Minolta AF 70-210mm F4 (beercan) A-mount lens review by jasonh
 jasonh#9402 date: Sep-11-2011 | |
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| sharpness: 4.5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 4 flare control: 4 overall: 4.5 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | Minolta - AF 28-135 F4-4.5 Minolta - AF 100 F2.8 Macro Carl Zeiss - Vario-Sonnar T* 24-70 F2.8 ZA SSM Sony - AF 70-400 F4-5.6 G SSM |
| price paid: | $200 US |
| positive: | Sharpness Bokeh Colors |
| negative: | Focusing is slow |
| comment: | The beercan began my love affair with A-mount. A while ago, my wife (my girlfriend) had a Canon AE-1 that was consistently underexposing, and I had a Pentax "Program Plus" that remains awesome to this day. We were early adopters of digital (Olympus D500L). It was fun but abysmal quality. Later, married, we took a trip to Japan but *forgot the cameras*! Oops! A short trip later to Akihabara, we came out with an a350 and a kit lens. Nice, but a few frames later, it felt drab, still a digital backwater. I didn't believe that it could be that bad. I'd never used A-mount, but once we came back from Japan, I looked around for help, and found Dyxum. Looking through the forums, the beercan is clearly unique. I invested a little time, and I happened to find a copy on Amazon, and it arrived -- seemingly untouched from 1985, pristine. I was blown away. The color and sharpness are awesome. It is different from what I had before. I love the grain of film (digital noise doesn't compare) -- but the beercan, as a lens, brings both technical precision and joy. The color and light capture the scene -- and capture my heart, too! The bokeh is awesome. Actually, the bokeh is like candy. I like close portraits, where the background is blurred creamy smooth. The beercan is so good at that, I have to force myself away from it, or everything I do will have that beautiful creamy look. Downsides: Well, it's kind of long, f/4 is a little dark. Whatever, get over it, there are no downsides. You will *never* regret your beercan. I don't use the beercan much anymore. I now have a 24-70CZ, and a 70-400G, and they are awesome -- and also very expensive. The sword has two edges. |
; 16MPrating summary
- total reviews: 397
- sharpness: 4.49
- color: 4.78
- build: 4.84
- distortion: 4.56
- flare control: 3.98
- overall: 4.53