A Look at Minolta 28-85 AF Lens

Taking a look at a vintage Minolta 28-85 f 3.5-4.5 and seeing how it compares to the Tamron 28-75 f2.8. My travels take me to California in Maryland.

Minolta Has:

Loud AF vs silent of Tamaron
Focus window with focus distance for normal as well as inferred photography. Not very common these days
Metal vs Plastic construction
No AF/M buttons on both
Rotating front element on Minolta
P auto exposure mode so no constant 50 shutter speed

Here's a photo taken with the Tamaron and here's one with Minolta taken at closest focusing distance
putting those pictures side by side you can see a difference
one is the color hue, Minolta has a warmer color hue.
If we zoom in to check sharpness the Tamaron seems to me a bit sharper.

So to answer the question "Can the Minolta give Tamaron a run for its money?"
It depends, what you plan to do with this lens.
If you are a professional than this lens is likely not for you, unless you are looking for that Minolta
optical character.
If you are starting out in photography this lens is great. I would recommend to get the LA-EA5 adapter
If you are doing video that requires Auto focus this lens is not for you.