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Sonntag, 5. Februar 2017

Minolta MC W.Rokkor-SI 24mm f/2.8 - a carefree package for daily use

I've been looking for a thoroughly worry-free package for my APS-C camera Sony a6000. Something about the 35mm and not too big is supposed to be such a lens. As bright as possible. Actually, this would be converted to full format 24mm and at least a aperture of 2.8. First of all, I had my Voigtländer Color-Skopar 21mm f / 4.0 in view. But this is unfortunately not as bright as desired.

With the Leica M-Mount and the small adapter, however, it is very compact and light. In one of my next reviews, I will deal extensively with the little Voigtländer.

I then got by chance offered this specimen of an old Minolta Rokkor in a camera-forum. The part is already quite worn and no longer crisp. But the lenses of this objective are without any blemish.

The first thing I noticed after unpacking the lens was the high weight. The lens is built like a tank, made entirely of metal and incredibly heavy. Together with the adapter, the combination is not really compact and light. On the other hand, optical performance is astonishing. But one after another.

Let us first come to the statistical data, as always.

Mount: Minolta SR

Lens construction: 9 elements in 7 groups

Closest focus distance: 30 cm

Number of diaphragm blades: 6

Weight: 395 gramm

Diameter and length: 65 x 50mm

Filter size: 55mm

Apertures: 2.8 to 16

The operation of the lens works without problems, the apertures rest perfect and well audible. The focus setting is smooth and precise. With this focal range, there are no problems with the focus of motifs. Even exposure times of less than 1/30 seconds can be easily photographed by hand.

The sharpness in the middle of the photo is very good from the beginning, also with the aperture open. However, the corners look quite muddy at f/2.8. It is only from aperture 5.6 that the entire image is sharp and contrast-rich from one corner to the other.

The lens is ideally suited for landscape photography. For higher apertures from f / 8 to f / 11, the results are simply amazing. Above all, the resolution in the center of the image suggests other 24mm lenses, like my Tokina RMC 24 / 2.8. Only my Olympus OM 24 / 2.8 is not to beat. The old OM Zuikos are really Leica lenses for the poor.

Purple color fringes appear clearly when the aperture is open at the edges of the picture and when the color contrasts are high. Stopped down to aperture 4.0 is sufficient to prevent color fringing. In Lightroom you can remove the fringing colors with one click. In the case of backlight, the Rokkor is very good-natured and there are only few disturbing flares. An additional lens hood may help the image quality even better.

Sony a6000 with Minolta W.Rokkor-SI 24mm f/2.8 at f/8.0, 1/60s, ISO 125

The distortions are very narrow. Here in the following uncorrected photo you can see a slight barrel distortion in the upper part of the picture. This is surprisingly good for such a wide-angled lens.

Sony a6000 with Minolta W.Rokkor-SI 24mm f/2.8 at f/4.0, 1/2000s, ISO 100

The bokeh is extremely soft and pleasant. This was not to be expected with only six blades. In this photo you can see the round lights with open aperture. Amazing for this lens construction.

Sony a6000 with Minolta W.Rokkor-SI 24mm f/2.8 at f/2.8, 1/60s, ISO 200

Summed up, one can say that this lens is worth its money. Even heavily used it is barely under 50 euros to get. The high prices are typical of older wide-angle lenses. For an MC Rokkor 24mm one must normally - depending on the condition - between 50 and 100 euros. On Ebay some copies go also for 200, - Euro and more to the clientele. Wide-angle lenses like this Rokkor can be perfectly adapted to all possible system cameras, such as Sony, Panasonic, Fuji and Olympus and have an excellent picture quality. Differences exist depending on age, wear and quality of lens coating.

From my site, there is a recommendation for this lens. Those who get it cheap should take it and adapt to its camera. If I have the opportunity in the near future, I will try to test the Rokkor on a Sony-full-frame camera and complete this review.

Here are some photos from the last weeks I shot with the Minolta MC Rokkor:

Sony a6000 with Minolta W.Rokkor-SI 24mm f/2.8 at f/4.0, 1/320s, ISO 100

Sony a6000 with Minolta W.Rokkor-SI 24mm f/2.8 at f/4.0, 1/160s, ISO 100

Sony a6000 with Minolta W.Rokkor-SI 24mm f/2.8 at f/4.0, 1/1250s, ISO 100

Sony a6000 with Minolta W.Rokkor-SI 24mm f/2.8 at f/3.5, 1/60s, ISO 800

Sony a6000 with Minolta W.Rokkor-SI 24mm f/2.8 at f/5.6, 1/1600s, ISO 100

Sony a6000 with Minolta W.Rokkor-SI 24mm f/2.8 at f/8.0, 1/2000s, ISO 100

Sony a6000 with Minolta W.Rokkor-SI 24mm f/2.8 at f/4.0, 1/4000s, ISO 100

Sony a6000 with Minolta W.Rokkor-SI 24mm f/2.8 at f/5.6, 1/2500s, ISO 100

Sony a6000 with Minolta W.Rokkor-SI 24mm f/2.8 at f/4.0, 1/160s, ISO 100

Sony a6000 with Minolta W.Rokkor-SI 24mm f/2.8 at f/3.5, 1/100s, ISO 100

Sonntag, 22. Januar 2017

MC Macro-Revuenon 28mm f/2.8 - my winter wonder lens

The lens reveals only that it was produced in West Germany. The actual manufacturer is not visible. The name "Revuenon", however, indicates that it was sold by the large German mail-order company "Quelle". Under the brand "Revue", "Quelle" sold relatively inexpensive, sometimes also very solid cameras and lenses since the seventies of the 20th century. Various manufacturers have supplied "Quelle", like Cosina or Chinon. German supporters are also well-known, such as the East German Practica or the Enna- Factory in Munich.

The Enna-Factory was founded in Munich in 1920 by Alfred Neumann. After his death the company after 1945 was led by his son-in-law, Dr. Werner Appelt as "Enna-Werkoptik-Gerätebau Dr. Appelt GmbH & Co. KG". It still appears to exist, but the production of lenses was discontinued in the early 1990s. Today the Munich-based "Enna-Werk" is a manufacturer specializing in engineering plastics.

This lens is (company intern name) a so-called "Ennalyt" 28mm f / 2.8 with metal bayonet, a lens of the lower price class. Amazing is the minimum focus distance of just under 20 cm.

The statistics:

Focal range: 28mm (prime lens with M42- or Pentax PK-mount)
Apertures: 2.8 to 16
Aperture blades: 6
Minimum focus distance: 19 cm (7,5 inches)
Filter: 52 mm
Dimensions (d/l): 65mm/54(44)mm
Weight: 176 gr. (6,2 oz.)
Data on the optical structure were not found.

The lens is exceptionally light, the feel is horrible like a yoghurt cup. Most of the lens is obviously plastic, but the bayonet is metal. Nevertheless you can use it well, the mechanics is precise. Nothing sticks or is worn out. Somehow it is German value work. I have paid for this lens only 25 euros, on Ebay and on other Internet platforms you get them however already from 10 euros. On various flea markets you can find this lens together with old cameras and gets the lens practically free as a gift.

What immediately strikes is the sharpness in the center of the image. Even with aperture open, the resolution, as well as sharpness and contrast in the middle of the photo is very good. Stopped down does not bring any improvements. Only the sharpness to the edges is better: from aperture 4.0 the whole circle of images from one to the other sharp as a razor blade. You cant complain.
In backlight, the lens is very good-natured. The resulting flares are not too disturbing. The bokeh is - depending on the background - very restless to soft.

Sony a6000 with MC Macro-Revuenon 28mm f/2.8 at f/5.6, 1/250s, ISO 100 in Backlight with Flares

Particularly fascinating is the low focus distance of under twenty centimeters. This allows easy-to-use macro photos. I guess the macro magnification factor is 1:5. This is quite remarkable for such an old lens and is quite useful for everyday use.

Sony a6000 with MC Macro-Revuenon 28mm f/2.8 at f/2.8, 1/1600s, ISO 100

Sony a6000 with MC Macro-Revuenon 28mm f/2.8 at f/2.8, 1/500s, ISO 100 at minimal focus distance of 19 cm

Let's summarize: The lens is very cheap to buy, also feels very cheap. The optical calculation is excellent and the photos are very sharp and contrasting. So to speak a yoghurt cup with cream filling.
For me, the optical quality of the lens was really a surprise. I can recommend anyone to buy this lens, which gets them cheap to buy.
Here are a few photos I shot in the last weeks with this lens:

Sony a6000 with MC Macro-Revuenon 28mm f/2.8 at f/5.6, 1/1000s, ISO 100

Sony a6000 with MC Macro-Revuenon 28mm f/2.8 at f/4.0, 1/400s, ISO 100

Sony a6000 with MC Macro-Revuenon 28mm f/2.8 at f/4.0, 1/200s, ISO 100

Sony a6000 with MC Macro-Revuenon 28mm f/2.8 at f/4.0, 1/2500s, ISO 100

Sony a6000 with MC Macro-Revuenon 28mm f/2.8 at f/8.0, 1/2500s, ISO 100

Sony a6000 with MC Macro-Revuenon 28mm f/2.8 at f/4.0, 1/2000s, ISO 100

Sony a6000 with MC Macro-Revuenon 28mm f/2.8 at f/8.0, 1/640s, ISO 100

Sony a6000 with MC Macro-Revuenon 28mm f/2.8 at f/8.0, 1/4000s, ISO 100

Sony a6000 with MC Macro-Revuenon 28mm f/2.8 at f/8.0, 1/500s, ISO 100

Sony a6000 with MC Macro-Revuenon 28mm f/2.8 at f/4.0, 1/4000s, ISO 100

Sonntag, 8. Januar 2017

The Minolta MD 28mm f/2.8 - a steal of a deal with potential

In my research on cheap wide-angle lenses, I immediately hit the excellent lenses of Minolta. Meanwhile many lenses of Minolta are not at all so cheap to get. Prices for used lenses have increased fivefold over the past three years. Okay, these prices are required by online-merchants on platforms, such as eBay. But only a few will be able to sell the lenses for this price. If you buy your lenses in real life, for example in small photographic shops or in online forums, you can still make bargains.

As many well-known manufacturers, Minolta has produced very different lenses. There are any optical and mechanic masterpieces astonishingly sold under the label Leica or Hasselblad.

So we find in the portfolio of Minolta very expensive lenses, such as the Rokkor 58 / 1.2 or the 85 / 2.0, on the other hand also some cheap bargains, such as my specimen of a Minolta MD 28mm f / 2.8.

I bought the five-lens system, which had been built since 1983, for forty euros. This lens is supposed to be the worse of the two versions with 28mm when one can believe the sources on the Internet.

The older 7-lens in seven groups is widely praised. Unfortunately I do not know from my own experience the two in-house competitors: the Minolta MD 28mm f / 2.0 and the Rokkor 28mm f / 3.5. Such a comparison with similar motives would certainly be very interesting. Perhaps there is such a possibility in the near future.

At the moment, I have some 28mm lenses at home to make a comparison.

But let us first come to the statistics:

Focal Length: 28mm (prime-lens)

Aperture Maximum: f/2.8

Aperture Minimum: f/22

Camera Mount Type: Minolta SR (MC/MD)

Format Compatibility: 35mm SLR/DSLR

Minimum Focus Distance: 0.3m

Elements/Groups: 5/5

Diaphragm Blades: 6

Filter Thread: 49mm

Dimensions: 64.5 x 43.5mm

Weight: 180g
The lens is very compact, well balanced and synonymous with the adapter on my Sony a6000 pleasant to use. It is solidly made of metal and high-quality plastic, the mechanism works perfectly. The focus ring can be moved smoothly and precisely. The aperture ring snaps on accurate and well audible. After some practice, you can easily operate the aperture ring without eye contact.

So for the haptics, there is a thumbs up from me.

Let's go to the picture quality. When the aperture is wide open, the result in the center of the image is quite sharp, but it drops clearly towards the edges. Stopped down to 3,5 or 4,0 brings a significant improvement at the edges of the image. Contrast and resolution are then significantly better. This does not mean you can not use the lens with open aperture. The sharpness is really good for smaller prints up to 30 x 40cm. But there are much better lenses with aperture 2.8, for example my Sigma mini-wide II 28mm f / 2.8 or the Nikon 28mm f / 2.8 AiS.

The bokeh is rather restless, no wonder with only six diaphragm blades. In case of backlight, the sensitivity of the Minolta 28mm is good-natured. There are distinct flares and color fringing on the contrast edges. A little stopped down and everything will be fine.

Sony a6000 with Minolta MD 28mm f/2.8 at f/2.8, 1/80s, ISO 100

Sony a6000 with Minolta MD 28mm f/2.8 at f/4.0, 1/80s, ISO 100

At all, it seems to me that the open-aperture-performance of the old lenses is too much valued. Lightly stopped down many of these old treasures are really good and a inexpensive alternative to the modern hightech optics. The microcontrast and the resolution of the old lenses are sometimes really impressive, if you stop down one or two steps.

Here again is an impression of the sharpness at open aperture, the lower picture is a 100% crop of the upper photo:

Sony a6000 with Minolta MD 28mm f/2.8 at f/2.8, 1/1000s, ISO 100

Sony a6000 with Minolta MD 28mm f/2.8 at f/2.8, 1/1000s, ISO 100 (100% crop from photo above)

Let's summarize:

The Minolta delivers good to very good picture quality even with the aperture open. The contrast is better when you stopped down. This piece is light and compact and mechanically almost unbreakable. It is not the total highlight but a solid and recommendable performer. If you can buy it cheap, then take it. More than 40 to 45 euros I would not pay for it.

Finally, a few pictures and (little) crops, which I shot in the last few weeks with the Minolta MD 28mm f/2.8: