Are Sigma lens as warm as Minolta and Sony lens

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Edward
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Are Sigma lens as warm as Minolta and Sony lens

Unread post by Edward »

Many say that Minolta and Sony lens have a color warmth they don't see in lens from other manufacturers. I only have one Sigma lens so I don't have a feel for this. Does anyone have thoughts on how the sony 70-200 F/2.8 and Sony 70-400 lens compare to the Sigma equivalents? -- The cost difference is pretty large.
peterottaway
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Re: Are Sigma lens as warm as Minolta and Sony lens

Unread post by peterottaway »

Minolta made claims for colour matching with its older MC/MD lenses. Not so with the A mount and Sony have sourced their lenses from several different sources as well as having different lines. The Sony Zeiss lenses are supposedly developed around Zeiss lens coatings and the Sony may be using a common coating specification for the G lenses etc. But where they are offered an all ready mostly developed lens they may have somewhat different coatings.

I have the 70-400mm Series 1 zoom but don't own/ have owned any of the Sigma or Tamron telephoto zooms for many years so that I can't comment on their current production. Sigma has installed a new lens coating plant recently, but when it comes to OEM production they would be meeting their customers specifications.
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bakubo
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Re: Are Sigma lens as warm as Minolta and Sony lens

Unread post by bakubo »

With digital is this even something of importance anymore? You can easily set any color balance you want, warmer, cooler, or whatever.
Edward
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Re: Are Sigma lens as warm as Minolta and Sony lens

Unread post by Edward »

Thanks guys. You gave me some things to think about. -- I've actually wondered if the color claims are true. Maybe I'll get an a-mount adapter and try my old MD lens see for myself.
peterottaway
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Re: Are Sigma lens as warm as Minolta and Sony lens

Unread post by peterottaway »

You must realize that any MD lens will be 30 plus years old. It would pay to physically check on any lens or only buy from trusted sources. I'm not trying to put you off but like Canon FD lenses etc you need to be careful.
Edward
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Re: Are Sigma lens as warm as Minolta and Sony lens

Unread post by Edward »

Thanks Mr. Peterottaway.

I don't know if I would never buy an MD lens, but from my X-700 days I have a 28mm, 50mm, 35-135mm, 135mm, 300mm and I think there is a 20mm, but have to look. It was what I needed until the Minolta 9000 came along in 1986 or 87. That is where most of my A-mount lens came from. I have a couple of Sony lens and a Sigma 12-24.
peterottaway
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Re: Are Sigma lens as warm as Minolta and Sony lens

Unread post by peterottaway »

If you can find the 20mm I would be interested in what you think of its performance. That is one lens I never got to try in the old days. My interest short of died with the 24mm.I do have the 250mm and 500mm Cat lenses and I can't really believe what second hand copies of the 250 are selling for.
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Re: Are Sigma lens as warm as Minolta and Sony lens

Unread post by classiccameras »

Peter, A few Sony A mount lenses were apparently made by Tamron, especially the zooms and it was even suggested on one site that some Zeiss zooms such as the 16-80m was a Tamron product. Even back in the Minolta A mount days, the Konica/Minolta 17-35 F/2.8 was a re badged Tamron as were several other lenses of that period.
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Re: Are Sigma lens as warm as Minolta and Sony lens

Unread post by peterottaway »

Along with the 28 - 75 mm zoom it was the most obvious Tamron and the 100 - 300 APO was strongly suggested to be from Tokina. I bought them all even though over the years they have been relegated to my second bag of A mount lenses

I did use the 100-300 zoom with my Nex 7 but you had to careful about shake with the size of the camera and no IBIS. I have got it out again to give it a workout in APS mode on my A7r II as it is so much smaller and lighter than my 70 - 400 or even the 70 - 200 zooms.
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bakubo
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Re: Are Sigma lens as warm as Minolta and Sony lens

Unread post by bakubo »

peterottaway wrote:Along with the 28 - 75 mm zoom it was the most obvious Tamron and the 100 - 300 APO was strongly suggested to be from Tokina. I bought them all even though over the years they have been relegated to my second bag of A mount lenses

I did use the 100-300 zoom with my Nex 7 but you had to careful about shake with the size of the camera and no IBIS. I have got it out again to give it a workout in APS mode on my A7r II as it is so much smaller and lighter than my 70 - 400 or even the 70 - 200 zooms.
Back in 1991 I bought the Minolta 100-300mm f4.5-5.6 non-APO (no APO version at that time) in Tokyo for 42,000 yen. Small and light, but a bit wobbly when the barrel was zoomed out. I used it rarely on digital with my 7D, A100, and A700, but never liked it. Then in 2013 here in Japan I found a Tamron 70-300mm f4-5.6 in A-mount for 300 (about US$2.50) yen along with original front/rear caps, lens hood, and Kenko MC UV filter. I compared it to the Minolta 100-300mm f4.5-5.6 and it was sharper at all focal lengths, particularly 300mm and had much less CA. Also, the AF was as good or better. A bit larger and heavier, but also built better with no wobble like the Minolta. I still have the A-mount gear back in the States so it isn't being used now, but I did use the Tamron on the A700 on a road trip one time not long after buying it.
transiently
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Re: Are Sigma lens as warm as Minolta and Sony lens

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To answer the original question, Sigma lenses traditionally tended to have a very slightly yellower than neutral cast which some characterised as warmth. I have a suspicion that they may have lost this signature, if it was ever strong enough to be a signature. I don't currently use any modern Sigma lenses, so I am not sure.

Their level of colour saturation varied considerably but typically they lacked the intensity of early Minolta AF lenses.

Sony lenses, as with 1990's onward Minolta AF, have been made by several different manufacturers and I have no reason to think them consistent in their colour handling in the way Minoltas used to be. In fact I would be interested to know whether people feel that the classic Minoltas which became long-running members of the Sony line, like the 50/1.4, still have the Minolta "look". I know Sony changed the coatings of that lens...
classiccameras
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Re: Are Sigma lens as warm as Minolta and Sony lens

Unread post by classiccameras »

I much prefer the colour rendering from my Konica-Minolta 17-35 F/2.8 than my Sony Kit lenses. To me the Sony lenses are over contrasty although that can vary due to different lighting. The Minolta lenses are well balanced across the range and give a nicer colour hue in my opinion. Having said that, the 17-35 was made by Tamron for Minolta, but I suspect Minolta gave them the spec for colour and contrast as they did for all 'contracted' out lenses.
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bfitzgerald
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Re: Are Sigma lens as warm as Minolta and Sony lens

Unread post by bfitzgerald »

I quite like Tamron lenses for rendition I have only really noticed a few lenses that had poor contrast. The beercan does have a certain pop to it that many like I'm not really sure what that is I think it's a number of factors.
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