Whether it's film or photography, the lens is the most important part of the camera, and this is certainly true of a Minolta camera lens. Although the quality of a picture taken with a digital camera is also dependent on the size and number of CCDs within, lens quality is still crucial. As one of the leading manufacturers of still photography cameras for over 70 years, Minolta transitioned smoothly into the digital realm, offering a wide range of solutions.

When referring to lenses, photographers often speak of their 'speed.' This term is used to distinguish between lenses that allow a greater amount of light through (fast lenses) as opposed to those that allow less. The speed of a lens can be determined by looking at the lowest f-stop it is rated for. A lens with an f-stop of 1.3, for example is considered faster than a lens with an f-stop of 3.5.

F-stops are used to measure the amount of light in a specific area. Most modern cameras have internal light meters and perform the necessary adjustments. For example, if a Minolta camera lens is only rated at an f-stop of 3.5 and the reading is 2.2, the shutter speed is one item that can be adjusted to compensate for the lack of light. It is also important to remember that typically, prime lenses are much faster than zoom lenses.

A prime lens is a fixed lens--the perspective does not change. A zoom lens, on the other hand, allows the user to zoom in closer or farther away. The size of a lens is measured in millimeters. In traditional photography, 50mm is considered normal (mimicking what the human eye sees). Anything lower than 50mm is a wide lens, while anything greater is a telephoto. Different lenses yield different results. An extremely wide Minolta camera lens, for example, may warp the image slightly, keeping most of it in clear focus. A telephoto lens will have a narrower depth of field, making it perfect to capture small details.