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Cheap. A good copy can be had under $200. Very well built. Excellent image quality. The famous "Minolta colors". Reasonably fast at f/4.0. Constant f/4.0 throughout range. Length does not change while zooming. Sharp wide open. It's a 20+ year old lens, hence older technology and older coatings. No focus limiter. AF is slow On the whole, this is the only constant f/4 medium telephoto lens in the Sony alpha (Minolta AF) line up. No third party and no Sony equivalent. Great image quality. Nice warm colors. Sharp wide open and great at 5.6 and beyond. Nice heavy feel. Metal body, built to last. Great for portraits and street, sports. Versatile length and good speed. When it misses focus, it needs to zoom in and out and that could take 2-3 seconds on my Sony A100. Focus limiter would have been useful. Good bang-for-the-buck lens. This lens has actually built up a cult following among the old Minolta shooters, which has continued into the Sony alpha line up. People rave about the "Minolta colors", the image quality etc. There might be a bit of exaggeration in other reviews, as with anything which has built up a good reputation. If you can afford $700 or more for a 70-200/2.8, you can pass up on this but for a hobbyist on a limited budget, one of the best lenses in the AF mount.Read full review
The legendary 'Beercan' is everything you could want in an intermediate range fixed focal length zoom lens. Although it's full frame, it delivers superb results even on an APS-C cropped sensor body. Image quality is very good, but improves when the aperture is stopped-down to F/5.6 and F/8 is about the sweet spot for this lens in terms of IQ, talking of which, the colours this lens produces are classic Minolta and the bokeh is buttery smooth. I can highly recommend this lens to either full frame or cropped sensor users, but do make sure you buy a complete unit as sourcing original lens hood and caps can cost around £35.00. Also ensure that the optics are clear and there is no internal haze, fungus or front/rear element scratches or missing lens coatings on the front element. Average price for a 'mint' copy is £120.00, so expect to pay around £100-£110.00 for a good complete copy. A highly desirable lens, but don't think it will perform like a fast F/2.8 prime as it won't. Best for normal daylight use. Build quality is top draw metal and glass with a metal 5-pin mount. To check the internal elements for dust, move the rear aperture lever to open the aperture to it's maximum open position and look through the lens from the rear. Any internal dust will be quite visible, but it's unlikely to have any effect to images. Ensure the rear element is in a scratch free condition with no peeling of any coatings (this would have a detrimental effect to images). A definite 'must have' to your lens collection for any Sony/Minolta shooter.Read full review
All Minolta and Sony fans have heard of the "beercan" lenses and if not, then not a real fan! This lens is solidly built and as a result weighs in at 695g. Put on my Sony A850, it does not feel awkward and is well balanced. The internal zoom means it does not extend from 70-210, but it does rotate when focussing. The sharpness across the zoom range is excellent, even at f4, but does improved if stopped down beyond f5.6. I have not noticed any chromatic aberrations, so far and the large clip-on hood provides good flare protection. For outdoor work, f4 is more that adequate, so this will pair nicely with my MKI Minolta 35-105 from the same era.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
A great lens, constant aperture, sharp images. Bulky, heavy but who cares it's still perfectly portable and weight has never bothered me, just buy one!
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
I use this with a Sony A55 and found it to be very easy to use in all modes. good value for the money, I paid £41 on ebay and worth every penny.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
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