Despite it’s age of more than 45 years the Minolta MC 2.5/100 is a very good lens with great built quality and bokeh for a very affordable price.
Sample Images
Minolta MC Tele Rokkor 100mm 1:2.5 – Review
Category Archives: lenses
Test: $20 Minolta MC 1.7/55 vs $1000 Zeiss 1.8/55
In this comparison I want to compare two very different lenses.
The Minolta MC Rokkor-PF 55mm 1:1.7 was introduced in 1968 and it was always an affordable lens. Today it usually sells for around $20 at ebay.com (affiliate link).
I like it because it has very nice bokeh, the nice focusing feel and the small size. I is not one of my sharpest manual lenses, the Canon FD 1.4/50 for example is noticeably sharper but it has very nice character, not far away from the much heavier and more expensive Minolta MC 1.2/58.
The Sony FE 1.8/55 ZA was introduced 45 years later in 2013 and it costs around $1000 or 50 times as much as the Minolta. It has received very positive reviews and is considered to be one of the best normal lenses available today.
The question I try to answer with this test is: How different are the results I can expect from the lenses? I will look at smaller images optimized for the web but also at 100% crops to judge print quality.
All images are developed from raw and I used a tripod unless I mention otherwise. Please click on them to see them in full size (1500px wide).
Scene 1: Bokeh and Sharpness in the center wide open
The same settings applied to the image taken with the Minolta 1.7/55
Continue reading Test: $20 Minolta MC 1.7/55 vs $1000 Zeiss 1.8/55
Canon new FD 50 mm 1:1.4 Review
There is a vast amount of affordable and very good 1.4/50 lenses out there and I think the Canon new FD 50 1.4 is one of the sharpest and most affordable.
Sample Images
Minolta MD Zoom 35-70mm 1: 3.5 – Review
The Minolta MD 35-70mm 1:3.5 is an very affordable, light weight zoom with a very good performance in a limited but handy focal range
Specifications
| Diameter | 69 mm |
| Length | 68.5 mm |
| Filter Thread | 55mm |
| Weight | 365g |
| Max. Magnification | 0.1 0.25 (Macro Mode) |
| Close Focusing Distance from the sensor | 80cm 33cm (Macro Mode) |
| Number of aperture blades | 7 |
| Elements/ Groups | 8/7 |
Check current prices at ebay.de
Also check out my Minolta SR-mount adapter guide.
Image Samples
Minolta MD 50mm 1:2 Review
The Minolta MD 50mm 1:2 is one of the smallest and cheapest Minolta lenses and most importantly it is also an excellent lens for landscape photography.
Specifications
| Diameter | 64 mm |
| Length | 36 mm |
| Filter Thread | 49 mm |
| Weight | 150g |
| Max. Magnification | 0.15 |
| Close Focusing Distance from the sensor | 45cm |
| Number of aperture blades | 6 |
| Elements/ Groups | 6/5 |
Check current prices at ebay.de
Image Samples
