Minolta 100 400 apo lens review
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Konica Minolta may no longer be in the camera business officially (at least for the time being) but that doesn't mean they aren't in many of the hearts and minds of the photographers who still use their equipment. With 17 million lenses available still on the used market (the number at least in 2006 when they handed Sony the business), that means that a great deal of lenses not only still exist, but that there is quite a range to choose from. And out of that range stand out a few classic Minolta lenses that are wildly popular in the "KM" A-Mount community. One such lens is the Konica Minolta 100-300mm APO, which has seen two different versions with the "D" version being one of Konica Minolta's last and the subject of this review. "This lightweight and compact 3X telephoto zoom lens has a circular aperture and two AD (Anomalous-Dispersion) glass elements to correct chromatic aberrations. It delivers defocusing effects and photographic results that feature remarkable high contrast and high resolution. The advanced focus ring has been widened and will not rotate while in AF. The lens is equipped with a focus-hold button and focus-range limiter for reduced focusing time and improved operation." The question is, does the "APOD" live up to its popularity and KM's marketing? Let's just put it this way- out of the hundreds of lenses I've used from all manufactures on film and digital SLR cameras, no one lens impressed me with color and contrast more right away than the 100-300mm APO D. It took all of fifteen minutes of shooting and reviewing to know that I had my hands on something special. But lets not leave things there. Also in all of the reviews I've done, I typically take much more time to test and evaluate a lens or camera prior to publishing a review. Yet this lens by far holds the record for shortest time used vs. the review going to publication. It won me over so fast I just had to share my thoughts with readers ASAP. This may not be a long review, but sometimes short and sweet is just the way it needs to be. With the going used prices ranging from $200-600 USD, the APOD is still considered affordable by most standards. So with that said lets get on with it. The images for this review were made with the Maxxum 7D DSLR. Konica Minolta 100-300mm APO D f4.5-5.6 Lens Review: Introduction and First Impressions Zoom Range and Macro Area- Here are two shots showing the range of zoom which equates to 150-450mm on an APS-C sized sensor. These shots were made nearly 100 yards away yet, look at the detail! Well suited for sports shooting in the stands (small and discreet, easy to get in). Konica Minolta 100-300mm APO D f4.5-5.6 Lens Review: Size, Handling, and Features The size of the Konica Minolta 100-300mm APO D f4.5-5.6 Lens is very welcome. It's not too short or stubby to sacrifice handling, and much smaller than other lenses with this zoom range that cover full frame sized sensors. It's half the size and weight of the legendary 70-300mm Beercan, for example. Here are some size comparison images of the APOD. Handling wise this lens makes a perfect match to a KM 7D or larger than average DSLR or SLR camera. Even though it's not an internal zoom lens, extending the APOD to 300mm does not shift balance to the front of the lens- this is very important. The inner tube and front element/hood are light enough not to affect handling and when shooting moving subjects handling is vitally important. Konica Minolta 100-300mm f/4.5-5.6 APO D vs Sony 70-300mm G Prices Holding the APOD in the left hand is very comfortable, it has nice soft rounded edges with excellent rubber on the focus and zoom rings- both of which are spacious and easy to operate. This lens is a joy to use in every aspect, it has no weakness worth mentioning in this regard. That doesn't happen often. Features wise the APOD isn't going to thrill you but it's got good stuff where it counts. Here is a photo montage of the APOD's features w/captions: Konica Minolta 100-300mm f/4.5-5.6 APO D vs Sony 70-300mm G Prices Overall the APOD is built rather fine. The exterior finish is a smooth black satin finish that matches the back panel of the KM 7D DSLR. The lens exhibits no zoom creep under gravity, very little wobble of the lens tube fully extended, and the mount is metal. Zoom and focus rings operate tightly but smoothly, and precise manual focusing is a pleasure. The front element housing is plastic, and so is the lens hood (a bit thinner than makes me comfortable on both counts). So be gentle with the front. Konica Minolta 100-300mm APO D f4.5-5.6 Lens Review: Image Quality Not only is the build quality extremely excellent on this lens, the weight is minimal, the size compact but the ace in the hole of this lens is the color and contrast. I've not been so blown away by the clarity and color of a lens like this since I reviewed Zeiss 24-70mm f/2.8 lens. Absolutely impressive and inspiring. I'll simply want to use a telephoto lens much more often as a result. Note that contrast and sharpness both increase up to f/8/9 which seems to be the sweet spot of this lens, but it's not bad at f/5.6 either. Bokeh too, is absolutely acceptable. On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the king of all Bokeh , the 135mm STF, I'd give the APOD a very solid and impressive 8.5 rating (with the beercan getting the same or slightly lower overall rating- for comparison). The sharpness too is quite excellent however, At f/5.6 or wide open at f/4.5 the APO D 100-300mm lens is already quite good, stop it down to f/8 and you'll see the kind of magic that only the highest priced lenses can give. The contrast is on par with Zeiss, the color on par with the best of the G lenses- all at a fraction of the price. CA's (color fringing), flare etc, are superbly controlled, and that includes internal reflections as well. This lens is definitely at home on film or digital cameras- very modern optics that perform quite well! This is one of those lenses you'll spend a lot less time correcting color, or distortions in post. That saves you a lot of time and to me is invaluable. The lens comes with great optics (with two APO elements to combat CA's), it doesn't need in camera digital manipulation or post process manipulation to make images look great- undeniably excellent. Konica Minolta 100-300mm f/4.5-5.6 APO D vs Sony 70-300mm G Prices Konica Minolta 100-300mm APO D f4.5-5.6 Lens Review: Final Conclusion Konica Minolta 100-300mm f/4.5-5.6 APO D vs Sony 70-300mm G Prices This is the best value in a lens that I've come across yet, it definitely takes the king title. This is also a lens that I will never part with. Although it doesn't see its optimum sharpness till about f/8 or f/9 it's quite lovely at f/5.6 and it's a great moon shooter as well (especially on higher resolution bodies). It seems to be even sharper at 300mm than at 100, but the range in sharpness isn't that great. APOD's aren't abundant and of course there are sample variations, but from what I've seen on my copy, the performance of this lens is actually better in some ways (and not in good in others) than Sony's 70-300mm G lens that will cost you at least double for the condition I bought mine in. Both have mechanical focus hold buttons, but the G gives you SSM focusing. I'll lose that no problem for better optical performance in some regards, and the lower price. Speed wise they are very similar, sharpness very similar. I don't know why I haven't searched out this lens before, although I knew quite well of its existence. I guess I was a bit hesitant to try it considering I wasn't all that impressed with its cousin, the 100-400mm APO. The question is, is this lens for you. If so, my advice is don't chimp, get the best looking one you can in the best condition possible. Just watch out for robbers and the occasional sub par sample. A good copy should cost from 350-500.00 and is worth every penny. I'm simply numbed from the output for the price. Not only did I get very lucky to find this lens, and lucky to find it for the price I paid, but now that I've reviewed what it can do I'm simply at a loss of words. After testing this lens I'd gladly pay 400-600 dollars for it. And here I thought my new like new condition beercan was great. It is, yet the APO simply blows it away in terms of lack of nearly any CA's (color fringing distortion), the increase in contrast, and holds its own when compared to the beercans color rendition, macro capabilities, and bokeh. The coatings on this lens and the APO elements produce some of the finest image quality I've seen from any DSLR lens in quite some time. My advice is to scoop up an APO D 100-300mm before they are gone. Remember to be sure and get the D model as the standard APO is a different model and you gain some features such as ADI and larger front focusing ring. |
