Minolta MD 28-85 zoom lens.
I'm usually a prime lens guy, but over the past few years, I've learned to embrace zoom lenses for certain tasks and situations. In my last blog post I talked a bit about my third Minolta XD body in my fleet, a chrome XD-11. Now here's the lens I popped on for the test drive, the Minolta MD 28-85 F3.5-4.5 Macro zoom.
These lenses were gaining in popularity into the 1980s as a growing number of customers wanted "one lens that can do almost anything." Well, such a lens would invite engineering compromises but Minolta proved really good at their zoom lenses, the 28-85 along with the MD 75-150 F4 and the MD 70-210 F4 was sharp glass.
My experience with the 28-85 delivered almost perfect results save for tiny bit of vignetting at the 28mm position. That back be solved with some careful cropping. From what I read on the Rokkor Files and elsewhere, this lens has a steller reputation as a strong performer. Ok, the lens ain't all that fast but as a vacation lens coupled with an X-570 or X-700. You have a combo that won't give you a bad back or having to change lenses quite as often.
Camera: Minolta XD-11, Minolta MD 28-85 F3.5-4.5 Macro Zoom lens.
Film: Kodak Max 400,
These lenses were gaining in popularity into the 1980s as a growing number of customers wanted "one lens that can do almost anything." Well, such a lens would invite engineering compromises but Minolta proved really good at their zoom lenses, the 28-85 along with the MD 75-150 F4 and the MD 70-210 F4 was sharp glass.
My experience with the 28-85 delivered almost perfect results save for tiny bit of vignetting at the 28mm position. That back be solved with some careful cropping. From what I read on the Rokkor Files and elsewhere, this lens has a steller reputation as a strong performer. Ok, the lens ain't all that fast but as a vacation lens coupled with an X-570 or X-700. You have a combo that won't give you a bad back or having to change lenses quite as often.
Camera: Minolta XD-11, Minolta MD 28-85 F3.5-4.5 Macro Zoom lens.
Film: Kodak Max 400,
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