I like and use Minolta SR lenses a lot and this is a growing database of them.

Please read my about lens ratings page to understand how the ratings are to be read.

All ratings are based on my experience with these lenses on my fullframe Sony Alpha 7.

If you purchase the lens through one of the affiliate-links in this article we get a small compensation with no additional cost to you.

Wide-Angle lenses

Minolta MD FISH-EYE Rokkor 16mm 1:2.8 (3-3.5/5)

• f/2.8: The center is excellent, and most of the image  sharp enough, midframe sharpness is actually lower than near corner sharpness wile the far corners are unsharp. Vignetting is surprisingly low.
• f/5.6: noticeably better than f/4, most of the image is very sharp, only the far corners are unsharp
• f/11: very good sharpness across the frame. Flare resistance is average and CA pronounced.
• A rather heavy lens with integrated filters and lens hood. Built quality is excellent

Fisheye lenses are very hard to master, I wasn’t really succesfull at it. But this is a good lens, so good in fact that it also came in Leica R-mount and the same optical design is still used by the current Sony 2.8/16 Fisheye.
There is a younger MD version which is supposedly not as good.

full resolution samples | test 

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Minolta MD 20mm 1:2.8 (2/5)

• At f/2.8 a small central region is sharp, bokeh is ugly and vignetting very noticeable
• The lens suffers from a very pronounced midzone dip so important parts of the image are unsharp, even stopped down.
• Ergonomics are great, it is very small and light

It might be that the copy I tested had an issue with the floating elements design which caused the midzone dip.

flickr set | full resolution samples | test | review

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Continue reading The rated List of Minolta MD/MC Lenses on the Sony a7 →