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Minolta MD and MC Lenses
  • 120 Replies sorted by
  • Cool, @nomad :-) BTW, I have bought the original Minolta close-up lens on ebay.de for 5€ if I remember well, LOL!

  • I shot these with Minolta lenses. 50mm F1.7 & 28mm F1.8

    password: moz-4

  • @dlzn Minolta didn't make a 28/1.8. Did you mean 28/2 or 28/2.8?

  • My bad. @fredfred27 it's a Sigma 28mm. (:

  • Can't say I like the PG version of the 50/1.4 Rokkor as well as the MD....busy Bokeh

  • Which MD version? There were four distinct optical designs for the SR mount 50/1.4. The MC ROKKOR-PG (or for North America MC ROKKOR-X PG), the MD ROKKOR (MD ROKKOR-X) with the 55mm filter thread, the MD ROKKOR (MD ROKKOR-X) with the 49mm filter thread and the MD (informally called Plain MD) with the 49mm filter thread.

  • Here is a scan from a Japanese book called "Minolta Camera History". It shows the optical diagrams of the four versions.

    20151206_50-1.4_Diagrams_MinoltaCameraHistory_1024.jpg
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  • There were other diagrams of the first design that were floating around in early Minolta literature that turned out to be incorrect. They are believed to have come from the marketing department and did not represent the actual design. I disassembled lenses of the first and second design to prove the diagrams shown here were the correct ones.

    MC-X_MD-I-II_50-1.4_All_1024.jpg
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  • Concerning bokeh...I did a test with most of the standard (45, 50, 53, 55, 58 mm) Minolta SR mount lenses (and two M39 mount ones). You can see them here. https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B14hN10qvwXjRENyV2Q2M2hLNWc

  • @fredfred27 I think there are more than 4. As for which version I prefer, in general, I prefer the ones that haven't been dropped. Anyway, I don't like the Bokeh of the PG even if some samples are slightly sharper wide open, and the color is not as good. The Bokeh of the PG is has a sort of tangled, brittle edge. Just kicking around the four or five 50mm I have, the orange X has the nicest Bokeh and my copy is very sharp. I've seen ones that weren't as sharp. A lot of these were lenses that I purchased in the 70s, so they are in perfect condition.

  • Orange X 50mm Rokkor, JPEG from GX85 no sharpening etc. Typical Rokkor X creamy color and Bokeh. F 2.8. Background is a knotty pine bookcase. Vase Arnhem 1929. Rose: Autumn Sunset.

    Rose 2016.jpg
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  • @DrDave More than four optical designs? Can you share your source? I am curious where you have heard this. There have been different ways that the casings for the front and rear groups have been built during the run of various optical designs, but I have not seen more than four designs.

  • The differences are in the lenses and the coatings. However, I haven't disassembled more than two of the 50mm (for the iris leaves), so there may be other differences...the photos sure look different.

  • I am only speaking of optical (light path) designs of which there are four. There are many configurations of construction, markings and coatings included in these designs. At present count there are 13 sub-variations without taking into account lens coatings.

  • Concerning your "Orange-X", which optical design is it? That would help when recommending lenses to others on here. Is it an MC or MD? ROKKOR or no ROKKOR? The orange ROKKOR-X only designates that it was sold in North America. Does it have the 49mm or 55mm filter thread? Since there were many variations of Minolta SR mount lenses, it is necessary to identify them fully when recommending them.

  • Rokkor 50mm/1.4 MD Orange X F4 vs Lumix 42.5 @ F 3.2 haha funny

    Rokkor 50 F4.jpg
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    Lumix 42.5 F3.2.jpg
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  • Shot all of these mostly with Minolta md lenses. Next up I'll invest in an md tot m43 speedbooster. Enjoy watching and tell me what you think.

  • Great work, @dlzn! I like very much the characters of these lenses, I used to shoot on Konica and FD lenses, now I mainly use Veydra... but these Minoltas seems to have a very intersting cinematic character! What lenses and camera have you used in Nieuw Niveau?