Minolta AF 28-70mm F2.8 G A-mount lens review by Epic Win
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 5 | tested on:
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ownership: | I own this lens |
compared to: | 24-70mm f/2.8 CZ |
price paid: | 450 USD (new) |
positive: | Smooth OOF details, sharp in focus subjects. Great....grrrrreat colors! |
negative: | Large MFD |
comment: | I think its finally time for me to say a few words about this fine 0.85 kg of optical engineering. If you look at all the reviews for this lens you will find that so far it has consistently rated a "5/5" for color. Even the beloved 200/2.8 G doesn't score this high on color. All I can say is, this lens deserves it. Colors are magical, and coupled with the KM 7D it is a painter's....I don't know....weapon? It is sharp, though not razor sharp like the 24-70mm CZ. I still consider it a 5/5 because the overall "feel" of images from this lens is very sharp. The large MFD used to bother me but you can work around it composition wise. Build, distortion, flare etc. are all 5 because I have yet to find a flaw in any respect. Every now and then someone will bring up its ill fated descendant: 28-70mm f/2.8 SSM G (D) which wasn't internal zoom like this one. That might be just the only other negative aspect of owning one! edit 2012/06/10: the out of focus areas ("bokeh") of this lens can be best described by the word "creamy". A side effect of the size and weight of this lens is that images at low shutter speeds can turn out soft. In comparison to my 18-70 kit lens, I think this is a disadvantage because getting accurate focus, aperture, and shutter speed at once can take a while and you may lose the shot too easily. I am learning to use this lens manually these days and its a rewarding experience because I think this lens was designed to be used that way. |
rating summary

- total reviews: 70
- sharpness: 4.66
- color: 5.00
- build: 4.96
- distortion: 4.89
- flare control: 4.24
- overall: 4.75