietOC#16277 date: Jun-19-2015 | |
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| sharpness: 4 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 4 flare control: 3 overall: 4 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | 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 35-70 F4 Minolta AF 35-80 II Minolta AF 35-105 & New Sigma AF 35-135 F3.5-4.5 Minolta MD 50-135 F3.5 |
| price paid: | 68 USD (used) |
| positive: | Repairability Smooth, long throw focus control Minimal CA stopped down Flat focus plane at the long end Low amount of focus breathing (negative) Decent wide semi-macro |
| negative: | Weight, Length, Diameter Axial CA/Soft center Long minimum focus distance which increases with focal length Focus shift with zoom Only F4 up to 40 mm Zoom action inconsistent Small/hard rear focus ring 72 mm filter size No provision for a hood |
| comment: | Far from being a secret this was the most expensive AF zoom lens when Minolta released them in 1985. The suggested retail price was $526. The dealer cost was $300 in quantity--six times the cost of the AF 50 1.7 and exactly twice the price of the 70-210 f/4. And it is still no secret, since it remains the most expensive original Minolta AF zoom on the used market today. It was the most modern of those zooms with fast internal focus. The first copy I purchased had some minor damage including a cracked focus scale window. I returned this lens for a refund. The second copy I purchased had a small piece of metal lodged in the zoom mechanism preventing it from zooming out fully. I was able to disassemble the lens and remove this obstruction. This copy looked excellent. I bought a third copy with a bad zoom mechanism that I repaired, and a fourth copy that had some junk inside the front lens elements that was easily cleaned. After picking up a LA-EA4, I purchased the fifth copy without caps. This one had a loose screw from one of the inner lens groups stuck in the mechanism. I repaired it after picking up the LA-EA5 and A7RIV. Testing outdoors yield some back focus tendency, but very good overall sharpness. The lens is also rather varifocal, but it has very little focus breathing especially compared to the other original AF zooms. The rendering is nice though the bokeh isn't terribly smooth. It has similar amounts of barrel distortion at the short end and pincushion distortion at the long end as the 28-105. It has less CA/purple fringing than the 28-105 when stopped down. Wide-open highlights become a bit purplish, otherwise the colors seem very accurate. The smaller 1990's Minolta AF 28-105mm F3.5-4.5 is easier to use and has better resistance to flare and glare. The 28-135 is awkward to use on a smaller bodies. It focuses quickly on the LA-EA5/A7RIV. It will also autofocus in macro area if the electronic switch is disabled. I bought a circular metal hood with a 95mm lens caps that fits nicely and doesn't vignette. Test chart comparison on an A65 with the 24-85, 28-105, Carl Zeiss 16-80 and Sony DT 18-135 SAM. |
; 10MPrating summary
- total reviews: 203
- sharpness: 4.63
- color: 4.83
- build: 4.80
- distortion: 4.40
- flare control: 3.44
- overall: 4.42