Minolta MC Rokkor 24mm 1:2.8 VFC – MC-X – review

Minolta MC VFC Rokkor-X 24mm 1:2.8 (Minolta MC Rokkor 24mm 1:2.8 VFC) – vintage manual lens test and review

  • Official classification: MC
  • Collector’s classification: MC-X

This is the first lens with unique Ninolta’s know-how – Variable Field Curvature (VFC). The lens is enough rare, probably because just a few photographers need it, but it is very interesting from the collector’s point of view.

This review doesn’t contain tests of Variable Field Curvature -‘VFC’ feature of this lens. Here you can get information about how this lens works in normal mode.

The lens for the test was provided by Egor Nikolaev (Егор Николаев) – many thanks and greetings.

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Minolta MC Rokkor NL 21mm 1:2.8 W – MC II – review

Minolta MC Rokkor NL 21mm 1:2.8 W vintage manual lens review (Minolta MC W Rokkor-NL 1:2.8 f=21mm)

  • Official classification: MC
  • Collector’s classification: MC II, Hills &Valleys, Knurled

It’s just my personal opinion but this mix of ultra-wide focal distance and the demonstrated resolution was one of the biggest surprises during the testing of lenses from MC II generation.

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Minolta MC Rokkor HH 35mm 1:1.8 vs MC Rokkor HG 35mm 1:2.8 vs MD 35mm 1:1.8 – comparison

Minolta SR 35mm lenses comparison:

  • Minolta MC Rokkor HH 35mm 1:1.8 (MC II) aka Minolta MC W.Rokkor HH 35mm f/1.8
  • Minolta MC Rokkor HG 35mm 1:2.8 (MC II) aka Minolta MC W.Rokkor HG 35mm f/2.8
  • Minolta MD 35mm 1:1.8 (MD III) aka Minolta New-MD 35mm f/1.8

A very important test for me personally, and I think for many other photographers – 35mm focal distance is an over-demanded and a good understanding of “who’s the best” can help to make a correct choice of a lens.

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Minolta MC Rokkor PG 58mm 1:1.2 vs MC Rokkor PF 58mm 1:1.4 – comparison

Minolta SR 58mm lenses comparison:

  • Minolta MC Rokkor PG 58mm 1:1.2 (MC II)
  • Minolta MC Rokkor PF 58mm 1:1.4 (MC II)

Comparison of lenses Minolta MC Rokkor PG 58mm 1:1.2, Minolta MC Rokkor PF 58mm 1:1.4

I love both lenses, each for a different reason, but this is a rare case when it is not possible to say something like “one of the lenses is a little worse, but a gap isn’t so big to think about it“. No. Here we see a total victory of the faster version.

This comparison is correct only for conditions and equipment used for tests. Test results can differ if any element is changed

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Minolta MC Rokkor QE 100mm 1:3.5 Macro – MC II – review

Minolta MC Rokkor QE 100mm 1:3.5 Macro – vintage manual lens review (Minolta MC Macro Rokkor-QE 1:3.5 f=100mm)

  • Official classification: MC
  • Collector’s classification: MC II, Hills &Valleys, Knurled

The first feeling: it’s not a lens – it’s a howitzer. Every Rokkor from pre-rubberized generations looks like a rock, but this macro-hundred is the champion among others. Even huge and twice heavier Rokkor MC 300mm 1:5.6 looks more elegant than this hunk of metal with a few pieces of glass.

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Minolta MC Rokkor QD 135mm 1:3.5 – MC II – review

Minolta MC Rokkor QD 135mm 1:3.5 vintage manual lens review (Minolta MC Tele Rokkor-QD 1:3.5 f=135mm)

  • Official classification: MC
  • Collector’s classification: MC II, Hills &Valleys, Knurled

Small but very proud lens. Like many other lenses of that era, it is already very good in terms of performance, but in the next versions, it has been improved even more. The regular representative of ‘Hills&Valleys’ hull design.

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Minolta MC Rokkor PF 135mm 1:2.8 – MC II – review

Minolta MC Rokkor PF 135mm 1:2.8 vintage manual lens review (Minolta MC Tele Rokkor-QF 1:2.8 f=135mm)

  • Official classification: MC
  • Collector’s classification: MC II, Hills &Valleys, Knurled

This is the fast lens with classic focal distance – very suitable for portraits and landscapes. Tons of such lenses have been produced by a lot of competitors, many of them are beautiful, and it’s very hard for any lens to get a ‘recommended’ status in so huge and cool collective.

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Minolta MC Rokkor PG 50mm 1:1.4 – review

Minolta MC Rokkor PG 50mm 1:1.4 – vintage manual lens test and review

This was the first 50mm F1.4 lens by Minolta, only 58mm with F1.4 was in production earlier. It has so great reputation that even younger and modern fifties sometimes hide in the shadow of this MC. You can find a lot of opinions about this lens, sometimes very objective, sometimes too personal, and the target of this review is to understand the real abilities of this piece of ‘glass and metal’ (and a few rubbers).
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