Distinguishing between lens versions (Sony/Minolta Question)

Pupator

How do you do it! :rofl

This lens: Minolta AF 75-300 f/4.5-5.6 2561-100 has an overall rating of 4.66 (that's very good).

This lens: Minolta AF 75-300 f/4.5-5.6 2649-110 has an overall rating of 4.36. (Still pretty good)

This one: Minolta AF 75-300 f/4.5-5.6 II 2665-110, 2665-160 has a rating of 3.96 (which isn't any better than the cheap Sony 75-300 gets).

This one: Minolta AF 75-400 f/4.5-5.6 D 2684-910, 2684-960 only gets 3.84.

So when looking on KEH -

This one is the D version, but what's the deal with the VII? Is it the same lens that got the 3.84 above?

This is also the D version but in black and without the VII. I'm more confident that it's the 3.84 version from above.

But what really matters is, which one is this? Is it the highly rated 4.66 one from above? How do you know? :scratch

ziggy53

It looks like the best source of information for those lenses is here:

http://www.mhohner.de/sony-minolta/lenses.php?nodisc=0&donly=0&dtonly=0&ssm=0&circ=0&flminp=1&flmaxp=1000&flsel=2&flmin=75&flmax=300

I would not guarantee that KEH is able to properly categorize the lenses as they are easy to confuse without original box/paperwork.

I suggest that what you are looking for is the "Big Beercan*" version of the lens but, other than weight (I think it's the heaviest of the series) I don't know how to distinguish between them easily. Serial numbers would probably be best but I did not find a ready source of definitive serial numbers.

*(The "Big Beercan" should not be confused with the "Beercan" which is a completely different lens.)

Pupator

ziggy53 wrote:

I suggest that what you are looking for is the "Big Beercan*" version of the lens but, other than weight (I think it's the heaviest of the series) I don't know how to distinguish between them easily. Serial numbers would probably be best but I did not find a ready source of definitive serial numbers.

*(The "Big Beercan" should not be confused with the "Beercan" which is a completely different lens.)

Yes, you are exactly right (and I have the normal beercan). Very difficult to tell what you're getting however. Even in private sales people often label their 75-300 as a big beercan even when it clearly is not.