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The lenses I use Part - II

A long overdue post about some more lenses i used since the original post found here.
I am going to limit the post to the lenses that i currently own and i will not include others that i have owned in the past and sold them. I am basing my scoring on usability, personal preference and - most important- performance for the price. 
 

* Minolta AF 28 f/2.8
I am starting with this lens for an obvious reason. It is by far the best lens of the bunch reviewed here. Excellent flare control and ability to record high detail. Sharp even wide open it is plenty sharp by f/2.8. AF speed on my Minolta 9xi is excellent. It includes a lens hood that is integrated on the lens. I bought this lens for £8 so i am very very happy with it, usually goes for around £80 which i believe it totally deserves it. Some sample pictures here and here. An excellent lens. Score: 9 out of 10
* Tokina 28 f/2.8 SL
Another excellent lens that can be had for peanuts. I paid £5 for it together with the Pentax P30T reviewed on this blog. Very good sharpness and contrast control. Very soft at f/2.8 it gets better a couple of stops later. A nice lens, i would definitely recommend it. A sample here. Score: 7 out of 10
 * Minolta 50 f/1.7
Minolta is well known for producing very good quality optics. Just like it's AF sibling, this is a very nice lens for your Minolta. It is quite soft wide open and it takes a few stops to sharpen up but by f/5.6 is as sharp as any other 50mm lens. My sample has a dented filter ring so i got it very cheap - £6. Price-wise i think that these lenses are on the cheap side for their performance. A very good lens. Score: 6.5 out of 10
* Pentax SMC-50 f/2
The poor relative of the K-series, everyone seem to be after the 50f/1.7 sibling. The build quality of this lens is by far the best of all the lenses reviewed on this post. Picture quality is quite good although people who own this lens and the f/1.7 say that the f/1.7 is much better. I don't know. Soft wide open but it gets sharp once stopped down. A good lens. Score 6 out of 10





*Ricoh Rikenon 50 f/2
This is a very pleasant surprise. I have a very good experience of shooting with rikenon lenses and this little gem did not let me down. This is the single coated version of the more sought after XR f1.7 version who many proclaim to be one of the sharpest lenses ever produced (although test shoots do not seem to totally agree with that). My sample is beautifully sharp even wide open with very good flare control. The dimentions of this lens are very small, it is almost a pancake lens and build quality is good but it does not reach the levels of the Pentax SMC-50 f/2. A sample picture with the lens at (f/11) here. An excellent lens that can be found dead cheap. Score 8 out of 10
 * Yashica 50 f/1.9 DSB
A good Yashica lens that performs well but it is nothing to be excited about. I have come across two samples so far, both suffering from sticky aperture blades. Please read my review on the Yashica FR for more information. Score: 5 out of 10
 * Topcon AM 55 f/1.7
By far the worst lens of the bunch, this lens even challenges the motto of "all 50mm lenses being good lenses". This lens never managed to produce any sharp pictures and wide open it is soooo soft. To be fair, my sample has a rear screw missing so i am wondering if someone has been in there before. Based on the performance of my sample i would recommend that you avoid this lens. Score: 2 out of 10

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