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Minolta 28-105 f3.5-4.5 zoom xi wasn't designed for manual focus (MF)

Started Nov 7, 2020 | Questions thread
OP havanna60 Senior Member • Posts: 1,640
I think, my Minolta 28-105 f3.5-4.5 xi is faulty/quirky for powered manual focusing

neilt3 wrote:

I've got all the zoom xi lenses, the one that's had the most use is the 35-200mm. It gives surprisingly good results. the 28-105mm RS, much better optics than the zoom xi version .

Actually, I was quite happy with the power zooming and images of the 28105XI.

Have yo noticed when you zoom that if you move the ring only slightly the lens zooms very slowly , and if you move the ring quite far the zoom zips out really fast with no control ?

Yes, I am a happy owner of the mighty FE PZ28135f4, and I love power zoom lenses.

The same happens when manually focussing . How far you turn the zoom/MF ring controls how fast it moves from one extreme to the other. For manual focus if you need to change from MFD to infinity quickly ,pull the focus/zoom ring back and turn the ring fully and it rapidly changes focus .

Yes, it works more or less OK with my copy of the 28105XI

For fine focusing you need to barely move the ring from it's resting place so it moves slowly and precisely. Takes a bit of practice , but it does work fine .

Thank you, Neil, for the explanation and encouragement. I guess my XI lens is not really OK for (powered) MF. I received it along with a Dynax 7xi.

Here is a video (https://youtu.be/kAAb5HSOSVQ) I've just recorded to demonstrate how my lens works/behaves. I didn't give any narration to listen to the sound of the lens motors.

Thank you again for the help.

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