Minolta AF 75-300mm F4.5-5.6 D A-mount lens review by QuietOC
 QuietOC#42981 date: Jan-12-2018 | |
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| sharpness: 4 color: 4 build: 4 distortion: 4 flare control: 3 overall: 3.8 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I used to own this lens |
| compared to: | Tamron 18-250 Sony DT 55-200 SAM Sony DT 55-300 SAM Minolta AF 70-210 F4 Minolta AF 70-210 F3.5-4.5 Minolta AF 70-210 F4.5-5.6 I/II Canon EF 70-300 F4-5.6 IS II USM Tamron SP 70-300 USD VC & non-VC Canon EF 75-300 F4-5.6 III USM Sony A 75-300 F4.5-5.6 Minolta AF 75-300 "Big Beercan" Minolta AF 100-300 APO Minolta AF 100-300 APO D Minolta AF 100-400 APO |
| price paid: | Included with 600si |
| positive: | Size and weight Sharp wide-open Fast focus Curved aperture blades 55 mm filter size Direct focus control Matches other D lenses |
| negative: | Purple fringing Lateral and axial CA Focus plane curvature Hard plastic focus grip Lens extends for zoom and focus No lens compensation support Slightly warm color cast "300 mm" is even wider than 100-300 lenses |
| comment: | This silver copy came with a $68 used Minolta Maxxum 600si from an individual eBay seller. This is the third version of this lens with the main difference being the addition of a focus distance encoder. The styling matches the 28-80 D kit zoom and later 28-100 and 18-70 D kit zooms--all have a small aluminum trim ring near the focus grip which is not found on the earlier II lenses or the rebranded Sony versions. The retail price of the Sony SAL75300 version was $250 before it was discontinued. "MALAYSIA" This lens is similar in size to the 55-300, longer than the 100-300, but shorter than the original 75-300. It extends more with zoom than the others, but doesn't get as long as the original 75-300. The focus grip is hard plastic but it is styled like the rubber grips on the 70-210 II and 100-300 APO. This copy is quite sharp wide-open even at 300 mm, but like the late 70-210 zooms the focus plane is more curved. It is quite prone to purple fringing like those lenses and the contemporary kit zooms. The original Minolta AF 75-300 shows less purple fringing and has a flatter focus plane. I find it a bit better optically than the Canon EF 75-300 III USM. The 7 aperture blades are curved, but they don't form as circular an opening stopped down as the 9 curved blades on the 100-300 APO D. The original 75-300 had 9 aperture blades, but they are pretty straight. It seems to use the same hood as the 100-300 APO D except with different lettering. This is the same three lobed bayonet still used by the 18-55 SAM II. Overall a perfectly fine telephoto kit lens that matches the image quality and appearance of the 18-70, 28-80, and 28-100 D kit zooms while offering more reach and range than the 70-210 zooms. |
; 10MPrating summary
- total reviews: 47
- sharpness: 3.89
- color: 4.17
- build: 3.66
- distortion: 3.98
- flare control: 3.74
- overall: 3.89