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Autofocus

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VMLP 41: Minolta 100mm f2.8 AF Macro (RS)—Sharp as a Tack

2025-02-24
On: February 24, 2025
In: Autofocus, Lens Love, Vintage-Minolta Love

The 100mm f2.8 AF macro lens was one of my earliest purchases.  At the time, my focus was on documenting my garden.   I wanted nice flower pics, and the only lens I owned was an AF 50mm 1.7.   The 7000i that I had recently bought came with twoContinue Reading

VMLP 35: The Minolta AF-C—Seeing is Believing

2024-08-12
On: August 12, 2024
In: Autofocus, Vintage Minolta Love Project, Vintage-Minolta Love

The “Back to Film” wave continues to move along, and as it does, it’s bringing back into use cameras set aside for their digital successors.  The last film cameras I remember from the late 1980s and early 1990s were inexpensive, disposable P&S cameras.  We used these a lot, taking picturesContinue Reading

VMLP 30: The Minolta Maxxum 700si—The One with All the Awards

2023-08-14
On: August 14, 2023
In: Autofocus, Vintage Minolta Love Project, Vintage-Minolta Love

The Minolta 700si won the 1994-1995 EISA award and a few others after its release in 1993. Today it has faded into relative obscurity. Looking at sold listings on eBay, one finds that only a few are sold in any given period. There are YouTube videos, though, so that’s good. At theContinue 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

VMLP 25: Minolta (1985) AF 35-105mm f3.5-4.5—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 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

VMLP 14: Minolta Maxxum 70-210mm (Beercan)—It’s De Rigueur 

2021-09-13
On: September 13, 2021
In: Autofocus, Lens Love, Vintage Minolta Love Project

Get a Minolta Maxxum camera, then ask around about what lenses to buy. If you already have a 50mm lens, the next suggestion will nearly always be “get a Beercan.” I ran into this advice on just about every blog and forum I visited, so the 70-210mm f4 was theContinue Reading

VMLP 10: Minolta 50mm f2.8 Macro (AF) —The Everyday Macro

2021-06-16
On: June 16, 2021
In: Autofocus, Lens Love, Vintage Minolta Love Project

To be honest, the only reason I bought the 50mm f2.8 macro lens was was fear of losing or damaging my 100mm f2.8 macro. I’m almost embarrassed to say this now. The 50mm 2.8 is sharp and handy, and it allows one to shoot from only a few inches away.Continue Reading

VMLP 8: Minolta Maxxum 28-105mm — Very Good, Rarely Mentioned

2021-05-10
On: May 10, 2021
In: Autofocus, Lens Love, Vintage-Minolta Love

This is my first true Lens Love post. My goal is to report my experiences with various lenses, primarily how they work with film. There are many detailed lens reviews available that use digital cameras—and I use those reviews quite often—but digital sensors react to light differently compared to film.Continue Reading

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Ultrafine 400, Alpha 7, Maxxum 50mm, 1.7
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Recent Posts

  • Frame Works? White Flower at + 1.5 Exposure Compensation
  • Season 12, Part 3: The Blessing of May Rains
  • Standing Out From the Crowd
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