28-70G on the road to meet my A900...

[InTheSky]

Hello,

After reading some user review about the 28-70G on the A900 ... i have decided to give it a second chance. In the Past i have got this beautiful lens for my Minolta 7D and make come tested between the 28-75D. The result was that the difference for the price was not really there. The G lens was constant center to corner in almost every range of zoom, but the speed of focus and the missing of close focus made me voted for the 28-75D.

You probably know, I'm a sick man searching all the time for lens that will bring me the maximum of image quality. And ... the 28-75D know on the A900 is good ... but not as it was use on the A700. So... I want to give this second chance to the 28-70G to impress me.

In the past, i was not really looking at the Bokeh of the lens ... and know this is some thing I'm starting to look ( learning photography ).

I have got the lens on Ebay this morning from a Canadian seller, in this case i can reserve an extra money bidding because I'm saving Taxes Border ( and believe me Canadian Border are like people that haven't eat since a long time and need money ... ). This make me bid for an extra 100 US $ on the lens. Result : 730 US for a Mint condition 28-70G, with only the lens hood that is very used and almost has a small crack on it.

Am I rich to buy this kind of lens ? The answer is no, like all my other lenses, i don't have the money in fact to own it ... but I'm reselling it when i have finished to play with them. There is no rental place yet in Montreal to try Minolta lenses (like Nikon and Canon), so my rental system is Ebay Some time if I'm lucky I'm making a small % on reselling it, but usually is the inverse, but at the end, it cost about the price i was renting the lens.

The guy is supposed to ship the lens tomorrow morning, and if the Shipping 48h is right, i should received the lens for Christmas ... in stead of that i will be on Dec 27th (my birthday ! ). I'm promised you to make to tested and post it on Pbase. If you have any suggestion, just let me know and i will check what i can do for it.

Regards,

Frank

[Dr. Harout]

I just love and respect your enthusiasm, Frank.
Waiting for your shots with your new toy and congratulations in advance mon ami.

[bossel]

Joyeux noël and post some of your christmas tree!!

[Dr. Harout]

Joyeux noël and post some of your christmas tree!!

Thomas, between us, he spent all his money on A900 and old lenses, so no more for the Christmas tree.

Oh, Frank, never mind the tree, you can still shoot your neighbor's tree...

[InTheSky]

Happy new year every one !

I wish you beautiful shots ! and to enjoy every photographic moment.

For the beautiful and incredible G lens ... well, this lens is very good, but ...

Story: (sorry again for my English writing, but I'm trying to improve, please feel free to correct me on my mistake, this will help me for future writing)

On December 24th, this is crazy snow storm outside and I'm deciding to come home earlier (finished at 13h, instead of 18h ...). I have already checked the Tracking number and the lens is waiting for me at the post office. 15h, I'm getting the lens at the post office, very small box ... (i was thinking the box will be bigger).

At home, I'm deciding to not open the box, this will be a kind of Christmas GIFT, so I leaving the box beside the tree.

On December 25th, this is Xmas ! i can open my lens package. I'm happy, the package is small, but very well packed. The G lens is in my hand, this old piece of good Minolta engineering (size of the lens never change, double aperture for ... hum i don't know in fact ). First thing to do when you received a lens from Ebay:

- Coating check under different light : CHECK
- Lens surface (back front ) : CHECK (the ebay description advice about some hair cleaning scratch on the front element)
- able to move the aperture manually : CHECK
- Contact corrosion : CHECK
- Zoom control : CHECK (no strange sound, or blocking)
- Focus ring movement : OUPS ! , it is loose ... hum ... it is looks like that this is not a easy fix ... , check and recheck, there is no way to open easily the lens and do own repair.
- Filter thread : CHECK, but again, the same loose movement than focus ring. well ... i don't like it ...
- All the front glass is not moving like the focus ring or the filter thread : The lens design looks like to protect the inside lens from the outside. This means the optic system don't seams to be affected.

Now I'm ready, i will put the lens on the first Full Frame DSLR Minolta A-mount.

Feeling : On the 7D before, the lens feels heavy and big, now on the A900 it feels like home.

Power on: the lens move greatly, the focus is working, aperture check 2.8 to 22, ok.

I'm going to my PC and I'm writing a message to the seller about the lens condition, and my deception.

I'm playing with the lens for about 2h , outside shot, inside shot, focus (oups ... it focus not closer at my 28-75D, i know ... but it is more present because now the field of view is greater than on the Crop 1.5x ... and you want to include more you subject). I don't see a very big difference between the 5mm of field of view (70 vs 75).

Ok ..i don't want to do it ... but a lot a people will like it, I'm setupping my Tripod and prepare a compare series of picture at 28mm, 40mm, 55mm, 70mm (in fact I'm basing my angle of view on the library).

First observation, the 28-75D is giving about 1/3 of stop more light. I don't know why, but i have already saw that on my first comparison in the past. (same thing where the 24-70mm EX DG of sigma took more light than the 28-75D lens).

Focus, the 28-75D is focusing every time on the good spot, the 28-70G is missing some time the target, even with is slow focus. BUT ! just to let you know that the Focus speed on the G lens is very faster compare to what i have got first on the 7D in the past.

Here is the result, Enjoy : http://www.pbase.com/nadeauf/2870g_vs_2875da900

I have reduced the 24mp picture to 12mp (space ... $$$ ). In ligthroom, i have increased the level of the G lens to have an histogram identical to the 28-75D.


12 hours later, the lens is in the box, for return to the seller. He is telling me that this will help him not to buy the Zeiss lens and wait bit longer. On my side ... i know the 28-70G is incredible in detail from center to almost the end, but ... my budget telling me that my 275$ Ebay deal on the 28-75D lens can do the job when I'm not using prime lenses ... But in fact ... i will miss again the G lens , and probably will fall in love again and need it beside me, but next time.

That's it

Thank you for your time,

Frank

[Javelin]

Aww thats too bad it didn't work out. will you try another one you think ?

[Javelin]

you don;t use zooms for your sports stuff at all? just primes ?

[David Kilpatrick]

Frank, your 28-75mm D looks very poor - I would never have kept mine if the image had been doubled and soft at one side. There are better 28-75mm D examples out there! But the G lens looks excellent, as expected.

David

[InTheSky]

you don;t use zooms for your sports stuff at all? just primes ?

I'm not shooting to much sport, and yes i prefer to shoot with prime. There is a lot of dust in my camera .

I don't know why, but i love to have to move and try to anticipate what will happen and think about the good lens to put on my camera. Yes I'm missing probably more shot than zoom shooter.

But there is exception, like in long travel, I'm most of the time bringing only my 18-200mm Minolta with my A700 for the size and weight.

I love too much small depth of field, and usually zoom lens cannot give me in the same quality ( except for the 28-70G... ).

He is my Photo setup for almost 90% of my shot (and 100% of low light rock shows):

(image from website store ...)

Lower Pro slingshot 100 AW with inside it :

- Small lens pocket attached to the side of the A100 bag

• - Tamron 15mm F/2.8

- Lens/Camera compartment :

• - 28mm F/2.0
• - 50mm F/1.4
• - 100mm F/2.0 , or 85mm F/1.4 (this depend how i feel ... but I'm thinking of selling the 1.4 ... ).
• - 200mm F/2.8 + 1.4x II adapter
• - Sony A900

- Small storage pocket:

• - Minolta : 55mm and 72mm Circular Polarized filter + same set of ND4 filter.
• - Extra battery
• - USB / Video cable
• - Sony IR remote controle
• - RC-1000 S cable
• - Adapter to standard flash TTL shoes.
• - Minolta flash stand (this is good when I'm using the A700 in flash wireless mode)

- Large storage pocket:

• - Minolta 5600HS
• - Elastic soft diffuser
• - Minolta Flash cable (the one you put on your camera and connect to the side of the Minolta flash, to extend the flash in one hand on the top of my head).
• - One set of 4xAA batteries

- Attached to the back of the Bag :

• - Gorillapod Flexible Tripod (the stronger one)

The marvelous thing with the slingshot bag is that when I'm shooting, I'm leaving all the compartment inside the bag open and i moving the bag in front of my stomach. With this setup, i can switch almost quickly from one lens to other. I can even use the bag as a kind of monopod support by placing my two or one arm on it.

The bag is very small, and it is almost impossible to think that all this stuff is inside it (Thanks to very small size of the Minolta lenses, one of the main reason why i love too much this brand).

Yes ... i have a lot of other lens in my house ... but, they are for specific events.

Regards,

Frank

[InTheSky]

Frank, your 28-75mm D looks very poor - I would never have kept mine if the image had been doubled and soft at one side. There are better 28-75mm D examples out there! But the G lens looks excellent, as expected.

David

Yes in the left side, there is kind of blur with the D lens, and the good things is that the G lens confirm that is almost a lens problem (instead of a misalign sensor, fiouf ! ).

Certain, my D lens is not good for perfect landscape shot, but i will think if i will sell it or not. For usual shot with subject in the center, there is not big difference with a good one i think. (or ... this will be a next selling item on ebay, who knows ).

Regards,

Frank

[Dr. Harout]

Frank...I use the AW100 and usually my setup is this...

A700
11-18 Sony
24 1.8 Sigma
50 1.7 Minolta
50 1.7 Minolta + Oly A200 (Gives me 75 f1.7 sharp enough in the center)
100 Macro Plastic Fantastic
135 2.8 Minolta
One of these 3 depending on the shoot (Beercan, Siggy 70-300 APO DG Macro, Tok 80-200 2.8 ATX Pro)...With the Tokina I need another pouch or cargo pants to carry that one...or I bring my backpack bag if needed.

2 CL49-200's
15 Filters and CL's
Remote Shorty and Longy and the Wireless
Batteries
Cables
Blower
Lens Brush
Other Junk

Yep...lots of stuff fits into the AW100.

I need to add one of those gorilla pods or similar to my kit soon and on sport shoots I bring 2 cameras and leave much of the kit I listed above at home.

-Sonolta

Just add a Lens Pen. My advice, you won't regret it.

[stevecim]

Sonolta or anyone, what's a Oly A200?

Cheers, Stephen