Minolta AF 70-210mm F4 (beercan) A-mount lens review by almassengale

reviewer#1749 date: Feb-5-2007
sharpness: 4
color: 5
build: 5
distortion: 5
flare control: 3
overall: 4.4
tested on:
  • film camera:Film camera
  • APS-C: 6MP6 MP; 10MP10 MP; 12MP12 MP; 14MP14 MP; 16MP16 MP; 20MP20 MP; 24MP24 MP
  • full frame: 12MP12 MP; 24MP24 MP; 36MP36 MP; 42MP42 MP; 61MP61 MP
ownership:I own this lens
compared to:Tamron 18-200, Phoenix 100mm macro, Sigma 30mm f 1.4.
price paid:200 USD
positive:Tremendous build quailty, very nice bokeh, can focus fairly closely, nice color, and good image quality.
negative:Heavy, AF isn't the fastest, tiny focusing ring, design of lens hood.
comment:This is a fun lens to use. Its become a nice choice for photographing larger flowers or for some light portrait work. It really is built like a tank. An amazingly solid feel you just don't get on most modern lenses. The color is nice and the out of field areas are rendered in a very pleasing way. The down side is that its a little big for a walk around lens, the focusing ring is tiny, and the AF is much slower than on most of my lenses. But you can't beat it for the price.

rating summary

lens image
  • total reviews: 397
  • sharpness: 4.49
  • color: 4.78
  • build: 4.84
  • distortion: 4.56
  • flare control: 3.98
  • overall: 4.53
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