{"id":1071,"date":"2015-08-13T08:08:49","date_gmt":"2015-08-13T07:08:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/?p=1071"},"modified":"2026-01-14T08:50:15","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T07:50:15","slug":"minolta-mc-md-macro-rokkor-100mm-f3-5-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/minolta-mc-md-macro-rokkor-100mm-f3-5-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Minolta MC \/ MD Macro Rokkor 100mm 1:3.5 – Review"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\"MC100f3p5Macro-4\"<\/h1>\n

Minolta MD 3.5\/100 Macro – Specifications\"MC100f3p5Macro-2\"<\/a><\/h1>\n

Diameter: 75mm
\nLength: 89mm
\nFilter Thread: 55mm
\nWeight: 600g
\nMax. Magnification : \u00a01:2
\nClose Focusing Distance\u00a0(from the sensor\/from the front of the lens): 45cm \/27cm
\nNumber of aperture blades:\u00a06
\nElements\/ Groups:\u00a05\/4<\/p>\n

Price: \u00a0(February\u00a02015): 90-150\u20ac in good condition at ebay.de<\/a> or $110-170 at ebay.com<\/a>\u00a0(affiliate links)<\/p>\n

i want to thank Marc for borrowing me the lens to write this review!<\/p>\n<\/address>\n

Image Samples in low resolution<\/h1>\n

\"backlit<\/p>\n

\"last<\/a><\/p>\n

\"backlit<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Untitled\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>
\nYou can find some\u00a0more samples in this flickr set<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n

Versions<\/h1>\n
\"MC100f3p5Macro-3\"
the lens fully extended<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Minolta made three\u00a0versions of the lens which share the optical design<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. The Minolta\u00a0MC MACRO ROKKOR-QE<\/strong>100mm 1:3.5<\/strong> was introduced in 1972 and has a metal focusing ring with 550g it is a bit lighter than later versions.<\/li>\n
  2. The Minolta\u00a0MC MACRO ROKKOR (QE)\u00a0100mm 1:3.5<\/strong>\u00a0was introduced in 1973 and it has a rubberized focusing ring.<\/li>\n
  3. The\u00a0Minolta<\/strong>Minolta\u00a0MD\u00a0MACRO ROKKOR\u00a0100mm 1:3.5 <\/strong>is the version shown in my pictures.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The differences between the different versions are minor and only cosmetically. Only if you plan to use the lens on a younger Minolta film camera the MD version has \u00a0some advantages.<\/p>\n

    For more technical details visit the Minolta SR lens index<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    Build quality and handling<\/h1>\n
    \"MC100f3p5Macro\"<\/a>
    with the lens hood<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Builts quality is excellent, everything is made from high quality metals and feels very solid.<\/p>\n

    The focusing ring\u00a0travels around 220\u00b0 from 45cm to 1m and a further 60\u00b0 to infinity.\u00a0The focusing\u00a0has just the right amount of resistance and is a joy to use.\u00a0It\u00a0is a bit hard to focus the lens at longer distances because the focus throw is quite short at distances above 1.5m.<\/p>\n

    The aperture ring\u00a0has full stops from f\/5.6 to f\/16 and no stop from f\/3.5 to f\/5.6 and f\/16 to f\/22.<\/p>\n

    The lens is quite large for a little camera like the Sony Alpha 7 and I prefer to use a L-bracket <\/a>with it but it is quite possible to use it without. The weight is centered in the middle of the lens which is good for balance.<\/p>\n

    The front lens is a bit recessed and well protected even without the massive made-from-metal lens hood. Because the lens is very sensitive to flare the lens hood is recommended none the less.<\/p>\n<\/address>\n

    Optical performance<\/h1>\n

    These results are based on the use with a Sony Alpha 7.<\/p>\n

    Flare Resistance<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    The lens is very very sensitive to flare and this can be quite limiting at times<\/p>\n

    \"Minolta<\/a><\/p>\n

    Bokeh<\/h2>\n

    Bokeh is\u00a0one of the biggest strengths of the lens.<\/p>\n

    \"Minolta<\/a>
    f\/3.5: very smooth outlines<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
    \"Minolta<\/a>
    f\/5.6: still very smooth and the aperture blades are not too visible<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
    \"Minolta<\/a>
    f\/8: now the aperture blades are quite visible<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Chromatic Aberrations
    \n<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    Lateral chromatic aberrations are almost non existent.<\/p>\n

    Axial chromatic aberrations (“bokeh fringing”) are\u00a0about average.<\/p>\n

    Sharpness<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    \"Minolta_MC_100mmf3p5Macro\"<\/a><\/p>\n

    f\/3.5 and f\/5.6:\u00a0<\/strong>Sharp in the center but midframe and corner sharpness isn’t that good.<\/p>\n

    f\/8:<\/strong>Now the image is sharp to very sharp across the frame. A solid but not great performance.<\/p>\n

    f\/11:\u00a0<\/strong>The corners improve further<\/p>\n

    Now lets have a look at the closeup performance, I compared it to my Tokina 2.5\/90 which is an excellent lens.<\/p>\n

    First the center with my Nex-5n:\"cornersharpness\"<\/a>I see an advantage for the Tokina but the difference isn’t huge.<\/p>\n

    Now I placed the same subject in the corners (back to a7):\"centermacro\"<\/a>ouch! I redid the test two times because I assumed that I had make a mistake but with no \u00a0better results. Based on the infinity results f\/8 would probably give better results for the Minolta but you will notice diffraction.<\/p>\n

    While sharpness is good enough for most applications there are sharper manual lenses out there.<\/p>\n

    Conclusion<\/h1>\n

    This is a nice lens, the mechanical quality is great<\/strong> and\u00a0optically it is a\u00a0capable lens, the only issues I found is the bad flare resistance and below average corner performance (which isn’t that much of a problem in the field). I enjoyed using it.<\/p>\n

    What I did not enjoy<\/strong> was carrying it<\/strong>: This is a pretty big and heavy lens<\/strong> and I found myself often wondering \u00a0if it was worth to put it in my bag when there are other lenses which do the same or even more while\u00a0being lighter<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    My\u00a0Tokina 2.5\/90 Macro<\/a>\u00a0is much a more versatile lens: It is a lot smaller and a little lighter while being faster (important\u00a0for portraits), not that sensitive to flare, sharper and easier to focus at longer distances.<\/p>\n

    So if you already own one or can get one cheaply I am pretty positive that you will enjoy it. But don’t spend too much on it.<\/p>\n

    Here are the ebay links:\u00a0ebay.de<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0ebay.com<\/a>\u00a0(affiliate links)<\/p>\n

    Alternatives<\/h1>\n