One of Minolta's Finest Optical Achievements

The 200/2.8 APO was released by Minolta in 1986 to coincide with the intial release of the Maxxum AF camera system. As it turned out, it was one of the finest lenses ever produced by Minolta. Photodo.com MTF scores give the lens an overall rating of 4.1. It doesn't get much better than this!

What truly separates this lens from the pack (along with all the other white APO lenses that followed) is the lens' wide maximum aperture and the stellar optical performance of the lens which remains consistent from f/2.8 until diffraction naturally starts to (marginally) degrade performance at around f/16. Apochromatic coatings on the lens elements in the 200mm APO G telephoto minimize or more accurately stated, negate chromatic aberration (purple fringing) in areas of high contrast in an image. Lenses of lesser design usually do not reach their peak optical performance until closed down a couple stops from wide open and performance issues (such as chromatic aberration) are exaggerated in challenging situations such as backlighting and scenes of high contrast.  These cheaper lenses usually start at a maximum aperture around f/4 (but there are a few fixed focal length f/2.8's made by other manufacturers) and may float up to f/5.6 or higher in zoom lens design. Nothing else at 200mm compares to this lens in terms of sharpness and overall optical performance particularly considering the wide f/2.8 starting point. This results in incredibly high quality image reproduction characteristics independent of aperture setting.

No doubt as a result of the fine optics, I find that images captured with this lens need very little post processing in Photoshop. Usually just a little sharpening of my RAW file and that is it. Color is very neutral and the images have a very realistic and tangible 3-D look to them. On the A700, color correction rarely improves the final result. I have some images on my flickr site that you can link to in my "About Me" page using this lens alone and with a teleconverter.

That big maximum aperture also gives you a lot of depth of field control - sometimes too much! When using the lens wide open and near the minimum focus distance, the depth of field is just inches deep. You need to have an accurate focus on your subject and if components of your subject are more than a few inches apart in distance from the camera, you risk blurring important details in your image. But the bokeh at f/2.8 is so sweet: the circular 9 blade aperture sees to that.

On digital, with the 1.5x crop factor, this lens behaves like a 300mm telephoto - disregarding the benefits of in-camera antishake for a moment, when using a telephoto lens, (or any lens, really) to get a sharp image unaffected by camera shake, you want to use a minimum shutter speed that is the reciprocal of the focal length.  In this example, you should have a minimum of 1/300 second shutter speed set. A benefit of having a lens that opens up to f/2.8 is that with more light travelling through the lens, you are more likely to be able to meet your target shutter speed and ensure a sharp photo. In the real world, with SSS enabled on your camera, you might be able to shoot with this lens at 1/60 second if you have a very steady hand. With SSS and the wide aperture, this lens is easily handheld even in lower light conditions - it's diminuitive size also minimizes fatigue and shake. Here's where buying into a camera system with in-camera antishake really starts to pay off - high quality legacy glass like this older Minolta 200mm lens is now every bit as current as the latest Nikon VR or Canon IS lens, at a much nicer price and arguably better IQ.

 200mm APO                            200mm w/ 2x Kenko TC             200mm w/ 1.4x APO II TC

But I digress: we are talking about Minolta! Like my other telephoto prime, the 300/4, this lens is also built with a heavier grade of metal and finished with a fairly durable white enamel. The white look screams "notice me" so be prepared for a little attention or at least a few sideways glances when you are out with this beauty. You'll see some second hand white Minolta lenses on eBay that have really had the finish scraped and worn. I don't think the paint is that delicate and I don't know why these lenses would look so beat up unless they were heavily used or abused.  Go for a nice clean copy if you are in the market and take care of your gear! Original cases for these lenses pop up on eBay regularly for about $40-50 if yours didn't come with one, and they are well worth the investment even just as storage.

This lens focuses internally and the fit and finish are top-of -the-line. The lens includes a focus limiter and the rubber manual focus ring hides behind a retractable cowling just like its bigger brother. Unlike the other two G lenses I own, the 200mm also has a built-in locking and retractable metal hood. Very nice, but nicer if it locked when retracted, too!

The 200/2.8 excels in one other area as well: portability. I won this lens on eBay after I'd purchased the 80-200/2.8 APO G. I didn't really need the 200/2.8, but I'd set a low bid in a Canadian eBay auction (no brokerage hassles at the border!) and the next thing I knew, I was the new owner. When th lens arrived, I was immediately struck by how small it is, especially in relation to the G zoom and the 300/4. It is an awesome little lens to take when weight starts to become an issue and I need to prioritize my gear. I'll take the 200/2.8 over the other two every time and I have a couple of matched APO teleconverters (1.4x and 2x) that will get me any additional reach I might need, albeit at a cost of one or two f-stops. Image quality using the teleconverters is extremely high - IQ loss is virtually imperceptible using the 1.4x, and with the 2x, you really have to "pixel peep" at 100% magnification to see any differences.

During production, the 200/2.8 came in two flavors: HS and non-HS. The HS refers to "High Speed", a reference to the lens' autofocus speed. The second version of this lens has a more aggressive focus helicoid  and gearing that resulted in a faster focusing speed and as such, the lens garnered the HS designation. The first version of the lens, (the one I own), is non-HS. You can check a 200mm lens' mount to determine whether the lens has High Speed focus or not - the date code next to the rear element will be 1988 or later on High Speed lenses. These lenses may also have "High Speed APO 200mm" on the lens hood. I say "may" because the sticker can be easily removed so the best way to check for HS is to note the manufacturing date. In comparing focus speed on my two other HS lenses to this one, I can say that while the other two are a little quicker and certainly more torquey and snappy in their ability to focus, this lens is no slouch. I'd call it "medium HS", but it is smokin' fast compared to the beercan or any other zoom save the rear focus 28-135mm standard zoom lens. The 200mm HS version sells for a few hundred dollars more than non-HS lenses. If you can afford it and want, er, I mean, "need" this lens, get the HS. But if money is tight, you certainly won't regret the non-HS for a minute - it is hardly a compromise. After all, it's mostly about the optical perfection you get with this lens and you will be impressed with that in either lens model.

They aren't producing either of these lenses anymore. Minolta is long gone and Sony seems to be favoring zoom design and production these days with the only white lenses available being the 70-200SSM and 300/2.8. Your best bet in obtaining one of these excellent lenses is the second hand market such as eBay - there are usually several listed every week. Nice copies of the non-HS will sell for about $1000, and the HS version for around $1200. The market waxes and wanes to demand and prices vary from week to week, so be patient! With the introduction of Minolta and Sony DSLRs, the price has roughly doubled on this lens in the past 4 years but seems to have reached a plateau which approximates what the lenses sold for new in the late 1980's and through the 1990's. Not bad when you consider inflation!

A really excellent online review of the Minolta 200mm APO can be found at marcuskarlsendotcom with more information and a very objective, easy read on this lens' fine attributes.

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