While most auto-focus lens designs were new developments, some optical constructions were derived from Minolta SR-mount lenses (as indicated). In the United States, the Maxxum system launched in 1985 with twelve lenses:[1]
24mmf/2.8
28mmf/2.8
50mmf/1.4
50mmf/1.7
50mmf/2.8 Macro
135mmf/2.8
300mmf/2.8 APO
28–85mmf/3.5–4.5
28–135mmf/4–4.5
35–70mmf/4
35–105mmf/3.5–4.5
70–210mmf/4
Cosmetic variations of 35–105mmf/3.5–4.5
Original design
"New" or "Restyled" design
Initially, the lenses were equipped with narrow ribbed manual focus rings in hard plastic near the front; zoom lenses had a diagonally-ribbed rubber grip. Later lenses changed the grip style and added a rubber coating to the focus ring. Some of the original lenses were re-released with updated cosmetics and are known as "New" or "Restyled" versions; minor optical updates such as coatings and aperture shape were sometimes included.[2]
With the introduction of the Maxxum/Alpha 7 and its support for distance-encoded HS(D) flashes in 2001, Minolta began releasing its AF lenses with three additional contacts (eight total) to support the Advance Distance Integration (ADI) functionality, which reports the focus distance back to the camera body.[3] Lenses were branded as "Konica Minolta" starting in August 2003 following the merger of the two companies.[4]
When Sony took over the system in 2006,[5] 12 lenses were rebranded as Sony A-mount lenses and launched alongside 6 new designs and 2 teleconverters.[6] Of the dozen rebranded lenses, most are optically, mechanically and electrically identical to their Minolta predecessors and differ only in their outer appearance, however, three have seen subtle changes in the optics and electro-mechanics. The 20 lenses relaunched in 2006 included:[6]
16mmf/2.8 (legacy)
20mmf/2.8 (legacy)
28mmf/2.8 (legacy)
35mmf/1.4 G (new)
50mmf/1.4 (legacy)
50mmf/2.8 Macro (legacy)
85mmf/1.4 Zeiss (new)
100mmf/2.8 Macro (legacy)
135mmf/1.8 Zeiss (new)
135mmf/2.8 STF (legacy)
300mmf/2.8 G (new)
500mmf/8 Reflex (legacy)
11–18mmf/4.5–5.6 (legacy)
16–80mmf/3.5–4.5 Zeiss (new)
18–70mmf/3.5–5.6 (legacy)
18–200mmf/3.5–6.3 (legacy)
70–200mmf/2.8 G (new)
75–300mmf/4.5–5.6 (legacy)
1.4× Teleconverter
2.0× Teleconverter
All Minolta and Konica Minolta A-mount lenses are compatible with Sony A-mount cameras.
Regional variations
Branding variations
Minolta 500mm f/8 Reflex lens, branded as "Maxxum AF" for the North American market
Minolta 50mm f/1.7 lens, branded as "AF" for the rest of the world
In North America, Minolta marketed the camera and lenses with the Maxxum branding. Until the mid 1990s, A-mount lenses for the North American market were engraved as Maxxum AF; the rest of the world were branded as AF lenses, including the regions using the Dynax and α branding for the cameras. The initial production runs of Maxxum AF lenses introduced with the camera system in 1985 originally used a "crossed XX" font, which was soon dropped by Minolta after Exxon brought a trademark lawsuit that year; under the settlement, Minolta agreed to change its logo.[7]
Although some buyers associated either the Maxxum AF or the AF designation with a higher quality, both types of lenses were built to exactly the same specifications and quality standards in the factory, and were only used to improve trackability and distinguish gray market imports (lenses originally purchased from international sources and resold in North America by private importers rather than official imports from Minolta). They differed only in their cosmetics (name plate engraving) and part number designations (????-1?? for AF, ????-6?? for Maxxum AF). A similar scheme previously had been used by Minolta in the 1960s and 1970s to distinguish their Rokkor and Rokkor-X branding variants for SR-mount lenses.
7-digit serial number; no CLR front filter; tripod knob to the right;[33] without "High Speed" gearing and sticker and without focus-stop buttons; optically based on an SR-mountMinolta MD Apo Tele Rokkor 300mm f/2.8 prototype;[34] white finish
8-digit serial number; with CLR front filter; tripod knob to the left; without "High Speed" gearing and sticker and without focus-stop buttons; white finish
8-digit serial number; with CLR front filter; tripod knob to the left; with "High Speed" gearing, but without "High Speed" sticker and without focus-stop buttons; white finish
Specially calibrated lens with fixed focus and fixed aperture for camera service; optics based on Minolta AF 50mm f/1.7 (2550-100, 2550-600); cannot be used for normal photography; black finish
"Distance encoder", lens provides subject distance information for utilization in the Advanced Distance Integration (ADI) flash mode and other features. While the "(D)" designation is used on the box and in the documentation, the lenses just feature a "D" instead. Requires 8 lens contacts; lenses with only 5 contacts cannot support this feature.
DT
"Digital Technology", lenses for cameras with APS-C (or Super-35mm) size sensors, only. DT lenses will not fully illuminate the sensor/film area of 24x36mm full-frame cameras.
G
"Gold" series, Minolta's line-up of high-grade lenses. The "G" status does not occur as label on the lenses, but is indicated by a decorating ring on the lens.
High Speed
High Speed upgraded gearing for faster autofocus. As indicated, three lenses were upgradeable in authorized service centers as well.
II
Version II. Some lenses underwent more than just cosmetic changes, and are referred to as second version, in particular, when the optics have changed completely.
New
Restyled (not a designation found on the lens), aesthetic changes (such lenses were labelled "New" or "Neu" or "(N)" on the box and in the documentation by Minolta, but not specifically labelled on the lens itself).
SSM
"SuperSonic Motor", silent in-lens ultrasonic motor used on some lenses. Requires 8 lens contacts; lenses with only 5 contacts cannot support this feature. Can be used with manual focusing on cameras without SSM support (that is, Minolta film bodies released before 2000 - Minolta Dynax/Maxxum/α-9/9Ti can be upgraded by service).[54][55][56][57]
Power or xi
Motorized zoom. Requires 8 lens contacts; lenses with only 5 contacts cannot support this feature.
Konica Minolta, Inc. is a Japanese multinational technology company headquartered in Marunouchi, Chiyoda, Tokyo, with offices in 49 countries worldwide. The company manufactures business and industrial imaging products, including copiers, laser printers, multi-functional peripherals (MFPs) and digital print systems for the production printing market. Konica Minolta's Managed Print Service (MPS) is called Optimised Print Services. The company also makes optical devices, including lenses and LCD film; medical and graphic imaging products, such as X-ray image processing systems, colour proofing systems, and X-ray film; photometers, 3-D digitizers, and other sensing products; and textile printers. It once had camera and photo operations inherited from Konica and Minolta but they were sold in 2006 to Sony, with Sony's Alpha series being the successor SLR division brand.
Minolta Co., Ltd. was a Japanese manufacturer of cameras, camera accessories, photocopiers, fax machines, and laser printers. Minolta Co., Ltd., which is also known simply as Minolta, was founded in Osaka, Japan, in 1928 as Nichi-Doku Shashinki Shōten. It made the first integrated autofocus 35 mm SLR camera system. In 1931, the company adopted its final name, an acronym for "Mechanism, Instruments, Optics, and Lenses by Tashima".
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