Minolta AF 70-210mm F4 (beercan) A-mount lens review by wallyb
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sharpness: 4.5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 4 overall: 4.7 | tested on:
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ownership: | I own this lens |
compared to: | Tons of stuff. |
price paid: | ~200 USD |
positive: | - Super classic "Minolta colors" - Great sharpness, even at the tele end, even wide-open - Internal zoom - Fantastic build quality - Macro range is very useful - Constant f/4 is great |
negative: | - External focusing - Really quite big and heavy - Internal zoom makes the lens very long, too, and can get in the way with flash on the wide end - F/4 isn't terribly fast for the wide end - Sometimes flares, even with the hood |
comment: | This is the only tele-zoom lens many Minolta and Sony users will ever need. It is just about as good as all the reviews say. It's definitely not without its flaws, and I don't just mean in the way that every lens has some kind of flaw, but for all the factors combined together, it's one of the best lenses ever made. I have had literally dozens pass through my hands, and thanks to the great vintage quality-control at Minolta, they've all been super performers. If you don't mind a big and heavy (but very, very sturdy) lens, and shoot most of your shots after 6am and before 6pm, you'll never want to look for anything else! |
rating summary

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