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Lens Love

VMLP 29: The Minolta X-570–Excellent Companion

2023-03-29
On: March 29, 2023
In: Manual, Vintage Minolta Love Project

The X-570 is not flashy. It is best described as a gracious, reliable, helpful companion. It doesn’t chew with its mouth open, expect you to laugh at bad puns, or eat the takeout you tried to hide in the back of the fridge. It is simply there when needed andContinue Reading

Buying Your First Manual-Focus Minolta SLR Film Camera (and Lenses)

2022-12-22
On: December 22, 2022
In: Manual, Vintage-Minolta Love

Manual focus cameras force one to concentrate on the fundamentals of photography. Using a manual focus camera requires a sequence of tasks: compose the image, meter the scene, set the aperture size, set the shutter speed, and shoot. You must be familiar with concepts such as depth of field andContinue Reading

VMLP 28: The Minolta Maxxum 7— I’m Pretty Sure Picard Has One

2022-12-12
On: December 12, 2022
In: Autofocus, Vintage Minolta Love Project

Being in command of an extraordinary machine is an intoxicating experience. I’m a huge Star Trek fan, and the bridge has always held a particular fascination for me. The sense of being in absolute control of an immensely powerful ship–the lights, the screens, the sounds–has never lost its appeal. AlthoughContinue Reading

How I Learned to Appreciate Good Lenses

2022-10-05
On: October 5, 2022
In: Lens Love, Vintage-Minolta Love

My first eBay purchase was a Maxxum 7000i with two lenses: a Minolta 35-80mm and a Minolta 75-300mm from the last generations of Minolta’s AF lenses. At 42.00 for the set, which included a flash, I thought I had done quite well. Generally, I was happy with my purchase, andContinue Reading

VMLP 27: Minolta MC Rokkor-X 80-200mm, f4.5—Better Than Expected (Leica Liked It)

2022-09-12
On: September 12, 2022
In: Lens Love, Manual, Vintage Minolta Love Project

Those following along will remember my quest to try as many Minolta manual zoom lenses as possible. I am doing this for the VMLP and a little bit for the same reason people climb Mt. Everest. However, in the case of the 80-200mm, f4.5, there is a detective story of sorts. When the Minolta-LeicaContinue Reading

VMLP 25: Minolta (1985) AF 35-105mm f3.5-4.54—Buy One (You’ll Thank Me Later)

2022-08-15
On: August 15, 2022
In: Autofocus, Lens Love, Vintage-Minolta Love

The Minolta AF 35-105mm f3.5-4.5 is an oddity. It is widely touted for its sharpness and has an overall rating of 4.64/5 (sharpness, 4.78) on Dyxum, with the main ding against it being relatively poor flare control. I have seen it mentioned glowingly many times in forums. Yet somehow, IContinue Reading

VMLP 23: Minolta AF 28-85mm 3.5-4.5—Not Famous, But Good

2022-06-27
On: June 27, 2022
In: Autofocus, Lens Love, Vintage Minolta Love Project

I had heard good things about the AF 28-85mm 3.5-4.5 lens. However, I never set out to buy one—at least not to use. I purchased an “XX” lens from Goodwill but immediately put it on the shelf with the other hard-to-find “XX” items. Perhaps I would have been tempted toContinue Reading

VMLP 22: MC Rokkor-X PG 58mm 1.2—My Precious

2022-04-11
On: April 11, 2022
In: Lens Love, Manual, Vintage Minolta Love Project

Just to be clear, I never imagined owning an MC Rokkor-X 58mm f1.2 lens. I always saw it as too exotic, too far beyond my simple needs. Occasionally, I take it out of its storage case, stare at it, and then gently put it back. A bold streak hit meContinue Reading

VMLP 20: The Minolta MD Zoom 35-135mm, f3.5-4.5—The Jury is Still Out

2022-03-14
On: March 14, 2022
In: Lens Love, Vintage Minolta Love Project

The Minolta MD Zoom 35-135mm came to my attention through a forum discussion about zoom lenses. Only one of the discussants had heard of or used the lens. At the time (spring 2019), the only images I could find were the few supplied in the forum discussion and this reviewContinue Reading

VMLP 16: Minolta (1985) AF 35-70mm f4–Short and Sweet

2021-10-20
On: October 20, 2021
In: Autofocus, Lens Love, Vintage Minolta Love Project

Look through enough forum posts (there are very few reviews of Minolta AF lenses), and you will likely come across a favorable mention of the 35-70mm f4. It is a good performer that is widely available and costs very little. When putting together a newbie Maxxum camera kit, having theContinue Reading

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Minolta Guides and Info

  • Buying and Collecting Minolta: A Guide for Newbies
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  • Minolta Cameras, Lenses, and Gear: Books, Guides, References, Magazines, and Links
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Recent Posts

  • Still Life Daydream
  • Going Back to the High Museum 
  • Jazz in Pictures—Two Very Good Books!
  • Lime in the Afternoon
  • Memories of Boulevard St Germain
  • Minolta Semi P—Second Time, New Troubles 
  • For the Birds, 2023
  • Old Fourth Ward Park—From Eyesore to Gathering Place
  • Reflection
  • VMLP 29: The Minolta X-570–Excellent Companion
  • After the Polar Vortex, Survival is The Best Revenge
  • Bubblicious or Development Woe???
  • Overwintering
  •  First Look–2x Teleconverters and +2 Close-up Filters

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