Nice, very subtle perspective distorts at 24 mm. Best results when photographing 3D objects with f/16.

Not nice facial distorts at 50mm. Can't be used for portraits. Frontal element rotates.

Good lens, sharp and fast (autofocus). The frontal optic element moves fast. Especially suited for reportages and for landscapes. I do not recommend it for people's reportages or portraits, unless the subject is moving fast because it renders badly face shapes and distorts everything (mind, I mean only people's faces).
It is also wonderful for architecture, especially at 24 mm. Gives your pictures more dynamics with its non-exaggerated perspective distorts at 24 mm.
I had best results with it when used with polariser and the slide film Konica SRT100.
To my mind f/4 remains unused for the most of the time because this lens excells in making everything sharp from 1 m to infinity at f/16.

Customer Service

None

Similar Products Used:

None

Small, cheap and lightweight. It takes 55 mm filters, as most of the other Minolta lenses. Fairly sharp for a zoom lens.

Shows vignetting at 24 mm, even with just one filter. Just a tad softer than my prime lenses. f/4 is not really fast. Flare-prone

I bought the 24-50 this summer as a cheap alternative to be used in the egyptian desert (less changing of lenses). I bought a fairly used specimen, it shows quite somewear on the exterior. I read a lot of good reviews on this lens. Thereby. the results after the trip were a bit discouraging. Noticably softer than my primes, vignetting and more flare.

Similar Products Used:

tokina 20-35/2.8, Minolta 24/2.8, 35/2, 50/1.4

Excellent Sharp ! Excellent color, contrast. No dark corner even at 24mm. Minimal distortion. Fast AF. Close focus distance. Constant aperature.

No "D" version available.

I used this lens on Dynax 5 and printed the photos to 8x12. Excellent sharpness. Beautiful image.

Customer Service

Good at Hong Kong. Service centre is helpful.

Similar Products Used:

Minolta 28-80 D Minolta 200mm APO

Good Focus speed. Sharpe images. Good zoom range.

Doesn't work so well on the 800SI camera. Minolta need to up-date ALL their lens range.

Nice lens. Works very well on the Dynax 7 & 9. But not too well on my 800SI body. Good zoom range, focusing if fast. Picture quality is good. Images are nice and sharpe with good contrast. Its a pity it was not a faster lens, aperture wise. But you get what you pay for. So I shouldn't complain

Customer Service

Minolta UK Very good. Fixed my Dynax 7 in good time.

Similar Products Used:

Minolta 24-50 Minolta 28-105XI(CRAP) Minolta85 1.4 Minolta 70-210 F4 Sigma 70-210 f2.8 Sigma 24-70 f2.8

prime-lens sharp
throughout its range,
distortion free 28-50,
lightweight and compact

rotating front element

perhaps the finest backpacking lens available

Similar Products Used:

Nikon 24-50, Canon 24-85, Minolta 24-85

No distorsion, almost no vigneting since you don't use it at the max aperture. Low price for a wide angle zoom.

A litle lake of contrast.

It is not designed to be a "extreme" lens in term of focus length range and aperture, but this allows it to be very efficient in it's category for a very low price regarding the usual 17-35 or f/2.8 lenses. Very usefull for the landscape photography, it allows you to cover a very large field in 24mm without the distorsion you can experience with a 20-35mm for instance. The 50mm allows you to take pictures of details without spending your time to mount and unmount your lenses as you usualy do with a wide angle zoom.

Customer Service

N/A

Similar Products Used:

None

Close focusing - 1.2 feet!
Sharp
Minimal distortion
Flare well controlled
Nice Bokeh
Light weight but sturdily built
Focuses ultra close for a zoom
Constant f/4 aperture

None (other than its not an f/1.4 or n f/2.8 like a fixed focal length lenses aperture).

Get it! I bought it used at a little over half the price of new. My slides are unbelievably sharp/saturated and so are my prints. You won't find a sharper zoom in this focal length range anywhere. Less distortion than most zooms in this range. Nice bokeh (out of focus areas). Very useable wide open, super sharp stopped down. 2nd only to my Zeiss primes in sharpness/contrast/bokeh. Can you tell that I love this lens? By the way, did I say I love this lens? Well I do! I use it all the time as a "one lens system on my 600si Maxxum body, if you own Maxxum gear then you owe it to yourself to look into this wide to normal zoom. While your at it buy me an extra one ;-).

Customer Service

None used yet, though Phil Bradon, head honcho at Minolta has been more than kind many times over the phone to discuss various Minolta products w/ me.

Similar Products Used:

Nikkor 25-50mm f/4

1. Tack sharp.
2. No distortion and flare, and vignetting.
3. Excellent color rendation
4. very contrast through whole spectrum.

1. mechanical design

1. This is great lens and top quality in this range. Its quality compare to prime lens. Its images never disappointed with me. ALways give crisp contrast and crystal clear sharp image.

Customer Service

Never contacted

Similar Products Used:

1. Minolta 28-135 F4-4.5

Good sharpness and well built. No distortion.

Focal range could be wider.

I am very satisfied with this lens.

Similar Products Used:

Minolta AF 28-80/4-5.6, Minolta AF 24-85