WOW! Look at that!
Written: Apr 29 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Easy to use, powerful zoom, fast adjustment and attachment, great picture quality
Cons: Expensive, heavy, bulky
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| myheartx4's Full Review: Konica Minolta Dynax 5 35mm Film Camera |
Disney has been filming a new movie, Pearl Harbor, at the Army base where I live. They've brought in aircraft from World War II, such as the Japanese VAL dive bombers, Zeros (AKM-6), and the United States' P40s. My husband works with aircraft in the Army, so we were quite fascinated with them and wanted lots of pictures for our scrapbooks.
We own a Minolta Maxxum 500si SLR auto-focus 35mm camera that came with a 70mm zoom lens. We thought the zoom would be fine to get some good shots of the planes, so we went over to the airfield. Much to our dismay, Disney security would not let us get close enough to take good photos.
We talked with others there observing the filming and learned that the planes were scheduled to be flying about an hour later. We decided to go see if the military exchange had a stronger zoom lens to fit our camera.
We were pleasantly surprised to find the Minolta 75-300mm f/4.5-5.6 II (which is an auto-focus lens) in stock. It wasn't cheap, but after discussing it, we knew we would buy it sooner or later, so we went ahead and purchased it to take some pictures of the planes.
It has proven itself to be well worth the money. We used 7 rolls of film taking pictures of the aircraft, and the Minolta 75-300mm f/4.5-5.6 II had the perfect zoom needed for the pictures. It only took a second to switch from 75mm to 300mm, just a quick twist of the lens, and that was great for when the planes flew right overhead.
It's a simple twist to attach it to the camera, and pressing a button and another twist removes it. It came with a hood to reduce flare from the sun, and covers for both ends of the lens when it's not in use.
The Minolta 75-300mm f/4.5-5.6 II is about 6 inches long unextended, and 9 inches when fully extended. It is somewhat heavy, and you will need to have a very steady hand when not using a tripod. It definitely shifts the camera's center of balance a great deal. It's close to 4 inches in diameter, and has a rubber grip area for changing the zoom length.
I picked up the pictures we took with it at the developer today, and I must say, they are very good. Of the 9 rolls I picked up (we also had Easter pictures in), only one photo was out of focus. (I believe that was the camera, not the lens, though.) In some of the pictures, you can actually see the pilot, while the planes were in the air.
I'd recommend this lens to anyone who is a serious photographer, but if you are just a casual photo-taker, I'd have to recommend you buy Minolta's 70-210mm AF Zoom lens($110), at about half the price of the 75-300mm f/4.5-5.6 II ($239). (I have not yet tried that lens, but I believe for most people, it would be a sufficient zoom.)
Overall, I am quite pleased with my purchase of the Minolta 75-300mm f/4.5-5.6 II, and I definitely recommend it to any Maxxum owner who needs a powerful zoom lens.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
myheartx4
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Reviews written: 81
Trusted by: 89 members
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