Minolta MC I Rokkor HF 300mm 1:4.5 vs MD 300mm 1:4.5 – comparison

Published by Tony on 2019-04-192019-04-19

Minolta SR 300mm lenses comparison:

• Minolta MC Tele Rokkor HF 300mm 1:4.5 (MC I)
• Minolta MD 300mm 1:4.5 (New-MD, MD III)

This focal distance is enough long to use “on sensor stabilization” during real photography, but for testing, OSS-systems are inappropriate because may affect the results. So, for this comparison, a combination of two tripods was used. It was looked a bit funny but I’m sure that the camera and lens were fixed enough.

Tested lenses reviews

Minolta MC I Rokkor HF 300mm 1:4.5 vs MD III 300mm 1:4.5 – sharpness

Long-distance test description

• Camera Sony A7II (24mpx, full frame) – RAW (ARW), tripod, A-mode, ISO 100, WB fixed, SteadyShot OFF, manual focus correction for every shot
• Targets (buildings) – fixed by gravity power on the distances in more than 200 meters
• ARW post-processing – Capture One, default settings, 100% crops 300×200 px

Scene preview

Test results

Minolta MC I Rokkor HF 300mm 1:4.5 vs MD III 300mm 1:4.5 – final conclusion:

It is easy to see that New-MD is better in some positions. Especially in corners. I do not think that a detailed description is needed, everything is in the diagram. The newer MD III copy has won.