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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Minolta Rokkor Survival Guide

My 24 doesn't rotate, since it's a VFC. I'll check my 21 when I'm back, I'm holding a workshop in Southern Germany right now.

And, yes, my collection gained quite some value since the Sony A7 series came out. Before that they were really cheap, apart from some jewels like the VFC, the Shift 35 or the 250mm RF.
 
My 21mm doesn't rotate either, only the 24-50mm zoom rotates.
 
Uli, thanks of looking into this! I'll likely upgrade from my 20 and 24mm MD jump on one of those 21mm's. I love em', but unless i'm using a matte box on rods, these lenses may be a hindrance..
 
Hey fellow Redusers, I tried to get in touch with Jim Buchanon through his website without success so far...
Anyone here would be able to share his direct email?
I have a 58mm 1,2 and 28mm 2,0 which I'm dying to convert in EOS and I couldn't find anyone to do it in Europe... Even TLS said no...
 
I'm not sure, has been a while that I used a camera with Z-mount, but can't you take it off and have an E-mount?

There would be numerous adapters for E-mount, including Speedbooster.
 
Hi David,

my fault. I was confused because I remembered once operating the F5 with PL and you could take it off and have a pretty short mount.

I'm glad you found that Kipon. I have other adaptors from them and even if the are not up to the quality of MTF Services in Britain or Novoflex in Germany, they are quite OK. BTW, they have an English website: http://global.rakuten.com/en/store/auc-stkb/item/pro-md-fz/?s-id=borderless_recommend_item_en

I suppose the prices of good Minolta SR glass will raise even more now ;-)
 
Great thread which helped me reconstitute my photo equipment. Last August, I bought a Sony A 6000 with an adaptor and started using my 24-35 mm, 50 mm 1.7, 100 mm f2.5 and 250mm RF to great effect and pleasure as it was my first "serious" digital camera and I could use my jewels acquired in my twenties. Unfortunately in September, my 100 and 250mm in a sony bag "disappeared" (forgotten, stolen?) in Lisbon and I had to look for replacement. My enthusiasm was cooled when I realised the price of the 250mm on ebay...
I, therefore, decided to constitute a full range of prime lenses (which had made me dreamed in my youth) on a budget equivalent to the price of the 250mm + 100mm : I started with the 85mm f2 and 500 f8.0 RF and probably overpaid a bit but became aware that there were extreme variations in price for the same lens.
I now have bought and used:
50 MD Rokkor 1.4 (55mm), 100 mm f4 macro Rokkor, 35 mm 1.8 latest MD Rokkor version, 135 mm 2.8 (5/5), 200 mm 2.8 mm, 24 mm MD rokkor later version, 20mm 2.8 MD rokkor, a 300 s converter and have a 28mm f 2.0 coming . That's 10 lenses and converter in total for 1000 £ (1450 €). Only non rokkor is the 85mm f2 (simply MD).

I now need to sell a canon 24 mm f 2.8 I bought early on at a decent price (anybody here?) now that I have a full range of consitent and high quality SR lenses.

Some findings (you all experienced before...)
- An ability to exploit the fantastic sensitivity of digital camera versus film to make low light (inc night) pictures
- As consequence of APS-c, a range biased towards super teles with a bit more DoF for the same eq length (500 eq 750mm)
- A really very compact system (I went to Paris last week end with the 20mm and the 85 mm (eq 30mm and 128 mm) with a lens in the pocket and the other on the A 6000...felt like a Leica M... or close for a fraction of the price
- The ability to make superb macro photos with a reaching lens (100m = 150mm)

Of course, I miss my 250 mm 5.6 but for the same budget, I get quite a beautiful range. Still I was shocked by the level of chromatic aberration of the non APO 200mm 2.8 (not good for "contre jour"). On the other hand, the 300s works well with it and provides a 400mm f5.6 (but not apo...). This make me appreciate the 500 mm a lot (no chromatic aberration) as I can use it a lot and have just to be careful about the bokeh (sometimes gives beautiful pictures...). Really gives beautiful images despite contrast, etc... plus fixed aperture less a problem than for film as sensitivity adapts

Compacity is a major feature even for super teles. the 500 mm (750mm eq) weighs 635g and the 200mm f2.8 700 g (400mm 5.6 for 900 g). When I read about Nikkor and Sigma super zooms weighing 1.5 to 2.5 kgs... you need a sherpa if you want to shoot long range shots.

Am slowly getting used to the thousands of options of the A6000 but would need training really as I sometimes find myself in undesired settings...

Just warmly recommended and longer term, I am looking forward to buying an A7ii in a year or 2 to have 2 bodies. Each lens would give me 2 focals and I could wander around with a 24/36 mm and a 85/128 mm for instance with carrying minimal weight (plus a 300 s in the pocket to reach a compact 256mm f 4?)

In the meantime, I have recovered a 55mm thread Olympus 0.8 converter which could even given me a FF 24 mm eq when screwed on the 20 mm (20mm*0.8 * 1.5) but this is a massive addition and quality may not be great... still an option.
 
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You wouldn't be disappointed by a 200mm f4, and they are still cheap.
 
Uli,
Indeed, thanks... difficult decision:
- the 200mm 2.8 has beautiful bokey (including 8 blades) and is quite sharp even wide open (DOF) and with 300 s (400 f5.6), so I would hesitate getting rid of it.
- Just went to Philip Reeve site and he does not find the f4 performs great ref CA and lens only 150-200g lighter

Well..., checking ebay,... the f4 is indeed very cheap... tempting will see

Regards/schuss
Antoine
 
Using long focal lens with Minolta monocular to watch stars works well but is shaky when handheld. Given that none of my lenses nor the monocular can be screwed on a tripod, has anybody a "trick" /method to be able to use them with a tripod?
 
If Google can help you with some German, check artaphot.ch too for reviews f the 200mm f4.

Regarding your other question: there clamps with some adjustment of diameter from China in EBay.
 
Uli,

Danke schon! Sehr gut! I went to the artaphot site, found the page about the 200 mm on NEX 5, copied and pasted the pictures taken with the 200 mm f4, f2.8 and AF 2.8 APO G HS in word for windows and printed them for close inspection at f4 and f 5.6.

The APO is clearly better/sharper than the 2.8 MD in the corner and on the border...but the Chromatic abberation in the corner and on the border surprisingly look nearly as bad.

Leaving out pictures at f 2.8 (and at f 8 for the 200mm f4) The f4 is also sharper at 4 and maybe slightly at 5.6 than the 2.8 MD in the corner and the border... but the chromatic abberation is also clearly bad.

In the center, not much to be seen to differentiate (maybe the APO is slightly better at full aperture)

As I was used to the 250mm which has no CA (like the 500 mm), I suppose I may have overreacted about the 200 f2.8 as it seems CA is inherent to normal long focal lens and visible when you have a much clearer area. So when I say bad, it may just be "normal" for non RF lenses.
Funny the very old 180mm seem to show less CA (I did not print).
Thanks again
Reards, Antoine
 
Well, you can't compare anything else to an RF lens, and I feel your pain regarding the 250mm! I see mine not so often these days, since it's the favorite of my wife by now ;-)

The 200mm f4 is not bad at all for the price, but it's definitely not free of CA. Not even my much more expensive Zeiss 180mm f2,8 is completely free of that!
 
I clearly don't understand why manufacturers don't produce this kind of manual lens anymore.... it was cheap at the time, so why not?
Surely, they could take a licence from Sony/Minolta and produce some
 
Well, Sony is still using a lot of the Minolta designs they acquired in their AF lenses, they even continue one very special manual design unchanged, the 135mm STF.
And then there are companies like Cosina in Japan still making great manual lenses under the Voigtländer brand or Samyang in Korea who make manual lenses, some really good for the price.
Newcomers like SLR from China are joining in and let's not forget Zeiss, who is making whole lines of top-quality manual lenses next to AF lines.
So, if you are no into hunting down classical ones, you can find new ones from pretty cheap to top-class like the Otus. It's a pity, though, that Sigma is not doing some manual versions of their newly developed excellency in the 'Art' line.
 
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