Minolta AF 35mm F2 RS A-mount lens reviews
reviews found: 20
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sharpness: 4 color: 5 build: 3 distortion: 4 flare control: 3 overall: 3.8 | tested on:
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ownership: | I have experience with this lens |
compared to: | Canon EF 28 F1.8 USM Sigma 28 F1.8 HS & EX DG Minolta MD & AF 28 F2 Sony FE 28 F2 Minolta MC W.Rokkor-SI 28 F2.5 Canon EF 28 F2.8 IS USM Minolta/Sony AF 28 F2.8 Neewer 28 F2.8 Konica Hexar 28 F3.5 Sigma 30 F1.4 DC DN C & EX DC Sigma 30 F2.8 DN Art Sony DT 30 F2.8 Macro SAM Neewer 32 F1.6 Zeiss 32 F1.8 Touit Rokinon 35 F1.2 Neewer 35 F1.2 Sony FE 35 F1.4 Distagon Fotasy 35 F1.6 APS-C & Mini Kaxinda 35 F1.7 Samyang AF 35 F1.8 Tamron SP 35 F1.8 USD Minolta MD 35 F1.8 Sony E 35 F1.8 OSS Sony DT 35 F1.8 SAM Yongnuo EF 35 F2 7Artisans 35 F2 Minolta AF 35 F2 Tamron 35 F2.8 OSD Rokinon AF 35 F2.8 Sony FE 35 F2.8 Sonnar Minolta MC 35 F2.8 Vivitar 35 F2.8 Minolta 40 F1.7 Konica AR 40 F1.8 Canon EF 40 F2.8 STM Pentax-M 40 F2.8 Pentax-DA 40 F2.8 XS Pentax-FA 43 F1.8 Limited Samyang AF 45 F1.8 FE Tamron SP 45 F1.8 USD Minolta MD 45 F2 Sigma 45 F2.8 DG DN C |
price paid: | 238 USD (used) |
positive: | Bright Low distortion Petal hood |
negative: | Field curvature Bulky for size of optics Not sealed No distance encoder |
comment: | Minolta released the original 35 F2 a year after the AF 28 F2. This one uses a new optical design unlike the AF 28 F2 which borrowed from the MD III lens. It performs pretty similarly to the MD 35 F1.8. It reuses the body and hood of the AF 28 F2. The optics and body are similar in size to the Sony DT 35 F1.8 lens. Unfortunately the RS versions of the 28mm F2 and 35mm F2 were released before the Maxxum 7 and lack focus distance encoders. They have larger textured rubber focus grips like the 50mm F1.4 RS. "JAPAN" This was a nice clean copy with original hood and caps listed in an eBay auction by a private individual. It was decently aligned. Like some other Minolta lenses the focus drifted while using it on the LA-EA3 on a tripod. The optical construction is modular like the AF 50 F1.7. There is just a front and rear set of lens elements with the aperture between. The assemblies are not serviceable. But perhaps these fixed assemblies help reduce variation. The hood from Minolta AF 100 F2.8 Macro RS fits securely as does the smaller petal hood from AF 24 F2.8. The larger hoods from the 75-300D and 100-300D also mount but don't lock in place. It performs similarly to the Yongnuo EF 35mm F2--worse than the 7Artisans 35mm F2 but slightly better than the MD 35mm F1.8. The little Samyang 35mm F2.8 is much better optically. Wide lenses film lenses suffer on digital since they are not designed for the optical stack. |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 4.8 | tested on:
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ownership: | I own this lens |
compared to: | Minolta AF 50mm 1.7 Minolta AF 50mm 1.4 Sigma AF 28mm F1.8 Sigma AF 24mm F1.8 Minolta MD Rokkor 35mm F1.8 Voigtländer Nokton 40mm F1.4 |
price paid: | €450 (used) |
positive: | +Color Rendition +Focus Accuracy +Sharp Wide Open +Contrast +virtually no distortion +build quality |
negative: | -extremely rare -high price for a 35mm f2 but absolutely worth it |
comment: | If you're a PJ or documentary photographer you will love this lens. It's very sharp from f2 and has very nice, softly graduated tonal contrast rendition when wide open that gets more punchy as you stop down to f4. There is almost no distortion. It's hard to beat this lens in terms of color, tonal contrast and sharpness. Nice "front bokeh" rendition as well. It's a mystery why Sony has not yet released a successor to this wonderful lens. If you find one below €400 you should go for it. |
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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: | Minolta 20/2,8 Minolta 24/2,8 Minolta 28/2 Sony 35/1,4 |
price paid: | 600 |
positive: | all excellent |
negative: | No. |
comment: | My favorite lens. I've never part with it, I like it more than the Sony 35/1,4. |
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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: | Minolta 28/2 Minolta 100/2 |
price paid: | 400 |
positive: | Very good in everything. |
negative: | They are not. |
comment: | Very sharp, excellent color, compact and lightweight. Very often I use this lens. Especially good for a full frame. Highly recommended. |
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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: | Minolta 28/2 Minolta 35/1.4 |
price paid: | 540 |
positive: | Sharpness, color and size. |
negative: | None. |
comment: | A very sharp lens. Legendary color. Small and light. My favorite lens! Very rare, but I recommend finding a copy. |
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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 used to own this lens |
compared to: | Minolta 50 f1.4 Minolta 28-70 f2.8 G Minolta 20 f2.8 RS |
price paid: | 520 |
positive: | This is the best lens. |
negative: | Not. |
comment: | The best lens I own for general photography. Very usable right at f/2. Very good bokeh. |
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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: | Minolta 28/2 Minolta 50/1.7 Minolta 17-35/3.5 G |
price paid: | 400 |
positive: | A very sharp lens. |
negative: | They are not. |
comment: | It is a wonderful walk around lens! |
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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: | Minolta - AF 28 F2 Minolta - AF 35 F2 RS Minolta - AF 35 F1.4 |
price paid: | 660 USD (mint) |
positive: | -Sharp at widest! -Colors -Small size -Resist flare better by old version (slightly) -Better build finish than old version |
negative: | Rare |
comment: | Awesome lens, great for indoor and close group shots. Wonderful qualities and color. Very hard to find. |
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sharpness: 4 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 4.6 | tested on:
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ownership: | I own this lens |
compared to: | - 35/1.4 G - 24/2 - 85/1.4 - 50/1.4 (Sony/Sigma) |
price paid: | 700$ (MINT) |
positive: | + Fast focusing + resonable sharp from wide open in the center + compact and lightweight |
negative: | - extends on focusing - non SSM - expensive and rare (hard to get) - no weather resistant - Hard Vignetting on Full Frame cameras (not exist after F4) - practically no CA |
comment: | This lens no ideal, but if i can choose only one prime lens for my A900 i choose this little prime. It have very good sharpness stopped down, colors and contrast are neutral. On A900 wide open and at F2.8 hard vignetting. 35mm it's my preferable focus length. Bokeh is not shine. It's no so pleasant like from 35G in near macro shoots, but better than shooting people than 35G and 24-70za@35mm. Also 35/2 much sharper than 35G. Sharpness comparable with 24-70 and very good. |
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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: | 50/1.7 17-35G 28-135 24-85 |
price paid: | missing |
positive: | Excellent sharpness. Reliable results in any conditions. Useful from F2. |
negative: | None really. Bokeh could be better but this is not a portrait lens. |
comment: | This is probably my best and most used lens. Never got a bad shot from it which could be attributed to lens weakness, and that should say a lot. Sharpness and color is better than 50/1.7. Contrast and flare control is better than 28-135, bokeh is far better than 24-85. Only the 17-35G compares well, but it's almost 2 stops slower. For APS-C users, the 35/1.8 is probably a better bet, but for FF there is no replacement, other than perhaps the 28/2. Highly recommended. |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 4 flare control: 4 overall: 4.6 | tested on:
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ownership: | I own this lens |
compared to: | Sig 17-35 Tam 28-75/2.8 Min 35-105 |
price paid: | usd 420 new |
positive: | Pocketsized Minolta colors Utterly dependable |
negative: | Not good for close faces |
comment: | This is a wonderful lens. I like it as much as I dislike the Min 20 RS, and for much the same set of intangible reasons. It always delivers, -- colors, detail, background blur, exposure, contrast. It shows a form of perspective distortion, where noses on close-up faces are overlarge -- but that's inherent in any such lens. I have learned to avoid those kinds of photographs. It is sharp in exactly the way I like, and it is smooth at the same time. The longer I own it, the more I enjoy it. |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 4 overall: 4.8 | tested on:
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ownership: | I own this lens |
compared to: | Minolta 35/1.4, CZ24-70, Minolta 28-70G |
price paid: | missing |
positive: | Light, sharp even wide open, fast and fast AF |
negative: | missing |
comment: | One of my favorit lenses! Fast AF even on 7D lightning on a700. Compared to 35/1.4 it´s sharper, smaller but the 35/1.4 have that little special something that this lens don´t have. Perfect for street and as one lens only. Highly recomended! |
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sharpness: 4 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 2 overall: 4 | tested on:
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ownership: | I used to own this lens |
compared to: | not compared |
price paid: | 500USD |
positive: | size, weight, sharpness even its not a G. |
negative: | flare against the sun |
comment: | I like this lens because of its weight and size. But also its performance from f2 to 3,5 is amazing, and DOF games in such focal lenght come in handy as well. This lens is pretty sharp at 2,0 /difficult to observe due to shallow DOF/, and gets better and better stopped down. I am very satisfied with this purchase, and will let go my zoom 24-70 together with purchase of 50/1,4. update: now I have returned from the mountains, and I have to tell you, that the flare control is very very poor. I really dont like it. |
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sharpness: 4 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 4 overall: 4.6 | tested on:
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ownership: | I used to own this lens |
compared to: | 50 1.7, Sigma 18-125, Sigma 70-300 APO, SIgma 20 1.8 |
price paid: | Ł150 (used) |
positive: | Everything, price |
negative: | It's rare! Lens hood doesn't quite fit properly |
comment: | Provides a great FoV on my 7D and I haven't had a problem with it yet. Sharp images with lovely bokeh wide open. Slightly larger than a 50 1.7, but still compact. Feels solid - highly impressed. After a bit more use I've had to drop the flare rating down - I don't notice flare in every day use, but if I'm shooting at night with bright objects it's easy to provoke. After a bit of a900 use, central sharpness is still very high at f2, but the borders are an absolute mess. They come in as it gets stopped down. Go with a 4 for sharpness as I'm not sure that border performance wide open is expected, and they get very good very quickly. |
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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 have experience with this lens |
compared to: | 17-35/3.5G 24/2.8 24-50/4 28-75/2.8(D) |
price paid: | 250€ |
positive: | Very sharp wide open, become excellent from f2.8 Beautiful bokeh Nice color Fast AF Excellent standard on digital Compact |
negative: | None |
comment: | missing |
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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: | Minolta 50/1.4 old style Quantaray 24/2.8 (rebadged Sigma) |
price paid: | missing |
positive: | Beautiful bokeh, light and MF ring much better than old style lenses. Becomes a standard lens with 1.5x crop factor. |
negative: | None that I can think of. |
comment: | One of my first "rare" lenses, definitely a keeper! I am curious to see how it will do with Infrared. I noticed that the lens does suffer for some flaring even with it's hood, but that was against the afternoon sunset, not 100 percent sure that would not happen to any wide angle lens... |
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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: | 28/2.8 Tamron 17-50/2.8 |
price paid: | 500 USD (mint) |
positive: | small, light, sharp, color |
negative: | price, hard to find! |
comment: | A very nice lens that Sony will hopefully re-release since it is so hard/expensive to find. It is light, it focuses fast, it is sharp, the bokeh looks good to me. Each image that comes out of it seems to surprise me with its color and/or sharpness. I have no hesitation using it wide open. |
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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 have experience with this lens |
compared to: | 18-70mm DT kit lens. 50mm f1.7 |
price paid: | missing |
positive: | Good balance on 5D. Very sharp even wide open. New focus ring very usable. |
negative: | Hard to find. Is it too good for 6mp? |
comment: | This lens is always on my 5D. My kit lens stays in the bag most of the time since I bought this. Interior shots can be taken in almost all situations with the fast f2 and AS. The big rubber grip makes this easier to manual focus than my old 50mm. Can't wait to try this on a full frame sensor as the 1.5x crop factor is only minor niggle. Highly recommended if you can find one. |
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sharpness: 4.5 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 4 overall: 4.5 | tested on:
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ownership: | I used to own this lens |
compared to: | 28/2.8, 17-35D, 28-75D, 50/1.4 |
price paid: | 230 € (used) |
positive: | - light and compact - sharp |
negative: | - not with this lens |
comment: | I love this lens. This is one of those lenses that I'm very proud to own. With 100/2 this is my favourite lens. Sharp, with excellent contrast and color balance makes all prints somewhat "better" than usual. In strong backlight a bit of CA can be seen, but nothing serious and worth worrying about. Either this or 28/2 are must have primes IMHO, especially on 1.5 cropped sensor. **Full frame** Excellent; part of my heavy duty kit now. |
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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 have experience with this lens |
compared to: | missing |
price paid: | missing |
positive: | Super, the best Minolta lens |
negative: | missing |
comment: | Minolta improuved the MF blade. ;-) THE BEST ONE |
reviews found: 20
rating summary

- total reviews: 20
- sharpness: 4.78
- color: 5.00
- build: 4.70
- distortion: 4.90
- flare control: 4.55
- overall: 4.79
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