If you have read my 'Background' page with its brief review of the sharpness of zooms versus primes, you might wonder why I own any zooms at all! You might also think that if I was going to own a zoom, then surely it would be a Minolta zoom. After all, aren't brand name lenses always better than third-party lenses?
Well there is a good reason why I own some zoom lenses. After a year or two of being totally focused on the sharpness that the great Minolta prime lenses achieve I realised that for some purposes the convenience of a zoom outweighed the additional sharpness that a prime delivered. For example, when shooting family snapshots that will never be enlarged larger than 6 x 4 there is less reason to choose a prime. Also, when travelling and restricted in what you can carry, a good zoom might enable you to get photos you otherwise would miss. OK, so that understood, which zoom lens out of the many available do you select?
I acquired this lens as a second lens in a package with the purchase of my first 300mm, the Minolta 300mm MC Tele Rokkor - HF. The seller would not split the lenses, and the price was just too good to refuse, so I purchased the lenses, figuring I would sell this one. I had heard that the Tokina AT-X brand was a particularly good brand, being the professional line produced by Tokina, but I still had an aversion for using zooms. However, when I received the lens I just couldn't bring myself to sell it. The build quality of the lens was outstanding, and the few images I took with it seemed quite good. It struck me that it would make a good 'wedding' lens, in circumstances where I may not have time to change lenses to get the right shot. The fast (f/2.8) aperture, and the good range that covers all of the popular portrait lengths also added value, and so I decided to keep it.
I didn't, however, really start using the lens because of my lingering questions about the sharpness of zooms, even professional zooms. In fact, it was only the prospect of a long overseas photo holiday where this lens would be very handy that made me pull it out and really put it to the test. I decided to test it against two lenses of outstanding sharpness, the 85mm f/2 MD Rokkor-X, and the 100mm f/3.5 MD Macro Rokkor-X. The outcomes of this testing are detailed below, based upon 100% scans taken at approximately 2200 dpi. It is noted that at 2200 dpi, the full resolution potential of these lenses is not being achieved.
Apologies are given for the boring nature of the shots, but hey, these are only lens tests. It is noted that the film used was Kodak Portra 400UC, an exceptionally fine-grained 400 speed film.
