Every once in a while, a lens surprises me, and this little Minolta is one of them.
When I first picked it up, I assumed it was some sort of inexpensive kit zoom covering the usual wide-angle-to-short-telephoto range. It’s so remarkably small that I didn’t initially realize it was an 80–200mm telephoto zoom.
My copy has seen better days cosmetically. There’s some whitish discoloration on the plastic barrel that I may try cleaning off, but mechanically everything seems fine. Both the focusing and zoom mechanisms operate smoothly.
What surprised me most was the image quality. It’s actually pretty decent! No, this isn’t some undiscovered optical masterpiece, and there’s certainly nothing here to write home about. But considering these lenses seem to sell for somewhere around $10–$30, the results are better than I expected.
The real attraction is the size. It’s an incredibly compact little telephoto zoom that takes up hardly any room in a camera bag.
If you’ve already got a Minolta AF-to-Sony E-mount adapter lying around, this might be worth keeping around for those occasions when you want a little extra reach without carrying a large lens.
The verdict: Cheap, tiny, surprisingly competent. Not particularly exciting, but sometimes that’s enough. For the price of lunch, you could do considerably worse.
A hands-on look at the Minolta Maxxum AF 80–200mm f/4.5–5.6 telephoto zoom, featuring full-resolution sample images and tests of sharpness, bokeh, and contrast.A hands-on look at the Minolta Maxxum AF 80–200mm f/4.5–5.6 telephoto zoom, featuring full-resolution sample images and tests of sharpness, bokeh, and contrast.A hands-on look at the Minolta Maxxum AF 80–200mm f/4.5–5.6 telephoto zoom, featuring full-resolution sample images and tests of sharpness, bokeh, and contrast.A hands-on look at the Minolta Maxxum AF 80–200mm f/4.5–5.6 telephoto zoom, featuring full-resolution sample images and tests of sharpness, bokeh, and contrast.A hands-on look at the Minolta Maxxum AF 80–200mm f/4.5–5.6 telephoto zoom, featuring full-resolution sample images and tests of sharpness, bokeh, and contrast.A hands-on look at the Minolta Maxxum AF 80–200mm f/4.5–5.6 telephoto zoom, featuring full-resolution sample images and tests of sharpness, bokeh, and contrast.A hands-on look at the Minolta Maxxum AF 80–200mm f/4.5–5.6 telephoto zoom, featuring full-resolution sample images and tests of sharpness, bokeh, and contrast.A hands-on look at the Minolta Maxxum AF 80–200mm f/4.5–5.6 telephoto zoom, featuring full-resolution sample images and tests of sharpness, bokeh, and contrast.A hands-on look at the Minolta Maxxum AF 80–200mm f/4.5–5.6 telephoto zoom, featuring full-resolution sample images and tests of sharpness, bokeh, and contrast.A hands-on look at the Minolta Maxxum AF 80–200mm f/4.5–5.6 telephoto zoom, featuring full-resolution sample images and tests of sharpness, bokeh, and contrast.A hands-on look at the Minolta Maxxum AF 80–200mm f/4.5–5.6 telephoto zoom, featuring full-resolution sample images and tests of sharpness, bokeh, and contrast.A hands-on look at the Minolta Maxxum AF 80–200mm f/4.5–5.6 telephoto zoom, featuring full-resolution sample images and tests of sharpness, bokeh, and contrast.A hands-on look at the Minolta Maxxum AF 80–200mm f/4.5–5.6 telephoto zoom, featuring full-resolution sample images and tests of sharpness, bokeh, and contrast.A hands-on look at the Minolta Maxxum AF 80–200mm f/4.5–5.6 telephoto zoom, featuring full-resolution sample images and tests of sharpness, bokeh, and contrast.A hands-on look at the Minolta Maxxum AF 80–200mm f/4.5–5.6 telephoto zoom, featuring full-resolution sample images and tests of sharpness, bokeh, and contrast.A hands-on look at the Minolta Maxxum AF 80–200mm f/4.5–5.6 telephoto zoom, featuring full-resolution sample images and tests of sharpness, bokeh, and contrast.A hands-on look at the Minolta Maxxum AF 80–200mm f/4.5–5.6 telephoto zoom, featuring full-resolution sample images and tests of sharpness, bokeh, and contrast.A hands-on look at the Minolta Maxxum AF 80–200mm f/4.5–5.6 telephoto zoom, featuring full-resolution sample images and tests of sharpness, bokeh, and contrast.A hands-on look at the Minolta Maxxum AF 80–200mm f/4.5–5.6 telephoto zoom, featuring full-resolution sample images and tests of sharpness, bokeh, and contrast.A hands-on look at the Minolta Maxxum AF 80–200mm f/4.5–5.6 telephoto zoom, featuring full-resolution sample images and tests of sharpness, bokeh, and contrast.A hands-on look at the Minolta Maxxum AF 80–200mm f/4.5–5.6 telephoto zoom, featuring full-resolution sample images and tests of sharpness, bokeh, and contrast.A hands-on look at the Minolta Maxxum AF 80–200mm f/4.5–5.6 telephoto zoom, featuring full-resolution sample images and tests of sharpness, bokeh, and contrast.A hands-on look at the Minolta Maxxum AF 80–200mm f/4.5–5.6 telephoto zoom, featuring full-resolution sample images and tests of sharpness, bokeh, and contrast.A hands-on look at the Minolta Maxxum AF 80–200mm f/4.5–5.6 telephoto zoom, featuring full-resolution sample images and tests of sharpness, bokeh, and contrast.A hands-on look at the Minolta Maxxum AF 80–200mm f/4.5–5.6 telephoto zoom, featuring full-resolution sample images and tests of sharpness, bokeh, and contrast.A hands-on look at the Minolta Maxxum AF 80–200mm f/4.5–5.6 telephoto zoom, featuring full-resolution sample images and tests of sharpness, bokeh, and contrast.A hands-on look at the Minolta Maxxum AF 80–200mm f/4.5–5.6 telephoto zoom, featuring full-resolution sample images and tests of sharpness, bokeh, and contrast.
