This lens was one of those introduced by Minolta in 1985 when they launched the 7000 AF – the first SLR with in-body Auto-Focus. These lenses were all very sharp and very well built, and of course Minolta’s mastery of colour was well established by this point.
This one has a full 1:1 macro mode and a design based on three floating groups so that its corrections apply right across the range so it is as sharp at infinity as it is at 1:1.
Various tests have shown it to be one of the sharpest lenses ever made and my own experiences using it on both Sony APS-C and Lumix M43 bodies can only reinforce that impression.