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

zoidberg#4695 date: Jan-16-2009
sharpness: 4.5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 4 flare control: 4 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 own this lens
compared to:	Sony/Minolta 75-300 Tamron 55-200
price paid:	90 EUR (used)
positive:	Sharpness Bokeh Build quality Colors Constant f/4 MFD
negative:	CAs wide open Flare
comment:	One of the most lovable lenses you can own. This lens has been raved about everywhere, and it's almost pointless to add more to that. But one thing is certain: if you get hold of one, never let go of it. It has two downsides though: 1. Chromatic aberrations are quite pronounced wide open. To make things worse, they are blurred in character, making them hard to completely eliminate in PP. However, stopping down to f/8 almost completely eliminates the problem (and if it should be noticeable in a scene, it is very easily removed afterwards). 2. Like all lenses with many elements and old coatings, it is prone to flare - but mostly when the sun is in the frame. In normal shooting conditions, it isn't a problem.