Minolta AF 50mm F1.7 A-mount lens reviews
Feudalac#10509 date: Sep-12-2012 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 4 overall: 4.8 | tested on:
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ownership: | I own this lens |
compared to: | Sigma 50mm 2.8 Macro DG |
price paid: | 40€ |
positive: | Sharp, small and light, fast AF |
negative: | Shallow DOF, soft at corners wide open |
comment: | Must have lens! Very sharp, with accurate and fast AF, useful for low light conditions. Only problem with this lens is shallow DOF. I compared it with my Sigma 50mm 2.8 Macro DG and found that Minolta has more tiny belt of focus on f 2.8 comparing to Sigma. On the other side it cane make very nice results if you can take advantage of shallow DOF. On APS-C sensors it is not wide enough, but again, this is great piece of glass. |
grudyjsy#10350 date: Jul-3-2012 | |
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sharpness: 4 color: 4 build: 3 distortion: 4 flare control: 4 overall: 3.8 | tested on:
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ownership: | I own this lens |
compared to: | missing |
price paid: | 40 GBP (Used) |
positive: | Quick focus Light weight Small size |
negative: | Focus ring small |
comment: | missing |
maraten#10283 date: Jun-9-2012 | |
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sharpness: 4.5 color: 4 build: 4 distortion: 4 flare control: 4 overall: 4.1 | tested on:
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ownership: | I own this lens |
compared to: | S 18-55 M 28-80 F3.5-5.6 M 35-80 F3.5-5.6 M 70-210 F4.5-5.6 Sigma 70-300 |
price paid: | €65 + some stuff |
positive: | +Sharp! +Bokeh +Fun thin DoF +Small and lightweight +Real Minolta colors! +All metal +Fast aperture! |
negative: | -CA at F1.7 -Weird hood -Small focus ring -Sometimes it misses focus. |
comment: | Nice little lens. I got it along with a Dynax 300si and a 35-80 for just 65 euros! Good sharpness and DoF is amazing and fun. Ust have lens. I'll edit this as soon as get my films developed. The negatives are no dealbreakers. |
Guy#10251 date: May-31-2012 | |
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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: | Minolta 50/1.4 SMC Tak 50/1.4 |
price paid: | 90 EUR |
positive: | + excellent IQ even wide open + extremely light + good build quality + the hood is always there |
negative: | - the hood is not very good - sharpness on the outer portion of the frame needs a couple of stops to improve. |
comment: | I have had this lens for a very long time. The lens is extremely sharp on APS-C all over the frame. On FF it looses it's zing from the midpoint out, but the rendition of this lens is just beautiful. The bokeh is even better than the 50/1.4. I actually prefer the 50/1.7 lens over the 50/1.4 for portraits, but the 1.4 is overall better in terms of sharpness once stopped down. It's a shame that this lens is no longer produced. I would gladly pay some 250 EUR for an updated version of this lens with maybe the new SAM motor (like in the 18-135). Oh well, one can dream ;) |
MedsRX#10225 date: May-20-2012 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 4 overall: 4.8 | tested on:
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ownership: | I own this lens |
compared to: | sony 18-55 kit lens minolta 28 2.8 minolta 70-210 3.5N |
price paid: | 80 USD |
positive: | sharp wide open and sharper stopped down. size. price. love the colors. 1.7! |
negative: | the lens hood is plain silly. maybe a little soft around the edge. range is kinda akward on aps-c |
comment: | There is sooo much to love about this lens. it's size, it's sharpness, it's price, it's color. . .sigh. It has a special something to it, a bit of indescribable pixie dust. LOL it is the lens that spends the most time on my a33, that and my min 70-210 f3.5-4.5N. I realize there might be newer lenses with better coatings but for the price i can't complain. It's just plain fun. yes the lens hood is a joke but flaring really only happens in extreme situations but it does happen. CA is always a small concern with any older lens and this isn't an exception, but it hardly distracts from the awesome parts of this lens. and DOES NOT distract from the IQ and image making! It's an awesome indoor lens, great portrait lens, rad for weddings and the like. but also good for fine art and street shooting. it has a fun sort of range, it takes a little bit of getting used to. and it's not truly "normal" on an aps-c. but who cares? take some shots!! |
Acornwell123#10219 date: May-17-2012 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 5 | tested on:
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ownership: | I own this lens |
compared to: | missing |
price paid: | 55.00 |
positive: | Very Very impressed! love this little guy. the price was perfect for my budget and wasnt expecting much for the price paid, even with the hype of this lens! wow is what i got! |
negative: | None |
comment: | Get one! |
cicaro#10205 date: May-15-2012 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 5 | tested on:
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ownership: | I own this lens |
compared to: | missing |
price paid: | 2USD (fleet market) |
positive: | Wonderful portrait lens! |
negative: | missing |
comment: | I will never sell this lens, even though its seldom used by me. Often I have a zoom lens mounted which is more flexible for use, for product photography or portraits this however is wonderful! |
unclenais#10154 date: Apr-28-2012 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 5 | tested on:
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ownership: | I own this lens |
compared to: | Minolta AF 28-35 f3.5-f4.5 Minolta AF 100-200 f4.5 Minolta AF 70-210 f4 |
price paid: | 20 USD |
positive: | Absolutely a tack sharp lens with the magic Minolta colors. Light weight. Quick focus. |
negative: | None |
comment: | This lens was a local purchase that was part of a camera, 2 lenses, and case for $40. The first pictures I took with this lens were impressive for both sharpness, color, and bokeh. On my APSC camera it is an equivalent 75mm and I use it now for portrait work as well a lightweight walk around lens. This lens convinced me to look at other primes which currently I cannot afford. This lens is a keeper and I would highly recommend it's purchase. They are still available in excellent condition for under $100 on eBay and fits my criteria for lenses better than the kit lenses for $100 or less! |
deetaili#10129 date: Apr-20-2012 | |
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sharpness: 4 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 4 overall: 4.6 | tested on:
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ownership: | I own this lens |
compared to: | Sigma 24mm f1.8 Minolta 35-105mm f3.5-4.5 Sigma 18-200mm f3.5-6.3 |
price paid: | 100 USD (used) |
positive: | Sharpness when stopped down a bit Max. aperture Lightweight Minolta colors Solid build |
negative: | Haziness at f/1.7 Useless hood Focus ring |
comment: | When I take my camera with one lens attached for walkaround shots, this is the primary lens I choose. Indoors I tend to use the 24mm Sigma, the 50mm is a bit too tight on APS-C. There were some AF problems with my a230, but I think they're gone now with the a700. |
witee.w#10123 date: Apr-16-2012 | |
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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: | sony 50 1.8 |
price paid: | 113 usd |
positive: | Super cheap lens nice range on aps-c good minolta color sharp enough at f 2.5 fast focus |
negative: | none at this price |
comment: | to be honest it is nearly the same as sony 50 f1.8 minolta produce better color. but the sony lens have 8 contact which mean that could give distance data to camera to control flash. I prefer Minolta over sony simply because of it's look, since the performance are equal. I'm looking forward to upgrade to minolta 50 1.4, but the price is double ! |
maxeythecat#10084 date: Apr-4-2012 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 5 | tested on:
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ownership: | I own this lens |
compared to: | missing |
price paid: | 50.00 USD (used) |
positive: | In one word, WOW. Absolutely tack-sharp with gorgeous color wonderful bokeh and really snappy AF |
negative: | None I can think of....... |
comment: | My first prime lens, I bought this along with a mini beercan off of Goodwill's auction website for just 50$. Needless to say I wasn't expecting much, but once it arrived and I popped it on for a few snaps...let's just say I was left speechless. The razor sharp images even in low light, gorgeous bokeh and the beautiful color.....talk about alot of bang for the buck! Sony users, if there's any lens out there that's a must have for your collection, this is IT. |
cessna2k#10056 date: Mar-24-2012 | |
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sharpness: 3.5 color: 4 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 3 overall: 4.1 | tested on:
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ownership: | I own this lens |
compared to: | Sal 50f18 |
price paid: | missing |
positive: | Hood |
negative: | Vignetting Soft Haze |
comment: | I have had 2 of those. Very soft open, and aweful vignetting. If you shoot APS go for the new Sony, it is so much better. Furthermore, my Sony a230 can not focus the lens reliably, but even when it is focused well, it is so unsharp wide open. |
echoalexandria#10031 date: Mar-17-2012 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 5 | tested on:
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ownership: | I own this lens |
compared to: | Minolta 50 1.4 RS Minolta 35 2 Minolta 17-35 2.8 Minolta 100 2 |
price paid: | 25.00 CAN |
positive: | Fast Sharp Very Small 3-D Images Solid Build |
negative: | Nothing at all |
comment: | The copy I have now is a jewel. I pain $25 in MINT condition and it quickly became my number one lens. It is tack sharp and some of my better pictures have come using this lens. The 50 1.4 RS was better in many aspects but there was no need for the double focal length. I've had a 35 2 and a 100 2 which I have both since long sold but I will never part with this. These can be found readily available in excellent condition for a great price. Its really worth it's weight in gold. Here is a link to my favorite image by far taken with the 50 1.7. http://www.flickr.com/photos/74135471@N07/6988780045/in/photostream |
scovell001#10022 date: Mar-12-2012 | |
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sharpness: 3.5 color: 4 build: 3 distortion: 4 flare control: 4 overall: 3.7 | tested on:
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ownership: | I own this lens |
compared to: | Sony 16-50 f2.8 - Sigma 50-150 f.28 |
price paid: | £150 |
positive: | Cheap, easy to find Nice colours |
negative: | Showing its age, compared to modern glass |
comment: | The Kurt Munger review of this lens is pretty much spot on. This lens has a really beautiful colour. However, its issue's are 2 fold. Firstly, it has veiling haze at f1.7 & a slight bit of outlining on highlights which is gone at f2.2. However, the aperture blade shape starts to show up at this point onwards. The Sony 16-50 f2.8, whilst not 'drawing' quite as well at 50mm, has a more pleasing rounded shape to the bokeh, especially at f3.5. The Sigma 50-150 doesn't have quite as good colour as the Sony & Minolta lenses, and the 50mm setting is more like 55mm, however its Bokeh at f2.8-f3.5 is more pleasing than either the Sony at 50mm/3.5 or the Minolta at f2.2 and it has minimal haze at f2.8, whereas the Sony has no haze at f2.8. Its a tough call with this lens then, because the rendition of the images is great in terms of colour, but a little hazy. I personally don't like haze, and prefer the more modern lenses. That doesn't mean to say I'll ever get rid of this lens, it has its charms, from time to time. |
iforget#10021 date: Mar-12-2012 | |
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sharpness: 4.5 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 4 overall: 4.5 | tested on:
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ownership: | I own this lens |
compared to: | SAL35F18 SAL50F18 SAL55200 SAL1855 Minolta 24-85RS |
price paid: | 70 CAD (used) |
positive: | good color pretty sharp good for portrait |
negative: | CA inconsistent color with AWB |
comment: | Got this lens in a bundle (with Maxxum 7000, Image MC 75-200, flash, bag and tripod) all for 70. The lady sold to me was moving and just want to get rid of it. The lens had some finger prints and some wears. But does take pretty good portraits compared to 35f1.8 which I found in some situation the pictures are too distorted for my liking. Wide open is not as sharp as 35f1.8. This lens is smaller than both the 35F1.8 and 50F1.8. I had 50F1.8 first then returned after I got 35F1.8 but still missed for portraits since it has less barrel distortion than 35F1.8. Although 55-200 is pretty good for portraits and has most pleasant color to me but it is not bright enough in some situations. The 50/1.7 is usable at 1.7 and good at 2.0. The color is better than both 50/1.8 and 35f1.8 in my opinion (warmer and more colorful). Color and image is better than 24-85 as well. As a side note the Image MC 75-200 is not too bad, pretty sharp wide open, but has distortion at long end. |
ifreedman#10019 date: Mar-10-2012 | |
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sharpness: 4 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 4 flare control: 4 overall: 4.2 | tested on:
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ownership: | I own this lens |
compared to: | Takumar SMC 50mm f1.4 Sony 35mm f1.8 Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 |
price paid: | $60 usd (used) |
positive: | good sharpness & colors. Excellent prime. Cheap and easy to find. |
negative: | Not my favorite lens |
comment: | This is a lovely lens, great for portraits or any type of shooting where you don't need zoom. Colors are nice, quite sharp, minimal distortions. Good indoors, although it's often not wide enough on an APSC camera to use in tight spaces. Plus it's cheap. You can't find a better bargain lens for the alpha system. In my opinion, everyone should own a good, fast prime lens, and this is probably the best-bang-for-the-buck fast prime you can find as long as you find a good used copy. Having said all this, I don't use it too often. If I want to shoot with a prime, I'm more likely to use the Sony 35mm (just a bit wider, closer to normal on APSC) or to use my SMC Takumar. Shooting with a Takumar is a very tactile and pleasurable experience. This Minolta is a nice lens, but it doesn't "feel" as nice to use, although it always gives excellent results. |
kubuthor#10018 date: Mar-10-2012 | |
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sharpness: 4 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 4 overall: 4.6 | tested on:
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ownership: | I own this lens |
compared to: | KM 18-70 SONY 18-70 M 100-200/4,5 |
price paid: | 80 USD (used) |
positive: | - price :) - sharpness (when hits the focus) - that special "pop" in photos, which set lens does not really have |
negative: | - not 100% accurate focusing, especially in middle distances - in my opinion, slower focus - becomes sharp from f2,5 onwards (well, it is somehow not that surprising) |
comment: | I gave it 4 for sharpness, because it often does not hit the focus as accurate as intended. The reason is (I think) it´s slower focusing on my 5D, as well as higher aperture, but this thing can sometimes be really annoying. Otherwise, for the money paid really a gem. The output has that kind of "real photo" feeling. As the flare is often mentioned, I try to use it in a creative way, so yes, there is, but for me it is more in the plus than minus field. Colors... I like those from 100-200 a little more, but generally, the colors are fine on lcd as well as on prints. |
Swan White#9991 date: Mar-4-2012 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 4 overall: 4.8 | tested on:
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ownership: | I own this lens |
compared to: | 18-70 kit lens |
price paid: | 90 euro (used) |
positive: | Build Performance 1.7 Low weight Small Exceptional value for money |
negative: | Can't think of anything |
comment: | Great lens to have and use frequently! For Low light, indoor, portraits, limited DOF, etc. |
topdogmex#9906 date: Feb-9-2012 | |
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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: | Sony SAL1855 Minolta 35-105 macro |
price paid: | 100 USD (like new) |
positive: | Small and Light AF speed Luminosity Good quality Super sharp |
negative: | Noisy Buit hood |
comment: | This is a superb prime from old days, the color is amazing, the AF is fast and precise, just a little noisy. My copy is super sharp, but not as sharp as my KM 35-105 macro. Wide open it can produce a very good sharp image, and it gets better above f/2. If you find one get it, no doubt. I´m super happy with mine. |
a850#9834 date: Jan-23-2012 | |
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sharpness: 4 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 3 overall: 4.4 | tested on:
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ownership: | I own this lens |
compared to: | 35/1.4G Zeiss 16-35/2.8 |
price paid: | GBP 80 used |
positive: | Build quality Cheap Useful Colours and bokeh |
negative: | FLARE FLARE FLARE Did I say flare? Ghosts too! |
comment: | I really like this lens. Build quality is indestructible, sharpness and colours are really great. But flare, ghosting and washing out the image are a big problem. You can use them artistically - low angle sun coming through trees etc can look great, but for a lot of things it's a total pain. Don't even think about having flash, bright streetlamps or the sun in your image if shooting wide open. I also find performance CONSIDERABLY better at f2 rather than f1.7, so I basically treat this as an f2 lens. At f4 it is brilliantly sharp. No complaints at all. I'm happy, and every full frame user (or even aps-c user) should own a cheap 50mm. It does the job well if you're aware of limitations. |
Introspect#9815 date: Jan-18-2012 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 4 build: 5 distortion: 4 flare control: 4 overall: 4.4 | tested on:
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ownership: | I own this lens |
compared to: | 18-55 DT minolta 35-105 beercan |
price paid: | about 150 USD (used |
positive: | cheap 1,7 light and small very funny |
negative: | some back focus... but I'm being picky |
comment: | Well, my first prime. I acquired this lens because is was a good deal and I wanted some low light lens and I thought it would be a good portrait lens. I didn't used all that much at first manly because after this I put my hands in a "beercan" and I use more the zooms. But then I had the chance to use this in a night walk by the beach and it was very funny and I'm starting to use it more and more... it works great in doors when you don't want to use flash and outside in low light... it challenges your creativity. It has a nice bokeh... I prefer the one of the beercan, but this is really nice to... a keeper... |
boyzone#9813 date: Jan-18-2012 | |
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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: | missing |
price paid: | 120 USD (used) |
positive: | - Cheap - F1.7 - Build quality |
negative: | - Soft at 1.7 |
comment: | Soft at 1.7 and need to step down until 2.2 for good sharpness. Trade it as low usage. |
donniefitz2#9768 date: Jan-8-2012 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 4 overall: 4.8 | tested on:
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ownership: | I own this lens |
compared to: | missing |
price paid: | 70.00 |
positive: | - fast - sharpness - bokeh |
negative: | - little flare at times - soft wide open |
comment: | This is my first Minolta lens and it couldn't be better. I read that it's a classic and all of the hype about this lens is true. I have a cross x copy. It is true that it's soft wide open, but the center is very sharp. I typically use it as the f/2.8 sweet spot for really sharp photos with great DOF. Highly recommended. |
KCG#9637 date: Nov-27-2011 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 5 | tested on:
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ownership: | I own this lens |
compared to: | missing |
price paid: | USD 100 |
positive: | Sharp, nice bokeh and minolta colour. |
negative: | missing |
comment: | missing |
KCG#9636 date: Nov-27-2011 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 5 | tested on:
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ownership: | I own this lens |
compared to: | missing |
price paid: | USD 100 |
positive: | Sharp, nice bokeh and minolta colour. |
negative: | missing |
comment: | missing |
JimmyMelbourne#9628 date: Nov-26-2011 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 5 | tested on:
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ownership: | I own this lens |
compared to: | Sigma 50 1.4 HSM$ Minolta 50 2.8 Macro |
price paid: | 90 CHF |
positive: | Sharp Light Cheap Colour |
negative: | None really |
comment: | I just bought this to compare to the sigma 1.4 and I have to say in low light there is little difference between the 2. The sigma is probably sharper for portraits but you cannot beat minolta colours. |
shamblesuk#9625 date: Nov-25-2011 | |
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sharpness: 4.5 color: 4 build: 4 distortion: 4 flare control: 3 overall: 3.9 | tested on:
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ownership: | I own this lens |
compared to: | missing |
price paid: | GBP80 |
positive: | Solidly built Stylish Quick |
negative: | Prone to flare Lens hood more of an afterthought Colour little light |
comment: | I do like this lens, great for portraits. Fast to focus. Downside is that it seems prone to flare and the inbuilt hood is flimsy and you need to remember to deploy each time. Colour is a little on the light side. The f1.7 gives much more control but you have to take care as close images need to be precisely focussed. The lens does not suffer amateur usage. The rest is pretty much well known, a great lens to have for quick snaps. |
sonicx#9622 date: Nov-25-2011 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 4 build: 5 distortion: 4 flare control: 4 overall: 4.4 | tested on:
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ownership: | I own this lens |
compared to: | Sigma EX 2,8 105mm Macro |
price paid: | used 100 EUR |
positive: | - quick AF - fast (F 1.7) - at a camera with crop factor an ideal portarit lens - sharp |
negative: | color is a little to low |
comment: | It is one of my fav. lenses. It is fast, quick, light, and super sharp. I just love it. And in combination with a crop (APS-C) camera it is a wonderful portrail-lens. |
profhankd#9546 date: Oct-29-2011 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 4.8 | tested on:
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ownership: | I own this lens |
compared to: | The RS version, M42 SMC Takumar 50mm f/1.4 M42 SMC Takumar 55mm f/1.8 Sony 18-70mm kit lens etc. |
price paid: | 30 (used) |
positive: | Sharp, fast, quick focus, versatile 50mm |
negative: | Slight softness at edges wide open |
comment: | Most 50-58mm primes are optically great, and this is no exception. In general, I've noticed the f/1.4 lenses often have more character (i.e., issues like halos) than the slower ones, and this lens definitely has the freedom from artifacts seen in many of the better slower lenses. It is a very no-nonsense lens with a classic Minolta look to its images; it reminds me of the 50mm f/1.7 Rokkors on my SRT101 & XK. There is slight softness at the edges wide open, which gets better stopping down; no other optical issues. Still ok on 24MP. Bokeh are nothing special, but neither are they bad. With 1.5X crop APS-C, this is even more versatile than it was on film; for example, this is great for photos of kids. Build quality is very good for an AF lens, easily outclassing the kit lens. I also have the RS version, and I think the RS focus ring feels a little nicer, but both are quite usable. The metal mount is still a perfectly tight yet smooth fit on this old lens. In summary, it is very hard to see any IQ difference between this and my RS version. This was pleasantly cheaper. :-) |
onsplekkie#9526 date: Oct-23-2011 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 4 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 4 overall: 4.6 | tested on:
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ownership: | I used to own this lens |
compared to: | Tamron 18-200mm Sigma 10-20mm |
price paid: | 100 euro secondhand |
positive: | centre sharp cheap secondhand |
negative: | not so nice on fullframe |
comment: | If I want sharp images with nice flare I use this baby! It gives the feeling I am in control of the result of every picture. Colour is cold(er) compaired to my other lenses. I use this lens on 15% of all my photos taken. ------ 20-3-2016 I do not like to use this lens on full frame due to colour-contrast lack on A7s |
rating summary
- total reviews: 421
- sharpness: 4.62
- color: 4.78
- build: 4.57
- distortion: 4.74
- flare control: 4.17
- overall: 4.58
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