Minolta MD and MC Lenses

tetakpatak

@ivanlee I can't tell you, I don't own any EF lens. The FD 85mm f/1.8 is also very sharp stopped down.

panystac

I also have a couple of the FD (New FD) 85mm F1.8 I'm currently attempting a mount conversion with one of these to Canon EF. I will try to do comparison test with this an the Monolta MD 85mm F2 at some stage.

There is also the FD 85mm SSC F1.8, which is the model before.

See here for FD resources. http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/companies/canon/fdresources/fdlenses/

. .

In my opinion, one of the best 50mm F1.4 lenses is the Canon FD 50mm SSC F1.4 To summarise some 50mm F1.4 & F1.8 lenses that I've actually tested, the best in my opinion are(wide open): . .

For centre sharpness, in order, but pretty much most of these are very even

Konica AR 50mm F1.7
Canon FD 50mm SSC F1.4
Olympus OM 50mm F1.8 ("Made in Japan")
Minolta MC rokkor 50mm F1.4
Minolta MD rokkor 50mm F1.4
Minolta MC rokkor 58mm F1.4
Nikon Nikkor Ai-s 50mm F1.4
Olympus OM 50mm F1.4
Pentax Takumar 50mm SMC F1.4
Konica AR 57mm F1.4
Pentax Super Takumar 50mm F1.4

For corner sharpness, in order:

Canon FD 50mm SSC F1.4
Minolta MC rokkor 58mm F1.4
Minolta MD rokkor 50mm F1.4
Minolta MC rokkor 50mm F1.4
Nikon Nikkor Ai-s 50mm F1.4
Olympus OM 50mm F1.8 (Made in Japan)
Olympus OM 50mm F1.4
Konica AR 50mm F1.7
Pentax Takumar 50mm SMC F1.4
Konica AR 57mm F1.4
Pentax Super Takumar 50mm F1.4

For Contrast, in order:

Canon FD 50mm SSC F1.4
Minolta MD rokkor 50mm F1.4
Minolta MC rokkor 50mm F1.4
Olympus OM 50mm F1.8 (Made in Japan)
Olympus OM 50mm F1.4
Konica AR 50mm F1.7
Nikon Nikkor Ai-s 50mm F1.4
Konica AR 57mm F1.4
Pentax Takumar 50mm SMC F1.4
Pentax Super Takumar 50mm F1.4
Minolta MC rokkor 58mm F1.4

For least Chromatic Aberration in the corners, in order:

Minolta MC rokkor 58mm F1.4
Canon FD 50mm SSC F1.4
Minolta MD rokkor 50mm F1.4
Minolta MC rokkor 50mm F1.4
Nikon Nikkor Ai-s 50mm F1.4
Konica AR 50mm F1.7
Konica AR 57mm F1.4
Pentax Takumar 50mm SMC F1.4
Pentax Super Takumar 50mm F1.4
Olympus OM 50mm F1.8 (Made in Japan)
Olympus OM 50mm F1.4

I haven't done a Bokeh test, but by reputation, some of the best are the Minoltas, and the Pentax Takumars.

In the end it comes down to what you want in a lens. My favorites are:

Canon FD 50mm SSC F1.4
Minolta MC rokkor 58mm F1.4
Minolta MD rokkor 50mm F1.4
Minolta MC rokkor 50mm F1.4
Pentax Takumar 50mm SMC F1.4

With the Minolta MC rokkor 58mm F1.4, you need to be aware that it displays coma (or halo) when the subject is strongly lit or back lit, wide open. So you need to be aware of this trait.

I currently live in Japan, so I have access to a lot of these Japanese lenses. Many of them, I find with fungus or haze, or stuck apertures, so I clean/repair them and resell on ebay. Some I pick up for as little as $10, but (for example the Takumar lenses, you sometimes need 2-3 lenses to make one good one, as fungus can damage lens elements, so you need to swap these out.(these are more than 50 years old, after all!!)

I also fix DSLRs & and mirrorless cameras.

bumsklumpen

@panystac thanks a lot, this is really helpful and that's quite a lot of lenses you got there!

fredfred27

Here is a short time lapse of the last "Blue Moon" shot with the GH2 and a Minolta 800mm MD RF Rokkor-X.

fredfred27

Here is the same moon shot with a Minolta 600mm f/5.6 Tele Rokkor-TD (built around 1959).

fredfred27

See this post concerning Minolta manual focus primes...http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/8076/festival-bumper-filmed-with-the-gh2-and-minolta-rokkor-prime-lenses.

hellrazor

I see on all 3 versions of 35-70mm f3.5 attached to the speed booster a light loss of at least 1 f stop while zooming in. This does not happen with my stupid m43 to MD Adapter. Any idea what is causing this and how to fix? There is a manual mechanic in the lenses opening the apperture when zooming in. It works with the lens in the SB.

hellrazor

I just found the Issue. It appears on all 3 35-70mm: >= f8, the manual closing does not work when attached to the SB (neither does stopping further down). most probably, as with the 135mm f3.5, the aperture closing thingy on the lens is too long and touches the SB interior, stopping the lens internal aperture mechanism to work properly.

fredfred27

@hellrazor I am finding that some of my Minoltas are having aperture problems with the MFT SB. My 35-70 is one that will not stop down. I am currently out of town working, but when I get back home in a few weeks, I plan on figuring this out. It might involve filing the aperture mechanism that usually mates with the film bodies.

DrDave

@panystac IMHO The 58 is not as sharp as the 50, and it is not great in the corners. Missing from your list is the Vivitar 55 in Minolta mount which is sharper than the 58. The 58 has excellent bokeh.

nomad

If you want sharp, get the 50mm 1.4 PG version. It's up there with Leica or Zeiss, but the bokeh is a bit harsh.

thepalalias

Most of this music was shot with MC/MD mount lenses: a Rokkor 58mm f/1.4 and a Tokina 28mm f/2.8.

http://songwriter.revimage.com/channels/JoannaStClaire

Here's a breakdown of which shots used what camera or lens.

http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/comment/147520#Comment_147520

DrDave

I liked the use of the light in the video, but I wouldn't say it is sharp--but of course it just shows that it isn't all about the sharpness, it is the artistry.

hellrazor

@fredfred27 shortening the aperture mechanism does the trick 100%.

umla

in stock ... but the price is much tooo heavy ;( ... http://www.metabones.com/products/details/MB_SPMD-m43-BM1

maxr

Hi there minoltos :P

I'd like to add to the common database a great bang for the buck, the minolta MD 50mm f2. small, light and compact, sharp wide open and nice bokeh. The thing is that because of the (well earned) reputation of its 50&58mm older rokkor bros - which also makes prices go up a bit - this guy is cheap, cheap, cheap. Actually the cheapest lens I ever bought, I payed 15€, please have in mind I don't buy through the internet, I like to meet people personally, talk to them and know their stories =)

The throw is a nice 180º, 45cm minimum focus distance, 49mm filter thread, super flare resistant, CA's much less than older 50mm models, front and rear elements are quite embedded in the body so it's harder to fuck them up, actually no need for filter

Some so-so examples, video grabs are SOC, unbalanced and a bit late, light wise =)

fredfred27

The Blood Moon over Texas on 4/14-15/2014. Panasonic GH2, Minolta 600mm f/5.6 Tele Rokkor-TD, Minolta 200-L 2X Teleconverter, Fotodiox MD to m4/3 Adapter. The phases overlap because I had to expose for the dark and light sides seperately.

maxr

@fredfred27 Real nice work compa, also in the arrangement ,-)
I have a neighbour that totally deserves such a zega-tele treatment... I bet I could see eclipses every night, je je... on the other hand I'd have even more trouble sleeping.

A guy I know is trying to sell me a MC 21mm f2.8 and (or) the 28mm f2. Though the 21 is a superbly beautiful looking and a substantial piece of equipment - the metal cinema-like hood just emphasises it - I'm pretty sure he's gonna ask for the souls of my kids and I don't have kids :P

Does anyone have either some kid's soul spare or feedback on the before mentioned lenses?. Mucho appreciado

http://digitalrokkor.altervista.org/minoltalens_wide_21mm.html
second on page
http://digitalrokkor.altervista.org/minoltalens_wide_28mm.html

nomad

The 28mm is great, one of the best 28mm vintage lenses I ever tried (and I tried a few). Only the much more expensive Zeiss Contax 28mm f2.0 (nicknamed Hollywood) is better, but much heavier too. Stopped down to 2.8 the Minolta is sharper than it's sibling, the 28mm f2.8 WO. Much better than the famed Kiron too, BTW.

The 21mm in it's time was second only to the Zeiss Contax Distagon 21mm (which goes well beyond 1K$ these days). It has some complex mustache distortion (which you can find to a minor degree in the Zeiss too) and is great for landscape if stopped down. Soft corners on FF until 5.6-ish, but around 8 it can hold it's own even on the Sony A7R! Plus beautiful craftsmanship and built to last.

maxr

@nomad heartfelt thank you for fast and hyper-concise yet detailed feedback =)
The 21 surely is something nice to hold in the hand • I'll see if somewhere in comings weeks I can kidnap both grandpas and try to make some quick and dirty tests... this guy knows glass alright. Thank U again mate

theshittywizard

Last year some time I picked up a collection of MD/MC lenses at a flea market. I ended up with the following Rokkors: 28mm, 35mm, (2) 50mm, and an 85mm.

Needless to say, I made out like a bandit.

Anyways, I hadn't really found the time to mess around with these lenses until last week. I'm the kind of guy that can't resist buying a 5 or 10 dollar lens at the antique mall or a rummage sale. I have a crap ton.

I was out with my partner shooting a promotional video for a client of ours and decided to bring my GH3 and a handful of vintage glass to play around with during down time.

The Minolta Rokkor 50mm 1.4 PG lens is an absolute beast. A tad bit more chromatic aberration than I'd like, but Holy hell is it razor sharp.

Note: Watermarked at the request of my business partner. Also, I probably went a little overboard on the color and sharpness here, but you get the idea.

IronFilm

How do Minolta MD lenses compare against Yashica ML lenses?

nomad

Pretty favorable, I tried a few and sold them again. The Yashicas are not bad, but most of the Minoltas are better.

The Minoltas are generally only beaten by the Zeiss Contax/Yashica lenses by a small margin (not saying that there aren't some lemons in either line). I tested the famous 35-70mm zooms from both brands and they were head to head – some points went to the Zeiss C/Y, some to the Minolta (and both close to primes).

The main advantage of the Minoltas is the fact that they made their own glass and tried to match color throughout their lines – a fact that was highly appreciated by photographers in the analog era.

tetakpatak

Both shots done with Minolta MC Rokkor 58mm f/1.2 @ 1.2 with Minolta close-up lens No.2 on Sony Nex 7, screenshots of out-of-camera JPEGs.

I love this creamy out-of-focus area, more than 90% of the pics. I suppose @nomad will like it too ;-)

nomad

You bet! BTW, gonna get me a focal reducer now for my Minoltas on NEX too.

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