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Minolta Rokkor Survival guide
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  • Yeah, I've got the Oly too, just very different. They both are valued parts of my arsenal.

  • I've been having a conversation about de-clicking these Minoltas with a member of this forum. Here is a photo of a 58mm/F1.4 that I opened to clean the aperture blades and to de-click. This photo shows the aperture ring after just removing the screws from the back and lifting the back. Notice the ridges on the aperture ring toward SouthEast direction. The ball bearing that implements the clicks is right there.

    F1.4-58mmMinolta.jpg
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  • @aljimenez As you slide off the aperture ring, be carefull that you get the ball bearing before it rolls away. Also, most of the Rokkors have a spring inside of a hole just under the ball bearing. Make sure you pull that out too. I use a safety pin or straight pen to pull it out. If the spring is left on, it can get caught in the aperture ring an really mess things up. I work on top of a flat baking pan with raised edges in case screws, springs or ball bearings can't get away from me.

    There is a problem that comes with declicking the Rokkor lenses. It is difficult to keep them opened to their full aperture without the ball bearing. You will most likely have to use a very stiff grease under the aperture ring to keep the lens fully open.

  • Here is what my workspace looks like. The lens that is being worked on is a 1966 (MC 1st series) MC Rokkor-PF 58mm 1:14.

    Workspace.jpg
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  • @fredfred27 you look so professional with your setup! And I see quite a collection of lenses there; very nice. Thanks for your tips... Al

  • @fredfred27 @aljimenez
    Please guys, I need your help! I think I f*cked my 50mm up.
    I was able to declick my 135 2.8 successfully and it was pretty easy. Happy with the results, I opened my 50mm to do the same, but found a very different scenario.
    After a couple of hours of fighting with it, I was able to assemble the lens again but the ring is extremely loose and I can't reach 1.4 or even 2 (it always closes to 2.8) and it also gets fully closed when the ring is about 8 or 11.
    Is there any way to put the bearing back in?
    Can you give me some direction on how to do that?
    I won't mess with my lenses anymore :S
    Thanks a lot!

  • I hope you can post some photos of your opening it, otherwise it may be hard to give you help. It appears that there may be a spring that is not back in its place; it may have flown off? Putting the bearing back in will not solve the problem of opening and closing the aperture blades all the way. So sorry, but you did the 135/2.8 and that might help you. Take a look at the spring in the 135/2.8 for hints on what is wrong... Al

  • My point was not that the 45mm was better than the 50--although, to my eye it is--but that the 50 and 55 Vivitar are the only ones I ever use much. I think if you like the look of the old lenses, film a short sequence, one with the Olly 45, one with the Rokkor 50 and post it. Then we can really see what the differences are.

    I did a short test with the Olly 45, the Rokkor 50 and the Vivitar 55 and asked people to pick the winner. Since the clips were unlabeled, I didn't get many voters, so the sample was too small to be meaningful, but the Vivitar got the most votes, then the Olly, then the Rokkor 50mm. I actually had no preference between the Vivitar and the Olly, but of course the Olly is sharp wide open. If you pixel peep, you can see some junk in the image of the old lenses.

    I personally think it would be interesting to see more such comparisons, using different subjects, to see what these old lenses really bring to the table. More vid!

  • Actually I can open it to f1.4, but it won't hold that open by its own. If I release the aperture ring, it jumps to aprox 2.8 - I've read @fredfred27 words: "It is difficult to keep them opened to their full aperture without the ball bearing" and thought that it may have something to do with it.
    I can close it step by step to fully closed, but this fully closed condition does not match f16 on the aperture ring, but f8 aprox.
    BTW, I don't recall any spring.
    Unfortunately, the aperture mechanisms of the MD 135 2.8 are completely different from MC 50 1.4 as far as I can see. I will try to post some pics tonight. Thanks @aljimenez!

  • "Actually I can open it to f1.4, but it won't hold that open by its own. If I release the aperture ring, it jumps to aprox 2.8" i added cellophane tape to increase the friction, and it holds to wherever I set it. I don't get how it is all close when you reach f8?

  • @Flaaandeeers Which 50mm (MC or MD Rokkor or plain MD; f-stop 1.2,1.4,1.7 or 2; 55mm or 49mm filter ring) did you open? I will try to help you work this out.

  • Of course I just read back and saw that you have a MC Rokkor-PG 1.4. How far did you get into the lens? If you just took off the aperture ring, I think your problem has to do witht the position on the silver insert that attaches to the ring and pushes the pin that moves the aperture. See picture. Is yours in the same position?

    Personal-View_50mmAper.jpg
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  • Thanks. Yes Fred. I had to unscrew that metal piece in order to remove the aperture ring. I screwed it again in the same position, but I might be doing something wrong. This seems to be a very tricky lens. PS: I don't know if Vitaliy thinks that we should follow this via PM. I think that maybe your tips would be helpful for others.

  • Kinda fix it. Not perfect stepless aperture but can get from 1.4 to 16 without much trouble. It works. Thanks for all the help! Btw, I've tested these Rokkors and are awesome.

  • Nice to read you fixed it, yeah! To increase friction add some scotchtape inside the aperture ring and it will stay at 1.4 and 16... Al

  • The 58mm has a very tight aperture ring and works well as a "stepless" model. You can also bend or dent the ring ever so slightly to make it firmer, but beware, if you bend it there is no going back.

    Here you can see the Rokkor 50, the Vivitar 55 and the Olly 45, pick which one you like the best.

  • Ok. Just my 2 cents here.
    I've used my Rokkor set a couple of times so I think I could share my thoughts about them:
    - MC W. Rokkor 24mm f2.8 - Small but solid built. Sharp WO. Decent bokeh. Short focus throw. Maybe the best 24mm I've tried.
    - MC W. Rokkor HH 35mm f1.8 - Built like a tank. Pretty sharp WO (totally usable). Even sharper when stopped down. Nice bokeh. Very long focus throw. I really like 35mm FOV in my GH2 so this is my best all-rounder.
    - MC Rokkor PG 50mm f1.4 - Almost identical to the 24mm build wise. A bit of glow WO, but maybe less than on FD or Ai. Stepping it down a bit (I have it stepless so even around 1.8) it gets really sharp. Bokeh is pretty nice. Long focus throw.
    -MC Rokkor PG 58mm f1.2 - Similar built quality than the 35mm, heavy and solid (pure metal and glass). Focus throw is not as long as on the others, but longer than on the 24mm. Not the sharpest guy in town... but, BUT its bokeh is sooo creamy. A real beauty.
    -Minolta 85mm f2.8 Varisoft - Solid built but not heavy at all for its size. Not razor sharp WO, but sharp enough and bokeh is beautiful just by closing the varisoft ring even just a bit. Long focus throw. The varisoft feature is a very rare and a nice thing to have.
    -Minolta 135mm f2.8 (4/4 version) - Solid but not heavy or too big. It has its own hood. Sharp WO. Pretty nice bokeh. Very long focus throw. VERY cheap.

    For wide land I use my Lumix 14mm that has a very similar color to the Rokkors, but I'm planning on getting Noktor 12mm since I really like the feel of manual glass for filmmaking.
    Overall color has a nice subtle warm tone and matches very well among all the set. The Tokina 28-70 2.6-2.8 looked bluer than Papa Smurf next to the Rokkors.

  • I have the 58mm 1.4 and de-clicked it too! But diaphagram stays often stuck at wide open, what should I do to fix this? And.. what is the name of the instrument seen in the picture to unscrew lens rings? I need it so badly!! :)

  • @jazzroy: You may need to have the aperture blades cleaned, even if not visible there might be oil on the blades.

    Regarding the 85mm lenses: If you are lucky enough to own one of the rare Varisofts, getting the 85mm 1:2 at it's side may be useful. It is not so sought after as the 1.7 version for it's bokeh, but the Varisoft is more flexible in that aspect anyway. The 85 f2 is small, light and tack sharp WO.

  • thanks nomad!!

    @fredfred27

    can you please tell me the name of the unscrewing tool?

  • some recent boring test sh*t using a Rokkor MD 28mm f/2.8, 50mm f/1.7, 135mm f/2.8 and 3 shots with the SLR Magic 12mm, which I'd say blends well with the Minoltas. A few shots have a greenish look because of the Marumi ND filters I used. I'm not sure if the tint is from the filter or the camera (auto) WB. I need to check that. Otherwise no grading, just Cluster Drewnet X v.7 with Standard 0,0,0,0 profile.

  • really helpfull info here guys, thanks

    @DrDave background wise, liked the third bokeh better

    @MirrorMan not boring at all, I love tests... the pressure of making something "arty" is off and so... curti boe desses enquadramentos tens ai um belo set. tutti bueno
    all good

  • I love my Minolta MD 35-70mm f/3.5 Macro. It has nice colors and incredible resolution for his age. I would like to match this lens with other series of the same family (wide-telephoto) having almost the same characteristics of the above lens. Will you recommend those lenses, like: Minolta MD Zoom 50-135mm F3.5 Minolta MD Zoom 24-35mm F3.5 What is your opinion? Do you have any experience on those lenses?

  • I think Nomad has said good things about 24-50mm and 70-210.

    Btw, I've tested my 58mm 1.2 further and noticed that it's EXTREMELY glowy until 2.8.
    I guess that my copy is faulty, right?
    I will use it from 3.5 and over, and/or as a nice deco object in my desk. :(

  • @Flaaandeeers Check your adapter. I improved mine with matte black model airplane paint.

    @sakattaq76 I don't know the 50-135mm from own experience. The 24-50 is another very nice lens, but a tad weaker than the exceptional 35-70.