Celebrity Photography Lens – Minolta MD 135/2

Lens from a famous owner

One of the copies of the Minolta MD 135/2 lens that took part in testing on this site turned out to be the former property of photographer Harry Benson.
I found out about this quite by accident, and decided to collect all the details in one article.

 

The main source is the topic on eoshd.com forum. Here is the quotes and screenshots. (more…)

Minolta MD 35-105mm 1:3.5-4.5 Zoom Macro – 16el 13gr vs 14el 12gr versions – comparison

Minolta MD 35-105mm 1:3.5-4.5 Zoom Macro (16el.13gr.) vs Minolta MD 35-105mm 1:3.5-4.5 Zoom (14el.12gr.) – comparison

A perfect demonstration of the differences between lenses with the same parameters, but with different optical designs.

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Minolta MD 35-105mm 1:3.5-4.5 Zoom Macro – 16 elements in 13 groups – review

Minolta MD 35-105mm 1:3.5-4.5 Zoom Macro (16el.13gr.) lens review

  • Official classification: MD/New-MD
  • Collector’s classification: MD-III

A bit unusual zoom for MD-III Minolta line – too many metals is visible in exterior. The combination of F4.5 with 105mm for the long end looks quite fast for portraits, so the main question – what a sharpness this lens can offer?

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Yashica ML 28mm 1:2.8 vs Minolta MD 28mm 1:2.8 – 5 elements 5 groups – comparison

Yashica ML 28mm F/2.8 vs Minolta MD 28mm F/2.8 5×5 – comparison

Both of these lenses are quite suitable for those looking for an inexpensive wide-angle. But the price quite accurately reflects their capabilities – they cope with their tasks, although they are not something outstanding from the point of view of optics. They are somewhere in the middle of the evolution of 28mm lenses – there are many sharper ones, but there are also many much weaker models.
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Minolta MD 50mm 1:1.4 vs Minolta MC Rokkor PF 50mm 1:1.7 – comparison

Minolta MC Rokkor PF 50mm 1:1.7 vs Minolta MD 50mm 1:1.4 – comparison

This battle cannot be called fair – the difference in construction between 1.4 and 1.7 usually always makes itself felt. But it so happened that I still have materials that are suitable for such a comparison, and it was decided to use them. Just out of curiosity.
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Minolta 85mm 1:2.8 Varisoft – MDIII – review

Minolta Varisoft 85mm 1:2.8 lens review

  • Official classification: MD/New-MD
  • Collector’s classification: MD III

Quite a rare specialized lens from Minolta. It is rather difficult to find it due to its high demand among collectors. The review uses one of its versions – MD3, according to the generally accepted classification, let’s say – the latest and the rarest. Let’s see what it can do.

I thank Andrea Aprà for his collaboration on my work

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Chiyoko 135mm 1:4.0 vs Minolta MD 135mm 1:2.8 – comparison

Chiyoko 135mm 1:4.0 vs Minolta MD 135mm 1:2.8 – Comparison

I wouldn’t say that this is a fair battle because of the huge difference between the age of these lenses. It is better to call it a demonstration of the development of Japanese optics. How much the great-granddaughter differs from the great-grandmother.
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