Fast telephoto zoom with APO lens - makes smooth bokeh. Focuses quickly on A6000 & LE-A2. Build quality is solid but noisy by today's standards. Saves me $2000. I shot into sun hiding behind a tree trunk and found no CA. Camera correction is found on DxO Optics Pro. Color is so nice, and sharp. One video comparison it showed up the Sony SEL 2.8/70-200.

I'm whining when I say it's heavy, yet compared to many other similar lens it is on the light side.

I'm elated that I found this incredible lens @ $700 on e-bay. Was hoping that I could upload a picture i took to show the separation between subject and background's buttery smooth bokeh.

Image quality -Sharpness, contrast, accurate colour rendition, defocussing quality, unnoticeable distortions, positive AF, beautiful handling, exceptional build quality.

No for me

Exellent lens. Very sharp, especially at 2.8. I had this lens for 6 years. Used on 800si and 7d, fast in foucse. My favor lens.

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Konica Minolta AF 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5
Konica Minolta AF 50mm f/1.4
Konica Minolta AF 35-80mm f 4-5.6
Tamron AF90-300mm f/4.5-5.6

Relatively lightweight for handheld Superb Optical Quality Solid build 72mm Filter Great portrait lens as well as telephoto

No Internal Focus

WOW!!! That's the word when I first saw the picture taken by this lens. Using @200mm f4 1/250 Handheld. The colour and sharpness is incredible. Excellent sharpness from f2.8 to f22 @80-200. Why spend US$900 for a f2.8 lens? a lot of people may ask.... Question is why you want to take the picture at the first place? Love this lens because I can handheld it most of the time. Using 2x Converter, still get me f5.6 instead of f8 or f11. Wise choice! Best lens ever made!

Customer Service

None needed

Similar Products Used:

Canon f2.8 L series lens Nikon 80-200mm f2.8

1.Sharp optic 2.highlight&Shadow detail Very good 3.Best colour among Japanese lens made

Noisy AF

Only Minolta G lens & Leica can produced 3D effect picture on (photoprint that acctualy 2D) because of their true sharpnest,not contrast(contrast lens seem sharp but not actually produced sharp)you can proof it by compare other lens&camera; take picture 3D object in same object same continuous lighting same film (fuji reala or kodak royal gold iso 100)must take with tripod&cable release cropped the film area as little as possible in same area than print minimum 20X25cm in same professional lab in some day. You will see the differences result . My past other 35mm camera are Leica,Contax,Nikon,after I used Minolta later & compare each other I sold them. Note I still respect to Leica lens not the camera.

STUNNING OPTICAL QUALITY -Apochromatic lens design yields blistering sharpness even at maximum aperture with no sign of color "fringing" due to the use of Minolta''s AD (Anomalous Dipersion)glass. Amazingly, Minolta managed to correct chromatic aberrations with only one AD lens element(the 13th element in the optical design) -Excellent color fidelity, vivid yet natural colors, and even more important: color characteristics match the rest of Minolta''s professional G-Series lineup. -Superior contrast range, more highlight and shadow detail...I honestly think that a lot of lenses from other brands rely a lot on high contrast to give the impression of apparent sharpness, at the expense of having shadow detail block up and/or highlights blowing out... -Negligible levels of distortion at any focal length. -Very flare resistant, and circular aperture design ensures that distracting background clutter is blurred beautifully especially when shooting wide-open at the longer end of the zoom range. -Professional quality build, this lens is designed to withstand regular heavy use. Mine is still spanking new so it is a bit "heavy" in the zoom ring but that will get better with

I''m pretty picky on lenses, and yes, even this gem has a few downsides...But even so, the optical quality is just THAT good, so I will just live with its flaws. 1- Rotating front filter thread. I don''t plan on using graduated filters on this lens at all, and I seldom use polarizers except for landscapes (where I''ll be better off with a wideangle anyway), so that isn''t a huge issue for me. The only filter I use is the multicoated UV filter to protect the front element so it can rotate all it wants. But if you make extensive use of these type of filters, it''ll be a headache... 2-Minimum focusing distace: 5.9 feet Its rivals from the other manufacturers are able to focus closer. This is probably due to the Minolta''s non-IF design. It must be noted that Minolta''s 80-200/2.8 design was last updated to G-Series status in 1993 and it was mainly cosmetic and mechanical improvements. Unless I''m mistaken, the optical formula of this lens is basically the same as the older black AF 80-200/2.8 version (it may well be pre-1990s!!!) 3-AF Speed: While very fast indeed, certainly faster AF with Maxxum 9 or 7 than any Minolta before, I will be the first to admit that I wish it had som

I shoot professionally for a living and I purchased this lens to complement my Minolta AF 28-70 f/2.8 G for use on my Maxxum 9...Boy, does this lens deliver!!! I''ve read great reviews of this lens for years, as I saved up the money to buy it, and how sweet it is to finally own one. Many respected photo mags and websites worldwide have rated this lens very highly, some say it is arguably the best 80-200mm f/2.8 0 as far as optical performance is concerned. I have put the lens through its paces and I can understand why...WOW

Customer Service

Rarely needed, but very fast service the few times I had to use it...

Similar Products Used:

Minolta AF 28-70/2.8 G (great lens, perfect companion to 80-200) Minolta AF 85mm/1.4 G (great low-light performer, tack sharp, still my first choice for studio headshots) Minolta AF 200mm/2.8 APO G

Very Fast AF on my Dynax9, still good on my 600si. It actually AF faster than my Minolta 70-210F4 on my 600si even with the extra weight. Image quality is very good and typical Minolta: Sharp but not over saturated (Canon) and overly contrast (old Nikon). I find the lens very good to handle because of its compact size. It is the shortest, lightest 80-200F2.8 on the market and have a 72mm filter thread. It can be fit vertically in a LowePro Nova 4. I have used a Tokina 80-200F2.8 ATX Pro and the Minolta not only is much better to handle, it also focuses faster (may be around 1.5 time). Compare to the Tokina, the Minolta''s image quality is about the same at the long end, but much better at the short end. The Tokina also flares much more easily than the Minolta.

Noisy AF because of the roller bearings used inside. Rotating front element.

Sharpness is excellent at the short end, still very good at the long end. Good resistence to flare. The lightest, shortest 80-200F2.8 on the market. Good looking lens.

Similar Products Used:

Tokina 80-200F2.8 ATX Pro

Sharp and very clear. Very good resolution.
Well built.
Well color balance
72mm Filter

very expensive compare with Nikon and Canon because no IF no motor in the lens

Who love Minolta don't hesitate to choose it.
The best 80-200 2.8. The AF is too slow for sport photographer.

Customer Service

In Thailand is poor service.

Similar Products Used:

Tokina 80-200 ATX 2.8
Sigma 70-210 2.8 APO
Tamron 70-210 2.8

A very fine and detail lens in terms of naturality and reproduction of vivid splendid colors. Glass stock used within this flagship 'G' lens is of extraordinaire quality.

none

A handcrafted lens built to the utmost highest quality(optical and mechanical). At 80mm it's a superb portrait lens, at 200mm it's a superb telephoto. A versatile zoom it a class by itself.

Similar Products Used:

Canon 80-200L 2.8L EF
Sigma 80-200 2.8 EX
Nikon 80-200 2.8 ED

Excellence in materials and construction. Clarity and coror reproduction reach the top. Focus is rather fast although no internal motor

None

Another top noch G-lens

Customer Service

Never needed

Similar Products Used:

Tokina ATX 80-200 Pro
Sigma 70-200 Ex
Tamron 70-210 SP LD

Great picture quality, sharp and amazing color. Built for tough useage. Fast focus with Maxxum 7

feels shaky when using with Maxxum 7, a little bit loud, heavy, expensive, no internal focus

I have to say the optical quality of this lens is amazing! Pictures came out sharp with great color. I was amazed about the picture quality.

However, the designed of this lens is little bit too old. No internal focus. When using with Maxxum 7, the strong in camera motor made the auto focus some noise and it is annoying. The Focus is very fast with Maxxum 7 though.

If the picture quality is the no. 1 concern, this is the lens. But if you also consider other factors like design, etc, you should think hard before pay $1,200.

For me, I will keep the lens. It is fun to use a tele zoon lens with big aparture.

Customer Service

nonn so far

Similar Products Used:

Nikon 80-200mm f2.8