Minolta AF 50mm f/1.7, Early At The Fair

Analog Diary: Film photography favorites, image making with a Maxxum AF 50mm f/1.7, on a Minolta Alpha Sweet.

<< Click on image for enlarged Lightbox display >>

The A-mount Minolta AF 50mm f/1.7 is a very compact lens, the smallest that Minolta made during its production run, shipped as a 'kit' lens type. The filter size is 49mm. On the Alpha Sweet, the AF 50mm auto-focuses quickly and accurately, and being the RS version, the focus throw is shorter than the original non-RS version.

Manual focusing is equally easy, quick, and smooth with the 1/4 turn from close-in to infinity. The feet and meter focus distance scales are engraved on an inner barrel, which is visible through a window opening. DoF (Depth of Field) hash marks are engraved on the outer barrel.

Minolta Alpha Sweet, Minolta AF 50mm f/1.7

As for the event itself, my visit was early in the day the fair started, stalls and sellers were set and ready, while the crowd was just trickling in. I had a roll of Kodak ColorPlus 200 installed in the camera, grabbed these few shots, and a few more, but decided later that the post-processed black and whites were the better option for this presentation.

Minolta Alpha Sweet, Minolta AF 50mm f/1.7

The camera and lens combination was light and handy, functioned flawlessly, and I was happy to see that the lens stood up to its billing. Minolta A-mount lens is, of course, completely functional with Sony Alpha A-mount APS-C or Full-Frame cameras.

Vintage Camera Marketplace by ImagingPixel

Malaysia's Online Marketplace for Vintage Film and Digital Cameras, Lenses,
and Camera Accessories. Follow ImagingPixel on Facebook, Pinterest, and X.

Minolta AF 35-70mm f/4, A Mixed Bag of Images

Analog Diary: Film photography favorites, image making with a Maxxum AF 35-70mm f/4 and a Minolta Alpha Sweet 35mm SLR film camera.

<< Click on image for enlarged Lightbox display >>

The Minolta AF 35-70mm f/4, first introduced as a kit lens in 1985 with the launch of the Maxxum 700 A-mount camera system, which is rather short and compact, was a popular choice then. The lens is acknowledged to be sharp all the way up, and it comes with a Macro mode for magnification of up to 0.25x.

As one of the better lenses from the early Minolta period, the lens is also on the list of recommended lenses for current Sony Alpha camera users, both for APS-C and full-frame sensors.

Minolta Alpha Sweet, Minolta AF 35-70mm f/4

Trying the lens out on the Minolta Alpha Sweet was also fun and easy. A plastic-bodied lightweight, the Alpha Sweet (a.k.a Dynax 505si Super in Europe, Maxxum XTSI in the Americas) comes with PASM modes, a sophisticated 14-segment honeycomb-metering pattern, a three-point Crosscut AF sensor, and eye-start operation.

Minolta Alpha Sweet, Minolta AF 35-70mm f/4

Using the camera was also a fresh change for me, a change from manual focus and cranked film forward cameras to an era of PASM modes and autofocus point-and-shoot simplicity, much like what you do today with your digitals.

Best of all, of course, is the chance to enjoy the 'Minolta Magic,' the combination of color and contrast rendered by Minolta lenses that you must experience to appreciate.

Vintage Camera Marketplace by ImagingPixel

Malaysia's Online Marketplace for Vintage Film and Digital Cameras, Lenses,
and Camera Accessories. Follow ImagingPixel on Facebook, Pinterest, and X.