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Hi,

Can anyone tell me what minolta lens would be good to use as a telephoto lens on my new sony v55 camera for taking distance shots?

thanks howard

chapjohn Loc: Tigard, Oregon

There are several choices. It would be good to get more information on what type of "distance shots" and how far you are thinking. Why Minolta and not Sony lens? In the Sony G series lens, there are some great options. Minolta lens are not necessaraly less expensive as the used market seems to have caught up with the demand for these lens.

marcomarks Loc: Ft. Myers, FL

In June I bought a Minolta Maxxum 28/2.8 to 100mm zoom for my Alpha 55, brand new still in box, from a dealer in Pontiac MI on eBay for $85. I think that's a pretty good deal.

I'd say the advantage of using Minolta lenses is that you can browse area garage sales and yard sales for someone dumping their fairly new Minolta auto-focus film camera and probably pick up a lens system for practically nothing by buying the whole thing and pitching the film body (or sell it dirt cheap on eBay).

It's true that Sony G lenses are awesome but so is the price. You didn't mention if you're on a budget or don't care about price. If you can spend it, definitely go with the brand new G lenses. They are equal to the very best lenses that Minolta ever made in their day because it's still Minolta making them under the Sony brand. If not, study the Minolta lens lineup on Google and look for the best Minolta lenses you can find.

One of the favorite Minoltas is called a 70-250mm "beer can" because it seems to have extremely good glass.

dpullum Loc: Tampa Florida

Agree with Marco's comments. Also, I just tried a m-22 to Minolta/Sony-a converter. Yep those old screw mount lenses I have work. The converter on EBay was <$10. Manual focus switch on and on Aperture priority it works. Opens another world.

History of Maxxum lenses discusses that they were considered as excellent glass. d/p

tmdingle Loc: California

I have a Sony A580 and I purchased an old Minolta 75-300mm 1:4.5(32)-5.6 and I absolutely love it. For an older lens, the pictures are amazingly sharp. And remember, on the APS-C cropped sensors that Sony Alpha DSLRs have, the 75-300mm is the equivalent of 112.5-450mm. To sweeten the deal, I found it on eBay for $70.

On a tangent, another must have is the Minolta 50mm Prime F1.7. This is a very fast lens and a must have for your kit. You can find these lenses on eBay and Amazon.com for less than $100.

Hope this helps

Loving My Sony A580!!!!!!

dpullum Loc: Tampa Florida

TM Dingle, I Have a Minolta maxxum AF 28-85 3.5 with Macro, an 80-200 4.5 Maxxum. 50mm 1.7 Maxxum, Also have a m-42 (old pentax etc fixed 200mm purchased in 1972) to Minolta converter, just a flat disk with connections for AF fooling electrical connections ($5 ebay).

I plan to sell my Nikon lenses and 8008 body. Also have One Olympus. You know - over the years we see them at a flea mkt for $5 and someone has to love them and keep them.

I have a Sony refurbished a-330 from Sony Store on Line. Will get an RMA and then buy a a-35 and pay for it on PayPal 6 month plan. And to think I started out wanting the a-220. Just missed it because my PP did not go thru, oops wrong email address.

I have done a lot of research regarding Sony alphas,,, fantastic new breed. The 500 series is a great one also.

Thank you for making me feel as tho I am not the only one in the world of Canon/Nikon PS CS-5.5 religion followers who dare not question that Canon/Nikon are not the only cameras. I question, it is Technical, not personal. (of course the cost of the camera is trivial compared to the glass!!!!) SONY ARE AWARD WINNING 2011 AND NOW IN 2012 "POPULAR PHOTOGRAPHY"

tmdingle Loc: California

Dpullum - When I first started this hobby, I was on the fence about which system to buy into. I was very tempted to go with the masses and flock to either Canon or Nikon. One of the major reasons why I decided to go with Sony was because of onboard image stabilization. With that said, below is my evolution through the Sony Alpha Line:

Sony A330
Sony A390
Sony A550
Sony A580

In photography class here at Fullerton in Orange County, CA, I regularly get the opportunity to shoot the same images right next to my Canon and Nikon classmates. It is always interesting to see their reactions when we each plug our cameras in for slideshow presentations. Yes, the Sony performs just as well if not better than the traditional Canon/Nikon family.

I truly believe that Sony has arrived in the DSLR. I will continue to research to see if upgrading to the new A77 is worth it because my A580 is an amazing piece of equipment.

Happy Shooting!!!!

dpullum Loc: Tampa Florida

Yes, TM Dingle, just looking at the sony as a machine/instrument (grad school I aimed to be a scientific instrument designer)then add to that my Minolta/Maxxum lens collection and it is a no brainer decision. (also have an adapter (($5)) for M-42 screw lenses from the 1960s-70s) Has anyone plotted the price of gold and the rise in Minolta/maxxum lenses?!?!

Yesterday the refurbish site had a500 at a good price and i checked this morning and Poof zap all gone.

I plan to shoot weddings in a candid way. Have done two using with my wonderful Panasonic TZ-3 while hanging my long snouted Fuji 9000 from my neck to impress. That is why I am thinking about the a-35 because of video capability allowing me to work in a few video clips in the mix. I look at weddings for the young who have little $ and so work in the photos of their friends and relatives in a slideshow for TV and for cell phone etc... Not the old pro stuff. If they want that I encourage them to hire a high end instead of for in addition to me.


I find it ironic that as cameras improve we as a population get away from prints and use screens. Screens and human perception has lagged behind and so now the 5 megpix is fine.

Yes, of course, we have the extra megpix to allow crop and for those fine prints. But even then, it gets down to comparing grain or noise at high magnification. JQ Public, is happy with 4x6" from the drug store and do not taste the nuances of coffee nor chew their food well enough and are often annoyed when one says look at this photo....

Sony has an advantage in that C&N build on what they have had, whereas Sony said, if we were to build a camera from scratch what would we do. They imagined an ideal camera and back engineered from that ideal bit by bit overcoming the engineering and material roadblocks. ("Ideal Concept Engineering") ) By the way the split mirror was a 1960s tech that did not catch on (so I read).

What is your feeling about the a-33 and 35? I do not see a great deal of difference, except the 33 has an articulated screen. And yes the 77 is amazing you and Popular Photography agree on that. Top of the world ma. Below is the Refurb-store direct from Sony.

http://store.sony.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/SearchCatalog?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&N=4294961698&searchType=outlet

chapjohn Loc: Tigard, Oregon

I agree with Dpullum that is good not to feel like the only Sony user on this site.
I just got the Minolta 28-135 "Handshake" lens and find it is good for certain shots and not so good for others, but I have other lens that can get those other shots.
I think I am finding that I like the Sony macro lenses. I just got the 30mm macro and find its focal length and very shallow DOF and wide angle capabilities a good fit. I also like the 100mm macro lens for its ability to focus on specific areas at a distnce.

tmdingle Loc: California

Dp-Thank you for that wealth of information. I totally agree with you.

I have not done much research on the A35, but I know that the 33, 35, and 55 are more suited for video. One of the major issues that I have heard has been its lack of a true viewfinder. Also in comparison to the A580 which I have, the low light performance of the A33 - A77 are not as good. However, the A580 does not auto-focus when shooting video and it overheats in a hurry.

If only we could bundle the pros and dump the cons...

dpullum Loc: Tampa Florida

I was reading specs on a33 and a35,, articulated screen lacking on a35. So, I held the sony 330 up high and still could see target ok this would be especially true with hoodman sun-shade, and the screen brightness jacked up.

The sensor in the 35 is the same as that in the 55 (also mention Nikon same sensor) improve battery life/overheating and and few other minor things. So, price wise my $ say to get the a35 vs the a55. Also the a35 is much greater than my original need was, but well you know how "for just a dollar more" goes in our society!!

I will get the 18-55 mm lens since it is $100 with camera and $200 as after thought. While chapjohn suggest the 18-55 is so/so, the wedding shots I took with the panasonic TZ-3 made people happy,, so the a35 is over kill.

The big reason is the best "cause I wanna" good for our psyche and such a camera comes with Big Boy Pants. (Childhood saying when children wore shorts {so that willow switch could reach the skin on the back of the legs,, OUCH} , big boys had long pants!)

People raise a brow when they see me shoot with the TZ3, so I also bring and use the Fuji 9000 impressive looking camera.

Deetle51 Loc: Grafton ,WV

Count me in on the Sony users on here. I started with a nex-3 and just got a new A-55 love it the vintage Minolta Lens are great glass just for the price but the quality is a bonus. I have purchased 3 and am very happy with all. the 28-80mm is a great walkaround lens but the 70-210 is great too. I will be getting a prime 50mm and some kinda of Macro as soon as I can manage the hit on the bankbook haha. The new Sonys are amazing. I'm in love with both of mine. PS stay away from those adapters they will cost you f-stops and really make this diffcult . The one I got for the nex-3 Sony E-mount to A-mount costs you 3 f-stops as soon as you click it on. Not a good trade off for me.

chapjohn Loc: Tigard, Oregon

Yes, get the 18-55mm lens with the camera. It has its uses and is good quality. You soon may need more than this lens provides, but that seems the case with most lenses you get with any brand.

dpullum Loc: Tampa Florida

ChapJohn: I am an old Minolta User ,,, so have a 50 and two tel photos. Thank you for the info on the 18-55

hobbss Loc: seneca falls, new york

thanks guys,sorry it took so long to get back,,i am a sony user and also minolta,but i wanted a lens to go on my a55 for really long distance shots,all of you really helped a lot,i use the minolta lenses from my minolta ,and love them,i have the sony hx1 from 2 years ago ,the lens is 20 times ,buy i find i like useing different lenses,thsts why i got the 55,,,thanks again