Found a loose 28-70mm FE

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peterottaway
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Re: Found a loose 28-70mm FE

Unread post by peterottaway »

You never can tell for certain but these kit lenses are almost,almost always bought in from the "others". To put it politely. And assembled from bits and pieces manufactured in places and by companies you have never heard of.

This lens does give the impression that it was designed in a hurry by an outside contractor. If Sony does intend to introduce up to 15 lenses in not much more than a year, it means not only would Sonys resources be tied up but also all their top line contractors as well.

All this doesn't mean that Sony have an excuse, as it is Sonys name on the lens and they are not putting it out as an absolute bargain basement offering. Given that Sony has been copping some well deserved criticism for lack of decent QC standards you would have thought they would have been making more of an effort.
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Re: Found a loose 28-70mm FE

Unread post by David Kilpatrick »

Peter, I disagree on this. No outside contractor is using any design technology like this lens and I'm pretty sure there will be Sony patents covering it if anyone has the time and know-how to track them down (patents which were 'revealed' by SAR appear to be for a different lens). As for manufacture, the current position is that Sigma, Tamron, Shanghai optical, Sony Thailand and their contractors, CZ's China mainland operation, former Minolta optical works and Sony's own plant in Japan are all making lenses. Hoya/Tokina could also be making stuff for them now and there is a suggestion that Olympus might make components or assemblies, though I think they are actually keeping Olympus separate.

Since this and the CZ feature non-hybrid aspherical elements they could be made by Sigma, but the design is not entirely like anything else around. And they don't say anything at all about plastics. I believe some of the performance issues can be put down to using aspherics computed for best full aperture perforance.

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Re: Found a loose 28-70mm FE

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This lens can not be bad: it is labeled "G"!
;-)
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Re: Found a loose 28-70mm FE

Unread post by David Kilpatrick »

No, it's not a G - the 18-105mm is a G. The 28-70mm is unlabelled with any designation. I thought it was a G, but it looks as if Sony had a design for a 28-70mm f/4 G which has been replaced by this 28-70mm f/3.5-5.6 (SAR showed a patent diagram for the 28-70mm f/4).

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Greg Beetham
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Re: Found a loose 28-70mm FE

Unread post by Greg Beetham »

Vidgamer I’m sure Henry found some diagrams of the FE lens design someplace and I can’t remember what thread it was in.

Pako the model can’t be a true ‘G’ calling it that has to be a marketing gimmick, all ‘G’ class zooms that I can remember were constant aperture.

David not only the ‘former’ Minolta optical works makes camera lenses the current KM one does as well, http://www.konicaminolta.com/opt/produc ... index.html I don’t believe the Minolta optical works ever left KM in the first place.
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Re: Found a loose 28-70mm FE

Unread post by pakodominguez »

David Kilpatrick wrote:No, it's not a G - the 18-105mm is a G. The 28-70mm is unlabelled with any designation. I thought it was a G, but it looks as if Sony had a design for a 28-70mm f/4 G which has been replaced by this 28-70mm f/3.5-5.6 (SAR showed a patent diagram for the 28-70mm f/4).

David
You are right.
The G lens is (will be) the 70-200 f4 (http://www.sony.net/Products/di/en-us/p ... 0200g.html)
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Re: Found a loose 28-70mm FE

Unread post by pakodominguez »

Greg Beetham wrote: Pako the model can’t be a true ‘G’ calling it that has to be a marketing gimmick, all ‘G’ class zooms that I can remember were constant aperture.
G is as marketing gimmick as L on the Canon lineup.
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bfitzgerald
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Re: Found a loose 28-70mm FE

Unread post by bfitzgerald »

pakodominguez wrote:
Greg Beetham wrote: Pako the model can’t be a true ‘G’ calling it that has to be a marketing gimmick, all ‘G’ class zooms that I can remember were constant aperture.
G is as marketing gimmick as L on the Canon lineup.
It works though Canon sell a lot of L lenses and the red ring is desired by many
I've had another look at DK's shots and there is something very wrong going on there, only the very middle portion of the image is sharp it's quite terrible outside that area. I would be amazed if that's the norm for such a lens must be something wrong in the elements or something.
classiccameras
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Re: Found a loose 28-70mm FE

Unread post by classiccameras »

At least my Sony Alpha 18-135 says made in Japan, and I read some where its made in house by Sony.
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Re: Found a loose 28-70mm FE

Unread post by David Kilpatrick »

I have a replacement one now from Cardiff Camera Centre who had some kits to split. This one is completely different, effectively perfect as far as I can tell from indoor snaps while the wind and rain rages outside (just quietened down, may even manage an outdoor shot today...)

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Re: Found a loose 28-70mm FE

Unread post by classiccameras »

From what understand looking at the KM lens Web sites, the 'G' letter on Minolta lenses signifies a higher standard optically and build quality, and the 'D' letter was for some of the cheaper basic range, although not all budget KM lenses carried the 'D'.
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Re: Found a loose 28-70mm FE

Unread post by pakodominguez »

classiccameras wrote:From what understand looking at the KM lens Web sites, the 'G' letter on Minolta lenses signifies a higher standard optically and build quality, and the 'D' letter was for some of the cheaper basic range, although not all budget KM lenses carried the 'D'.
D?
DT probably? and it stand for lenses for "digital" (APS sensor size) there are some DT lenses that are cheap, like the kit lens (17-70 on the KM era, 17-55 on the Sony era) but there are pretty decent DT lenses, like the SAL1650; SAL16105 or the Zeiss SAL1680Z
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Greg Beetham
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Re: Found a loose 28-70mm FE

Unread post by Greg Beetham »

I still have my Minolta lens instruction leaflets that came with the lenses, they numbered those on the bottom of the front cover. I have two #3 and two #4 that give instructions on a list of lenses also printed on the front cover and two #2 and strangely both of those list a different set of lenses.
One of the #2’s came with the 100 Macro lens and the heading says AF LENSES and then listed underneath is the three lenses it gives instructions about.
The other #2 must have come with the KM18-200 because the heading says AF DT ZOOM LENSES and it also gives instructions on three lenses.

This is how they list the lens models:
AF DT Zoom 11-18mm f/4.5-5.6 (D)
AF DT Zoom 18-70mm f/3.5-5.6 (D)
AF DT Zoom 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 (D)

What it says about the DT is this: “The AF DT Zoom lenses are designed for Konica Minolta digital SLR cameras equipped with an APS-C size CCD. The image circle of the lens is insufficient for 35mm film cameras.”
The (D) is for distance encoding, the flashes of the same period also carried the (D), such as 3600HS(D).

When it comes to G lenses (I have none) I have a Minolta system brochure of a period where the G is the last thing in the model description, but then I have a slightly later stock list for lenses where a couple of G lenses had been updated for the (D) distance encoder then that is the last thing in the model description, or appears to be, it’s only a printed stock list not an official brochure. The 85mm G prime seems to be the first that received the update so its model description would probably have been AF 85mm f/1.4 G (D).
In the 1992 brochure I have none of the G lenses had yet received the (D) upgrade, or any of the standard lenses either, the 100-300 APO is there also without the (D).
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Re: Found a loose 28-70mm FE

Unread post by Heidfirst »

Iirc ADI [& hence (D) in lens names] came in with the Dynax 7 in ~2001.
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