Super sharp, fast focusing, works well with converter, well balanced, and excellent manual focus,.

Weighs over 4 pounds. They have a front 95mm filter and a integrated 42mm filter so you can purchase low price 42mm filters. Check your catologs there are no major fliler company making 42mm, they make 43mm.

This is one incrediable lens. The lens focuses extremely fast especially when the limiter is set. When you use manual focus there is an extremely fine feel to the focusing unlike many other auto focus lens. With the focus lock one can focus on the subject like a bird or animal wait for the subject to go to a more interesting spot and then snap a picture. This is the best lens I have ever used. The lens works well with a 1.4 Tamron sp converter auto focus seems as rapid and there is no loss of picture quality like other lenses I have used. It even balances well with my shoulder pod for fast action photos.

Customer Service

very helpful with questions.

Similar Products Used:

Sigma 5007.2. tokina 400 atx. sigma 135-400, all sold on e-bay to pay for this one and worth it.

Well made,very sharp,good compromise between speed and weight

Tripod collar too far back; hood is effective but cumbersome to install and remove

I work as a newspaper photographer and bought this lens when the af on my Minolta 300 2.8 developed a tight spot from an impact and Minolta said it was to old to get parts for it. (It has since healed itself--go figure!) The 400 4.5 like the 300 is built and finished well. The 400 seems a bit sharper than the 300 but my 300 has the glass technology of 1985. What else can I say? It produces excellent results if proper techniques for shooting with long lenses are used and it's a very sensible size. Nikon and Canon as far as I know offer this focal length in f 5.6 and 2.8 versions. The Minolta is 2/3rds of a stop faster than the 5.6 lenses and a whole lot smaller, lighter and easier to manage than a 400 2.8.

Customer Service

None needed

Similar Products Used:

Tokina 400 5.6,Minolta 300 2.8

Optically superb. Built like a tank, yet light enough to hand hold. F4.5 is fast enough for action work. Focus limiter and focus hold button are nice features. The Minolta drop-in polarizer is easy to use and works well. Fast AF when used with my 9xi or 9. Maintains AF when used with Minolta APO 1.4X TC. A gem among 400mm range lenses.

No. The lens can be used as a defensive weapon or to drive nails.

A superb 400mm lens in every regard.

Customer Service

Never needed.

Similar Products Used:

Nikkor 300mm f4.5 ED IF, Sigma 400mm f5.6 APO. Both were inferior to the minolta lens in every respect, except weight.