I've used Minolta and 3rd party models and they both work fine. How well they work really depends on the lens, as some lenses have more options/levers/settings than others. The lenses I have used can be focused wide open, and then stopped down for exposing. That can be a nuisance if you are not used to it, but I only use P lenses on a tripod -- so no problem.
Since you can usually get the same lens in a Minolta-mount, why mess with P-mount lenses? I only do for special macro lenses, etc.