Minolta AF 28-135mm F4-4.5 A-mount lens review by TheBeej
 TheBeej#1694 date: Jan-24-2007 | |
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| sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 3 overall: 4.6 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | Minolta AF 18-70mm f3.5-5.6 Minolta AF 70-210mm f4 Minolta AF 50mm f1.7 |
| price paid: | $200 USD |
| positive: | - Build quality is top notch - Awesome range of focal lengths - Very usable macro function - Extremely impressive sharpness, color, and contrast across all apertures - Fast AF! |
| negative: | - Slightly less than ideal range on APS-C sized sensor (wide) - Very prone to flare (no dedicated hood) - Bizarre minimum focus distance characteristics |
| comment: | After spending four days in NYC over New Years, I found myself using the 5D kit lens a lot more than I had anticipated. I was pretty spoiled with the sharpness of the 50mm and beercan, but some of the shots I took with the kit lens were pretty soft (no surprise). Not a big deal, but I knew I could get a better performance out of a higher quality lens. I cruised around Dyxum and various other photo forums dedicated to Minolta glass, and I ended up deciding on the 28-135mm to use as my main walkaround lens to replace the kit lens for that purpose. The minimum aperture of F4 leaves it a little less than ideal for indoor use, but it comes from the same generation of lenses as the Beercan, and was manufactured by hand at the legendary Sakai plant (where the G glass lenses were built as well in the mid 1980s). Since it arrived in the mail on Saturday, I haven't taken it off my camera. It's an amazing performer and I got it for a really fair price from a fellow Dyxum member. Highly recommended lens! The bokeh is very pleasant, images are super-sharp and clear, and the color/contrast creates images that have that "pop" I've been looking for. Should Sony ever go full frame, this would be the ultimate killer lens! |
; 10MPrating summary
- total reviews: 203
- sharpness: 4.63
- color: 4.83
- build: 4.80
- distortion: 4.40
- flare control: 3.44
- overall: 4.42