Minolta AF 85mm F1.4 A-mount lens review by Yugus

Yugus#8172 date: Nov-3-2010
sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 4 overall: 4.8	tested on: film camera: APS-C: 6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP; 16MP; 20MP; 24MP full frame: 12MP24MP36MP42MP
ownership:	I own this lens
compared to:	missing
price paid:	$700 CAD (Used)
positive:	Very fast lens (Wide aperture) Great for low light Very sharp Very smooth bokeh Very thin DoF at F1.4 AF is quite fast Very useful focal length for portraits No distortion
negative:	CA can be pretty bad Circular highlights around bokeh Veiling haze wide open Poor minimum focusing distance
comment:	By far one of my favourite lenses, the differences between this and the CZ 85mm F1.4 are pretty minimal. The lens provides a very shallow depth of field at F1.4 which can give a unique look to portraits as just the subjects eyes can be in focus and thats it. The bokeh for this lens is very smooth though it does suffer from circular highlights at times. The lens is very sharp even wide open though in well lit conditions you'll notice a high amount of CA and some veiling haze. Both which can almost be completely removed when stopped down to F2-2.8. Though my one real issue with this lens is the poor minimum focusing distance (850mm same as CZ 85mm F1.4) which gives you only 0.13x magnification. In the end this is one of the best Minolta lenses you can buy for portraits and low light, though you'll have to dig deep into your wallet to afford one, even used, and not to mention they are a little hard to find.