Minolta AF 28-135mm F4-4.5 A-mount lens review by woodmen

woodmen#6896 date: Feb-10-2010
sharpness: 5 color: 4 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 3 overall: 4.4	tested on: film camera: APS-C: 6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP; 16MP; 20MP; 24MP full frame: 12MP; 24MP; 36MP; 42MP; 61MP
ownership:	I own this lens
compared to:	Minolta 50mm f/1.7 Sony 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Minolta 200mm f/2.8 G APO
price paid:	220 USD (used)
positive:	Sharp!! low distortion build Quality Low CA Good Contrast
negative:	Focus ring at the wrong place Long MFD Prone to flare Balance on a a100 (front heavy) Stiff zoom ring (could be a bad copy) No dedicated lens hood
comment:	When I recieved this lens 1 week ago, I was a little dissapointed by it's performance. I did all my tests indoor with bad lighting because it's soooo cold outside here (Canada). The images where soft mostly because of long shutter speed and because flare from the windows. One thing that bugged me too was the location of the focus ring. I am used to hold the lens near the camera mount (especially with a heavy lens). I have to be cautious because if I continu to hold the lens near the camera mount (on the focus ring), I will eventually break the focus mechanism. BUT... When I decided to go outside to test it, it blew my mind. Sharpness is very very good for a zoom especially at that price. The contrast is also on the high side. If you plan on using it outside (or inside with a decent flash), you can't go wrong with this lens.