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

danieljansson#2151 date: Apr-14-2007
sharpness: 4.5 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 4 flare control: 5 overall: 4.5	tested on: film camera: APS-C: 6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP; 16MP; 20MP; 24MP full frame: 12MP; 24MP; 36MP; 42MP; 61MP
ownership:	I used to own this lens
compared to:	50mm 1.7 km 11-18/4.5-5.6 km 17-35/2.8-4 km 28-75/2.8
price paid:	missing
positive:	sharp constant aperture bokeh colors
negative:	big tiny focus ring that feels poorly placed CA
comment:	Gotta love the beercan. It was my first telezoom and it has served me well for half a year. Just sold it for Ł220! 100% profit. Eventually the size made me want to get another lens and I wanted more reach. I am waiting for my 100-400 APO to arrive next week (which I bought here). The first thing that hit me when using this lens was its natural colors. They feel very real and alive. The bokeh is very very smooth. The constant aperture is a really nice thing that I will miss in the replacement lens. It is also very sharp, even at f/4. Just as on the 50mm prime, the focus ring is very small. And because of the big size of the lens it is not very comfortable to focus manually with it. Nearly impossible with the hood on. It is very sensitive to purple fringing/CA I have noticed. All in all a very nice lens that everyone should own at one point. I can understand why it is a classic. Much bang for the buck. But time to move on to APO land...