Customer Reviews

Sony 75-300mm f/4.5-5.6 Compact Super Telephoto Zoom Lens for Sony Alpha Digital SLR Camera

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According to a photo magazine, this is a cosmetically re-labelled Konica Minolta 75-300 (D) zoom telephoto, which is a lens that I own (it certainly looks exactly the same as the KM 75-300 lens, but with the 'Sony' name). In which case, I have the following review:
(1) Excellent construction quality, this is a very nicely made lens, excellent finish, not too heavy but solid and without the 'plastic' feel of many medium-priced lenses;
(2) Excellent optical quality, with good sharpness even at the longest 300mm focal length where most zooms begin to show poor quality;
(3) VERY UNUSUAL: near-zero distortion throughout the entire range of focal lengths (very different from some Sigma zooms that I own, which have conspicuously visible pincushion distortion). This may well be the lowest-distortion 75-300 telephoto from any maker.
(4) ONE CAVEAT: AUTOFOCUS IN LOW LIGHT: on my Minolta Maxxum 7 film camera, whose autofocus system is apparently quite similar to the Sony Alpha 100, the camera has difficulty autofocussing the 75-300 lens at the 300 mm setting (where the aperture is only f/5.6) in light weaker than direct sunlight. This is probably the same with any f/5.6 or slower lens. I have found myself switching to manual focus at the 300 mm setting if the subject is not brightly lit.
NOTE: the Konica Minolta 75-300 (D) lens is still available, for about $140, and reportedly will work with Sony Alpha cameras just as well as the similar lens labelled Sony.

Recently, I moved from the SONY DSC 707 to the SONY A 100 DSLR. The change in cameras from the Cybershot to the DSLR took some getting used to. I purchased the SONY 75-300mm Telephoto lens from Amazon and as soon as it arrived I attached the lens and began to use it.

I am definitely pleased with the lens, the price and it's capabilities.
Having used a SLR for almost 30 years, moving to the DSLR takes some time and patience. The SONY A 100 is a solid perfomer, and it is my fourth SONY digital camera.

For the avid photographer, the SONY 75-300mm Telephoto lens is priced well and will provide exceptional performance. Once you attach the lens you will discover when in maximum telephoto mode, the lens is quite long. If you attach the lens shade it's even longer and takes some handling considerations in tight spaces.

The extreme focusing speeds of the A 100 are rapid and vary as it adjusts to the optimim focus. The lens in AUTO mode is in constant adjustment. This focus issue takes some getting used to. The lens balances quite nicely on th A 100. As with most photographers, you need to find the best hand positions on the camera body and lens so you can feel comfortable while you shoot. The lens is ultra depth of field sensitive.

Having had the lens on the camera now for a month, I am beginning to adjust to its "sometimes hyper adjustment activity"! I am in no way disappointed in the lens because the telephoto shots I have kept and recorded are first rate with the SONY A 100 and the SONY 75-300mm lens.

As with all new cameras, it takes time to become familiar with the camera settings and lens activity. I highly recommend the lens with an awarness of it's sensitivity and length. After hours of shooting I am pleased with the lens, and SONY's attention to detail in both lens construction and performance. If you own a SONY A 100 DSLR, or plan to invest in the SONY DSLR system, this lens will not let you down. You will review your photos and be pleased with the results the SONY lens provides you.

I intend to invest in other SONY lens in the future. As for now, the two SONY lenses fulfill my photographic needs quite nicely. SONY has entered the DSLR market with an outstanding camera and quality accessories.

Prequel: I am coming from a strict Nikon background and due to having my $4000 kit(D80, 3 VR, 3 2.8 pro lenses, etc) stolen out of my car, am starting all over again. That being said, I don't have $4000 to plop down at once, so I decided to get an "entry to mid-level" system and after many internal battles, decided to try something different and go with the Alpha system. My thoughts were if things didn't work out with this setup, I haven't spent that much and could use it for a carry-around camera. So far I see absolutely NO reason to go back to Nikon. Yes, this system is THAT good.

Sony 75-200mm f/4.5-5.6 Lens: Wow. I sincerely cannot BELIEVE this lens is only $229! As many reviews point out, this lens has virtually ZERO distortion from 75mm all the way up to 300mm and purple fringing(CA) is contained nicely. Needless to say, for a lens at this price point to preform this well is unheard of. This lens combined with the super quick AF of the a200 is a perfect marriage. I compared this to the super sharp Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 VR, and although the Nikon is a bit sharper and performs better in low light, the IQ difference is surprisingly small. I can highly recommend this lens and the Sony Alpha system as a whole!

This repackaging of the Konica-Minolta 75-300 is a solid performer, at a reasonably good price. If you like to stay with the camera manufacturer's own products, then you'll not be disappointed. Packaging includes the front & rear caps; lens shade & 1 year warranty.

Keeping in mind that the KM lenses came out well before any digital SLRs from that brand, you might want to check out the Tamron 70-300 LD Di zoom. It's a new optic that's "Digitally Integrated", has a 1:2 close-up mode, "Low Dispersion" glass, and a six year warranty.

Additionally, you might look around for one of the Konica-Minolta lenses at a discount.

I bought this together with the Sony Alpha (very good deal from Amazon). The lens is a great complement to the kit lens or the identical but older KM 18-70. Images are very sharp and the lens is built very well. Great for wildlife imaging. The other reviewers are right; the AF isn't too good at the long end of this lens but overall a great camera.
The end of the lens DOES ROTATE while zooming. It may not be good for some filters.

I bought this item to replace an old "beer can" 7 to 200 Minolta Zoom that I was using for my Sony Alpha. I was leaving on a trip to India where I wanted the have the capability of getting close-in on individual images with a lighter weight lens. And it was on sale!!!

The initial results are great. I was able to get real close to 3 Bengal Tigers on a game preserve that were at least 100 yards away. I got faces, and colors and exciting things that would not have been as good as as on my old Minolta Lens.

Nice starter lens to get long ranges but does not perform well in lower light, as it was not designed to. I got this with the ALpha 200 kit for an extra $100 and it was worth that for sure, but if you are spending $200 or more, I would go with a walkaround lens 28mm to 300mm, you'll use it more and can usually find something decent for around $300.

If you are getting as an add on and are on a budget, this is a great lens and will fit lots of situations.

The SAL75300 is a fantastically priced, light weight and easy to use telephoto zoom. The affordable telephoto zoom is compatible with both APS-C and 35mm full frame alphas. The lens is packaged with front and back caps and a hood for reducing sun flares. The construction of this lens is by no means cheap, having a full metal alpha mount standard for all alpha lenses. The metal mount is inherently more robust and long lasting than the plastic mounts found on the easy choice series (SAL1855 SAM, SAL55200-2 SAM, SAL35F18, SAL50F18, SAL85F28, SAL30F28).

The lens has an unbelievably long reach at 300mm (450mm with APS-C sensors), but also has a very uncomfortable minimum shooting distance of 1.5 meters (4.9 feet). Shooting with this lens indoors is almost impossible (forget about those tight spaces) as a result, since the lens cannot get into focus if the subject is anything less than 4.9 feet from you. Also, looking at my enlargements taken with this lens, I wonder if Sony could have introduced perhaps one or two ED elements into the lens, even if it means increasing the retail price of this telephoto device.

For high contrast scenes, there is very severe purple fringing, as in you will see purple and magenta halos surrounding every bright object in your exposures if they are surrounded by a darker background. This phenomenon gets worse as you zoom further, and is magnified if your prints go large. In fact, the purple fringing effect is so obvious you can probably see it even on an 8R print. The purple fringing effect is very pronounced when you're shooting in daylight, which is when I imagine most photographers will be using this lens. High quality alpha bodies like the a55, a550, a580, a700 and a900 only makes this effect even more obvious with their added megapixels.

I gave up on my first SAL75300 awhile ago since I occasionally take shots that I want to sell on a stock photo site. They have consistently rejected my images because of the above issue, although that does not mean the SAL75300 is not a good lens for daily snapshots. Do look out for this purple fringing effect if you get to try the lens out before purchasing. Just frame a high contrast scene, or shoot a group of objects containing reflective surfaces with the test camera's flash (assuming it has one, the a850 and a900 do not have a built-in flash). Playback the image and zoom it as high as you can go on the test camera's LCD screen. Look at the edges of those shiny objects, and I guarantee you will see magenta and/or purple halos surrounding them.

After a substantial price drop, I recently picked up my second SAL75300 (the box is now orange and white, as opposed to chrome and white when the first batch of SAL75300 was released in 2006 with the alpha 100) just to play with it under softer lighting and studio environments. The lens' minimum focusing distance of 1.5 meter (4.9 feet) still bothers me, but I sure missed the magnification ratio of this lens (x0.25) which makes palm sized objects pop, even if I were shoot them at almost 5 feet away (with a tripod and plenty of light, of course). The lens' macro effect is quite different from dedicated macro lenses having focal lengths between 30 to 100mm, as it compresses the defocused background and foreground to such a degree that they become almost "flat". The effect is very strong from 250-300mm even at a small aperture of F5.6. With very careful handling and framing, it is possible to avoid color fringing altogther with this lens.

Sony has a very high quality, but very expensive alternative for the SAL75300. It's the SAL70300G. The SAL70300G's G optics blow the SAL75300 away, however, as I am writing this review, it costs almost 3 times more. The SAL75300 makes a great starter telephoto zoom, but it is not exactly something you can use in the long run if you are training to become a pro. Professional photographers may want to give this a miss, but for the rest of us shutterbugs, the SAL75300 is a wonderfully priced telescope that pulls just about anything (bees, birds, bugs, the moon) into our tiny alpha sensors.

I have the identical Konica Minolta version of this lens. It is a very nice lens and since it is fairly small and light and not too expensive, perfect for travel if you need a tele zoom. Uses common less expensive 55mm filter size.

This is only telephoto lens I have, so I can't compare it to anything. The thing I noticed is that autofocus in low light is very slow (1-2 seconds, sometimes even more), and sometimes it doesn't even manage to get a focus. The good thing is that is has pretty large manual focusing ring, which is easy to use, much better (wider and much more to rotate) than on standard 18-70 that came with Sony camera kit.
In good lighting conditions it focuses almost as fast as 18-70.