I’ve always believed photography doesn’t have to be expensive — you just need the right tool for the job. I’ve spent some time collecting and testing old lenses, and they’ve become some of my favorite creative tools. On autofocus, I stick to the Minolta AF mount, and for manual focus work, I use a variety of mounts on my Sony A7 — it’s like having a playground of lenses to experiment with. Sure, vintage lenses have their quirks. Autofocus can be slower, and they might lack modern coatings or silent motors. But the rendering character, color, and build quality easily make up for it. Here are my top performing Minolta AF lenses — real “bangers” in my experience: Minolta 20mm AF Minolta 50mm f/1.8 AF Minolta 28–105mm f/3.5–4.5 Minolta 70–210mm f/3.5–4.5 (a hidden gem!) Minolta 50mm f/3.5 Macro Minolta 50mm f/2.8 Macro Minolta 135mm f/2.8 “Pocket Rocket” Minolta 35–105mm f/3.5–4.5 I’ve deliberately skipped the well-known “Beercan” lenses — not because they’re bad, but because I find the later 70–210 optics more versatile and refined in everyday use. The beauty of this setup is you can still achieve professional-quality results without breaking the bank. Old glass, when used right, is full of character — and it keeps photography fun. The idea of the courses is to see the limitations of those wonderful lenses once you know what you can do with it you can really save money.