Need help finding body for my lens

Fresh2000

Hello guys,

I have spent so much time on the web try to solve this that I was kinda giving up but then I thought about good old boards.ie. to the point though.

I have Minolta Maxxum 300si camera and with it Quantaray Aspherical IF 28 - 300mm 1:3.5 - 6.3 multi-coated LDO Ø72 lens. I am thinking about DSLR camera but good lens is so expensive that I was thinking about finding DSLR body that can work with this lens.

So far I could find that most probably the lens should work with Sony cameras as sony bought Minolta out.

I was trying to find this lens on dyxum but I could not, but I have found Sigma lens that looks exactly like mine (HERE is the link). If it is the same I do not know, just looks the same.

Following this lead me to shutterbug page HERE where it says that the mount is for Canon, Minolta D, Nikon D, Sigma SA. Would that mean I can use it with those cameras but which series?

would appreciate any help here.

Thanks,
Fresh

Gregor Samsa

The Quantaray lens you currently have, that fits on the Maxxum 300si, is for what was known as the Minolta A Mount. As you've rightly said, Sony bought out Minolta's DSLR division, and with it the A mount, so it's now known as the Sony A Mount. Such lenses fit directly on all of Sony's DSLRs and SLTs. They also fit on Sony's Nex mirrorless cameras with an adapter.

The Shutterbug review you've linked to is just saying that the Sigma lens in question is available for the Canon, Minolta A, Nikon D and Sigma SA mounts. There would be a separate version of the lens for each type of camera. So no, the one lens won't fit on all those cameras - it would be specific to one of them.

Quantaray was Sigma's low-end brand, so the one you have probably is the same as the Sigma 28-300 F3.5-6.3 you mention. It's not regarded as a very good lens. Some older Sigma lenses also have problems with the newer Sony Alpha cameras (see here: http://www.dyxum.com/lenses/sigma_advisory.asp), and a firmware update for the lens may not be available for a discontinued lens like this. While I have always used and loved Minolta film, and now Sony SLT, cameras, if I were you, I wouldn't let this lens be the deciding factor in what camera I bought. If you are thinking of going Sony (and you have no reason not to), bring the lens into somewhere like Conns in Dublin, and try it out on some of the Alpha cameras, and checkthat the autofocus and aperture work properly.

Fresh2000

thank you for the quick reply. Even tho you are saying it is low end lens I was always happy with it, together with monolta camera I had taken some amazing pictures for myself and my friends. I am amateur photographer and maybe that is why. I will follow your advice and take the lens to one of the stores and just try it out with different Sony alpha cameras. If I am lucky enough for this lens to work properly I will keep it otherwise I think I will have to wait maybe another year to gather money for a camera with a lens.

magicbastarder

you're going to spend a lot more money than the lens is worth buying the body - don't lose yourself in a sunk cost fallacy. check out the other popular manufacturers too before you make your decision.