xd-11 vs ae-1 program (or other cameras for a semi-beginner)

[jared_leibowitz]

<p>whats the difference between MD 50/2.0 Lens vs MD Rokkor 50/1.4 other than the aperture? the guy who sold me the camera also has that lens for sale</p>

[Mike Gammill]

Another great performer is the Minolta 35-135 MD. It was introduced around the same time as the 28-85.

[SCL]

<p>This link will give you some info re physical differences in Minolta Rokkor Lenses, but no opinions on performance http://minolta.eazypix.de/lenses/ . This link will give you some info re the history of development of the Rokkor lenses highlighting some of the improvements made over time http://www.rokkorfiles.com/Lens%20History.html . This link gives the results of some lenses tested in photography magazines http://www.paulfvs.dds.nl/lenstest.html. There are some opinionated comparative reviews of specific lenses here and there on the web, but most are quite old, and frankly, the most meaningful ones seem to have disappeared in the last 2 years.</p>

[mwmcbroom]

<p>My suggestion is to keep the 35mm MC for now and replace it with an MD as time/opportunity permits. In the mean time, the above suggestions about the 28-85 MD zoom are great ones. This a very useful "walking around" focal length.</p>

<p>Another zoom worth considering in this same focal range is the Vivitar Series 1 28-90mm f/2.8-3.5. This is an oustanding zoom, at least as good as the Minolta, although it might be a bit heavier cuz it's built like a tank. This was my main walkiing around zoom for years and I've got hundreds of keeper slides to prove it.</p>

<p> Manhattan Beach Pier, Canon F-1, Vivitar S1 28-90, Fujichrome 100<br>

<img src="http://michaelmcbroom.com/images/manbchpier1.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="600" /><br>

Santa Barbara Pier, Canon A-1, Vivitar S1 28-90, Kodachrome 64<br>

<img src="http://michaelmcbroom.com/images/stbarbarapier1.jpg" alt="" /></p>

[ben_ballard]

Shoot with the 55mm f1.7! It's one of the best

lenses Minolta ever made. On an XD-11 that

is a great match, both are compact but still all

metal.

 

Shutter-priority mode is over-rated, especially

if you are just getting started. Aperture priority

is far more useful, but manual mode is the

best way to learn