Minolta AF Lens 28mm 1:2.8

The lens is used and in good condition. It is a Minolta AF 28mm 1:2.8 lens.

Minolta 28mm f/2

Full-frame MAXXUM AF (1986-2006)

For Minolta and Sony Alpha

Minolta Maxxum 28mm f/2 (newer of two cosmetic versions shown here, metal 55mm filter thread, 1'/0.3m close focus, 9.9 oz./280g,

Is an extremely well made and high-performance fast wide lens for all Sony Alpha and Minolta MAXXUM cameras.

Used on today's Sony A99 it has image stabilization and very fast autofocus.

This Minolta 28mm f/2 works perfectly on today's Sony A99, except that the AF-D Depth Map AF (whatever that is) and the automatic lens corrections don't work. So what, the images look fantastic and everything else works, like face recognition and all the focus modes including Direct Manual Focus (DMF) override, so all is well.

It's a marvel of precision, far better made than the plastic garbage Sony sells today. This lens has a super-smooth and precise focus helicoid and a metal filter thread and hood mount.

In fact, it's all metal except for the plastic outer barrel of this sample of the newer cosmetic version. The original 1986 version may have had an alloy outer barrel for all I know.

This is a full-frame lens for 35mm film and full-frame digital, and will be reviewed thusly. Feel free to use this on cropped-frame cameras, too, on which it will give even closer-cropped results.

Minolta 28mm f/2. enlarge.

Specifications         top

Intro   Specifications   Performance   Recommendations

Name        top

Minolta calls this the MAXXUM AF 28mm f/2 (22).

MAXXUM is Minolta's autofocus brand, also called Dynax outside the US.

The (22) is the smallest f/stop.

Optics        top

9 elements in 9 groups.

Unit focus.

Multicoated, but not particularly well.

Diaphragm        top

Minolta 28mm f/2 at about f/5.6.

7 blades.

Stops down to f/22.

Conventional straight blades in the 1987-1999 version.

Curved blades in the 1999-2006 version shown here.

Coverage        top

35mm film, full-frame and smaller format digital.

Focal Length        top

28mm.

When used on an APS-C style camera, it sees an angle of view similar to what a 45mm lens sees when used on a full-frame or 35mm camera.

Angle of View         top

75.3º on 35mm MAXXUM and full-frame.

Close Focus        top

1 foot (0.3 meters).

Maximum Reproduction Ratio        top

1:7.7 (0.13x).

Hard Infinity Focus Stop?        top

Yes.

This is great for astronomy; just turn to the stop and you have fixed laboratory-perfect focus all night.

Focus Scale        top

Yes.

Depth-of-Field Scale        top

Yes, but compressed.

Infra-Red Focus Index        top

Not on this version.

Yes, on the older version.

Aperture Ring        top

No.

Filter Thread        top

55mm.

Solid alloy.

Does not rotate, but moves in and out as focused.

Size        top

2.6" (67mm) diameter by 1.9" (49 mm) extension from flange.

It gets longer as focused more closely.

Weight        top

9.885 oz. (280.25 g), actual measured.

Minolta specifies 10.0 oz. (285g).

Hood        top

Minolta AF 28 2 with hood.

Plastic bayonet.

Same hood as for AF 35/2 and AF 35/1.4, just marked for 28/2.

Caps        top

55mm snap-in front cap and standard MAXXUM rear cap.

Quality         top

Made in Japan.

Price, USA        top

2013 October: About $500 used if you know How to Win at eBay.

Performance         top

Intro   Specifications   Performance   Recommendations

Overall    Autofocus   Bokeh  Coma  Distortion

Ergonomics   Falloff    Filters   Focus Breathing

Ghosts   Hood    Lateral Color Fringes    Macro

Mechanics   Sharpness   Sunstars   Survivability

Overall      performance     top

The Minolta 28mm f/2 works very well, especially on a Sony A99.

It's super-sharp, well made and has fast enough autofocus on the MAXXUM 7000 and virtually instant AF on the Sony A99.

Autofocus      performance     top

AF Speed

AF speed is very fast on a 2013 Sony A99, and fast on a 1985 Minolta MAXXUM 7000.

One full turn (two half-turns) of the AF screw brings it from infinity down to 2.8 feet.

AF Accuracy

On the Sony A99, focus is always dead-nuts on at f/2; I don't need any AF fine-tuning.

Manual Focus

Manual focus is perfect: smooth and precise.

A 65º turn of the focus ring brings you from infinity to 1 foot (0.3m).

Bokeh      performance     top

On full-frame at closest focus distance at f/2.

Bokeh, the character of out of focus areas, not simply how far out of focus they are, is fair for the background at f/2.

I wouldn't worry about it; nothing is ever much out of focus with a 28mm lens unless you are very close to your subject.

Coma      performance     top

Coma is common in fast wide lenses. It is when points of light turn into weird shapes in the corners, and contributes to the corners blurring at large apertures.

This lens has some coma on full-frame at f/2. It's less at f/2.8, and gone by f/4 or 5.6.

Condition as pictured no screw on filter.