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Reviews (4)
Oct 22, 2015
Perfect size for the Fuji X series
2 of 2 found this helpful This is how a lens should be for the mirrorless systems. Small, lightweight, classy feel. Image quality if very good. No complaints there.
The only thing keeping me from giving this a 5 star rating is its dismal autofocusing ability. That is the Achilles heel for this lens. The key to getting a little bit more autofocus speed with this lens is to turn the camera's macro mode on when focusing at close distances and to remember to turn the macro mode off when focusing at normal distances.
I think it is a good value for 300USD or less. The pathetic autofocusing prevents it from having a higher value.
Nov 07, 2015
Really "Prime" lens
1 of 1 found this helpful I had read a lot about the sharpness of this optic from a bygone era. The fact that Nikon still produces it on order made me think that there could be some substance to the legend. Even though it is manual focus only, and the price seemed high for a vintage lens, I got a copy simply because I didn't have any manual focus lens in the wide angle range. The legend does have substance and it is really sharp. It is built like a bank safety cabinet and will last ages. The only thing that makes me nervous about the copy I got was the super-loose (cannot call it super-smooth since it has no friction at all) focus ring. Otherwise, it was in great optical condition and performs very well. Worth a try if you don't want to get the latest autofocus versions.
Oct 30, 2015
This is how lenses should be built
1 of 1 found this helpful This is how the modern lenses should be built: small, lightweight, yet strong as a safety locker. The image at f2 is not sharp, but should be OK for portraits. Close it down one stop to f2.8 and the image becomes super sharp. The sharpness keeps increasing as you close down the aperture still more. I didn't have high hopes from this lens before I used it. But this lens on my small micro four thirds system (e.g. Panasonic GF3) is a great match. And there is something about these minolta lenses that I can't quite pin-point. But they render images in the most realistic colors and sharpnes that I have ever seen. So, if photographic realism is your cup of tea (as opposed to dreamy, filmy, fantasy looks), then this is a glass that delivers. And it is a great value at any price below 50USD.