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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Minolta MD 100mm 1:2.5 vs MD 100mm 1:4.0 Macro – comparison

Minolta MD 35mm lenses – Minolta MD 100mm 1:2.5 vs MD 100mm 1:4.0 Macro – comparison:

  • Minolta MD Macro 100mm 1:4.0 (MD III, New-MD)
  • Minolta MD 100mm 1:2.5 (MD III, New-MD)

Both these lenses are from the “must-have” category, for different tasks of course – the macro and the telephoto, so, there is no need to choose one of these two – lenses aren’t competitors. The comparison has been performed just because of curiosity.

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Minolta MC Rokkor PF 100mm 1:2.5 – MC II – review

Minolta MC Rokkor PF 100mm 1:2.5 vintage manual lens review (Minolta MC Tele Rokkor-PF 1:2.5 f=100mm)

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

Here is another one telephoto lens by Minolta. Very suitable for portraits because it is ‘100mm fast’ – the focal distance is not short, but the lens is still convenient in operation. Also, it is ready for landscapes from F5.6 and totally sharp over the frame if closed to F8 – this ability makes this lens enough universal. It may be interesting for photographers who are looking for a mix of good IQ and classic rendering.

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Minolta MC Rokkor PF 135mm 1:2.8 vs. MC Rokkor QD 135mm 1:3.5 vs MD 135mm 1:2.8 – comparison

Minolta SR 135mm lenses comparison:

  • Minolta MC Tele Rokkor PF 135mm 1:2.8 (MC II)
  • Minolta MC Tele Rokkor QD 135mm 1:3.5 (MC II)
  • Minolta MD 135mm 1:2.8 (MD III)

135mm is the very popular focal distance for many styles of photography: portraiture, landscapes, street-photo, etc. – it’s great for scenes which are required a compressed perspective for a more tight feeling of the picture. This comparison should show the difference between very budget manual 135mm lenses. Actually, Minolta produced the only one expensive 135mm – the famous MD 135mm 1:2.0, and all another 15 models for SR-mount looks cheap enough, so, three are here.

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

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.
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Minolta MD 28-85mm 1:3.5-4.5 Zoom vs MD 28mm 1:3.5 vs MD 35mm 1:2.8 vs MD 50mm 1:1.4 vs MD 85mm 1:2.0 – comparison

Minolta MD 28-85mm 1:3.5-4.8 Zoom comparison with prime lenses:

  • Minolta MD 28-85mm 1:3.5-4.8 Zoom Macro (MD III)
  • Minolta MD 28mm 1:3.5 (MD III)
  • Minolta MD 35mm 1:2.8 (MD III)
  • Minolta MD 50mm 1:1.4 (MD III)
  • Minolta MD 85mm 1:2.0 (MD III)

One of the best zooms from pre-AF era is going to fight against famous primes on the most used focal distances. Yes, that primes are powerful, so a victory of zoom looks impossible but it will be cool even if it will show at least a close level of sharpness. (more…)

Minolta SR 50mm 1:1.4 lenses comparison – MC-X, MD I, MD-II, MD-III

Minolta SR 50mm 1:1.4 lenses comparison:

  • Minolta MC Rokkor PG 50mm 1:1.4 (MC-X)
  • Minolta MD Rokkor 50mm 1:1.4 (MD I)
  • Minolta MD Rokkor 50mm 1:1.4 (MD II)
  • Minolta MD 50mm 1:1.4 (MD III or New-MD)

This is the comparison of Minolta-SR 50mm lenses – from Rokkor MC up to New MD – all are the best classic 50mm lenses ever, and this selection of the winner is just an option – photographers can use any of these lenses without doubts and without reading of this article, but it was curious to find out how the Minolta’s optics changes from generation to generation.

The comparison is big enough and maybe boring, so, if you prefer to sort out in details – you need the patience to look over all diagrams with samples, if you just interested who is a winner – go to the end of the article, but such way is not to recommend, because it would be better if someone controls the author’s conclusion.

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Minolta MD 24-50mm 1:4.0 Zoom vs MD 24mm 1:2.8, MD 28mm 1:2.8 (5×5), MD 35mm 1:2.8, MD 50mm 1:1.4 – comparison

Minolta MD 24-50mm 1:4.0 zoom vs primes comparison.

  • Minolta MD Zoom 24-50mm 1:4.0 (MD III)
  • MD 24mm 1:2.8 (MD III)
  • MD 28mm 1:2.8 (5×5) (MD III)
  • MD 35mm 1:2.8 (MD III)
  • MD 50mm 1:1.4 (MD III)

In most cases, top-rated fixed focal lenses are better than zooms, but it isn’t always true, and here is one of the exclusions.
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