Minolta 35-200 mini review

Today I take a look at the second lens in my “vintage/older” lenses series.
The Minolta 35-200 F4.5-F5.6.

35_200xi_1

 

Lens : Minolta 35-200mm F4.5 – F5.6
Year : app 1990’s
Price paid : 55.00 EURO
Place bought : Marktplaats/Ebay

Sanne Februari 23-084-EditI bought this lens as a walk around lens and for this price I could not let it pass. Now I’ve tested some “megazooms” in the past and actually never kept one. There was always a reason why I loved them, but there were always more reasons why I did not, or one reason (image quality, AF speed) why I did not.

 

The funny thing about this lens is that it actually shows you that it is possible to create a “megazoom” without sacrificing too much on image quality, now don’t get me wrong, this is not a lens that is razor sharp wide open which is of course what you can expect, HOWEVER having said that it’s MUCH sharper than any other “megazoom” I ever tested, and because the AF is also fast enough I’m almost 100% sure that this cheap lens will be my new walk around lens.

 

Now some would say, “why would you want such a lens if you own the Zeiss 24-70 f2.8?”
Well I understand the question, however I often find that I do miss shots with the Zeiss because it only has a reach of 70mm, somehow I always see stuff that’s close that I love and stuff that’s further away that I love, and changing lenses constantly is not an option for me, I want to leave my hotel and walk around without a bag, just one lens one camera, and that often means I do miss some shots (or have to crop a lot). So a good “superzoom” is great if it delivers good images. And with this kind of shots I don’t mind a little bit less sharpness I just want a good image quality and large reach, does the Minolta give me this?

 

Image quality and handling
Image quality of the 35-200 is good, it’s not stellar but it beats the alternatives hands down, I think you can compare it with a good 3rd party 28-75 lens. It’s usable wide open and stopped down it’s sharp as a tack. There is some CA in the images but this is removed 100% by LightRoom so that’s not a real issue. What I do like about this lens (again) is the 3D look it gives, it’s not as nice as the 135mm f2.8 but it’s so much better than what I expected.

 

The only thing that does is a bit weird/getting used to from this lens is the power zoom, yeah you read it correctly, there is a ring around the lens and by turning that ring the lens will zoom automatically, same goes for manual focus (pull it back and turn). Now this sounds like a nice gadget option (and it is) but if I have to say something negative about the lens than this is it. I’ve now used the lens for a studio session and almost got used to the powerzoom so I’m sure that it will be ok in a while but I still find that the negative thing about the lens (it can break).

 

Now what really stood out for me where the colors of the lens, I LOVE them.
Here you see a sample of straight out of the camera and the retouched version with just a touch of Alien Skin exposure 4.

Sanne buiten Februari 23 2013_-3OC

Sanne buiten Februari 23 2013_-3 edit
In the studio the lens performed really nice, thanks to the A99 focus was snappy although I did hunt sometimes with high contrast lighting setups, but what’s to expect for a F5.6 lens (on 200mm) outside the lens snapped into focus very quickly and that’s where I will be using this lens.
Some studio shots with the lens.

Sanne Februari 23-291-Edit

Sanne Februari 23-262-Edit

Conclusion
For the price I paid this is a no brainer.
If you want a great walk around lens and you don’t need a fast lens this is without a doubt a great alternative to everything on the market in that reach. If you want topnotch quality wide open you will have to go for the 24-70 f2.8 and 70-200 f2.8 but that means carrying a bag, and with this lens you’re very “stealth” (although you hear the powerzoom) because even at 200mm people will not think you’re shooting so “close” and that’s something I love about it.

 

Image quality is good to very good when stopped down, AF speed is good enough.
The only thing is the power zoom but when you get used to it it’s something that you can live with it.
As walk around lens I love this one.
Next week I will bring it with me to Birmingham and start testing it on the street, so expect a second blog post about it.

 

ADDED:
Used the lens today and I can confirm the lens is razorsharp and the the 3D look and colors are outstanding, I’m really surprised you can score this lens for around 50.00 euro, it’s without any doubt in a totally different league than the Sigmas and Tamrons in that range.

 

Here one shot we took during a walk around where you can clearly see the depth and colors, this is straight out of the camera.
UK Maart 1-2 2013 (160 of 201)-Edit

 

10 replies
  1. Freddy
    Freddy says:

    Frank; I don’t suppose the people at Canon are too happy with your decision to switch to Sony…..oh, well…..competition is good for the consumer. 🙂 This model is hot.

    • Frank Doorhof
      Frank Doorhof says:

      Well I always worked with great pleasure with the guys from Canon the Netherlands and who knows what the future will bring, but for the moment I’m 100% Sony for the DSLR part of our work.

  2. Mike Masters
    Mike Masters says:

    Thank you Frank. Another informative and well-written review! It is interesting to see somebody take an interest in the older lenses that usually get forgotten about. Great subject!

  3. Floris
    Floris says:

    I have acquired this lens from a friend and I wonder what mount it is (It used to be on a Canon) and what adapter I could use to mount it on a canon EF-S if it is possible.

  4. Tony
    Tony says:

    Hi Frank,
    Both your articles on the older Minolta AF (135 & 35 200 XI) are so informative & enjoyable that I have read them several times, thank you .

    With the help of a repair manual, I was able to open a 35 200 XI and degrease (all the blades removed , cleaned & degreased) the aperture assembly ,but…..
    three screws that hold the front lens assembly was locked with anti shake compound .It is difficult(impossible) to unscrew them with out damaging the threads on the plastic tube.

    So even though my lens is working properly , I feel it is not as robust as before.

    If yours has a snappy aperture, it is likely to stay that way if keep it from excessive heat (eg. hot car parked with rolled up windows). Unfortunately, my example has a lot of grease applied to the auto focus gear train & the internal focus assembly which is situated close to the aperture disc.

    Have you explored the manual zoom option 0n your 35 200 lens?, By selecting “MZ” on the sliding switch on the side of the lens, the front of the lens is now free to rotate & zoom (where the filter fits).

    Now you no longer have to worry about disturbing the zoom setting while you grip the rubber sleeve to steady the lens.

    Kind regard
    Tony

    • Frank Doorhof
      Frank Doorhof says:

      I loved that lens but can’t use it on the A7 series anymore 🙁
      It doesn’t operate the motor, which is a shame because I still think it’s one of the best “superzooms” I ever tried.

    • Tony
      Tony says:

      Hi Frank,

      If you select MZ (manual Zoom) on the lens, your hand is the motor. Just twist the front & the lens will zoom (Magic)

      I much prefer to use mine this way on my A99.

      But you will need an adaptor for your A7 that will drive the pure mechanical internal focus though.

      Thank you again for your great articles

      Tony

  5. Vaughan Brean
    Vaughan Brean says:

    Just bought one of these for my A68 and its excellent, I actually really like the powerzoom, I like it so much I have bought another 🙂

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