Published July 14th 2006

Minolta 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6 D

A standard zoom that came with my 7D. Nice little piece of glass, which I hardly ever use.

Minolta 28-80 f3.5-5.6 D

This lens has been delivered with many kits including my Dynax 7D. I actually tried not to get a lens with the body, but this one was about 20 US$ extra, so I thought "why not?" It could always come in handy as a second for my Sigma 24-70, which I used as a walkaround lens.

The glass is excellent and the construction really good. The brightness is lagging with it's f5.6 in the long end, but never the less it's a good lens. The aparture blades are curved, rendering bokeh a lot better than on the average kit lens, and the lens also has the D-facility, which aides in getting flash pictures correctly illuminated.

Being a cheap kit lens, this lens has the main trait of such a lens: plasticky (even the bayonet is plastic), and lightweight. Not a lens for rough treatment. But on the other hand it is small and light and some photographers like that.

On a digital with an APS-size sensor, the 28mm wide end is not nearly wide enough, but on film it's OK. As I said: I haven't used this lens much since I have always opted for something wider or brighter.