Photoclubalpha

I was at a concert yesterday night, shooting almost everywhere in the theater. I was to finish to climb a ladder when I feel a little less weight on my camera bag ... and just a micro second I saw a beautiful white lens trying to make is first fly (by forgetting it has no wing ) and BOUM ! and reBOOM on the floor ... Yes your heart stop when you see that ... I think there is some $$$ passing to your mind and in this kind of lens how you will be able to find another one.

I think the lens has fall from almost 4-5 feet directly on the floor.

The result : Nothing ... not event a scratch or a ding ... Like a miracle ... , but like the same miracle I have experiment before two time with my 100mm F/2.0 and a few time with my 28mm 2.0. Those lens have been built like a tank. Even the 85mm D G has fall almost the same one or two times.

I do not recommend try this at home

I'm pretty sure I have been lucky again ... and probably I should be more careful , but in another view, If I'm to protective with my lenses I will never use then in any situation.

Does anybody has experiment same accident with old G lenses ?

Not with a G lens, but with the Minolta 70-210 f/3.5-4.5 (not the beercan) that my secretary dropped while lifting my bag. It was a bit more than 1 meter height. Nothing bad happened (I even suspect it got better )

Sonolta wrote:You guys are lucky! My like new crossed X Minolta 135 2.8 (poor man's G) fell 4 inches onto concrete at a football game and it broke. It tweaked something inside and now focus is sluggish in the close focus range. I have been using my beat up spare 135 (purchased off Dyxum that way) for the last two years and I am actually looking for someone to repair my beautiful copy on the cheap or semi-cheap!

-Sonolta

I was wondering, if you had the lens service manual http://www.dyxum.com/columns/other/pete ... ganzel.asp it might be possible too diagnose the possible cause of the problem, and if it's possible to repair easily....just a thought...
Greg

InTheSky wrote:The result : Nothing ... not event a scratch or a ding ... Like a miracle ...

That's encouraging to know. My 200/2.8 will likely go to Australia with me next month.

Hi! Do you use Minolta TC (1.4 and 2x) with this lens and what do you think about loss of image quality wide open?

The 1.4x is near than perfect. Width open at F/4.0 on A900 at 24mp you can almost see not a big difference. If I have time I will try to post some picture with the 1.4TC on it.

For the 2x it is another story, you can see at almost any aperture under F/8.0 that the TC is there. And I can say that even at F/8.0 you will know that the TC is there. It is not that bad, but far beyond compare to the 1.4x.

For me the 1.4x is a must to have with this lens, and the 2x has no advantage compare to the 1.4x (if you have already the 1.4x).

Unfortunately I have sold the 2x (following my experience with it) but it will be interesting to see at F5.6 or a little more from the same distance of a subject with the A900 (or higher sensor resolution in the APS-C word) that the 200mm + 1.4x will remain better detail resolution than 200mm +2.0x.

Regards,

Frank

Thank you Franck for your very interesting answer. That's exactly what I wanted to know. I've just received a Minolta TC1.4 and you're right concerning image quality: almost no difference even at 100% pixel peeping, amazing! But much slower autofocus

I'll have to get on a ladder and try dropping mine.