MINOLTA 135mm f2.8 LENSES
"Remi", Poland, 2005
Minolta XD-11 at unrecorded shutter speed
Minolta MC Tele Rokkor PF 135mm f2.8 at f4.0
Fuji Superia Reala 100 color negative film
Copyright @ 2005 by Jakub Andrzejewski
Minolta made 135mm f2.8 lenses in all of its lens series -- 13 lenses in all.
The competition
There are dozens of alternative 135mm lenses with a f2.8 aperture. Most are inexpensive and produce mediocre results. Many companies made several versions, just as Minolta did. Some produce fine results, but knowing which one actually does can be a daunting task.
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LENS FEATURES |
IMAGE |
COMMENTS |
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FOCAL LENGTH: 135mm |
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Minolta's first 135mm lens for the SLR cameras, it appeared at the same time as the SR-2. Unlike the other lenses released at the time, it lacked an auto diaphragm, and the f-stop was simply manually set before the exposure -- it was NOT a pre-set lens with TWO aperture rings. It was quickly replaced by the "semi-auto" version below. |
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FOCAL LENGTH: 135mm |
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A quickly replaced version of the original Rokkor 135mm f2.8 -- with a new optical design and a semi-auto-diaphragm (even though the lens says "Auto" on the front). It is one of very few Minolta lenses to have this "feature". Here's how it works. After you advance the film (which also cocks the shutter), the lens aperture remains in the "uncocked" position. In other words, the lens is still stopped-down at the set f-stop. The lens has a large tab on the outside that is pushed, after the film is advanced, which locks the aperture at its maximum setting. It is released at the moment of exposure by a tab in the lens that is held in place by the stop-down lever in the camera. This only gives you an "automatic" lens, of sorts, since the lens will not return to the full aperture setting until you have advanced the film again AND cocked the lens as well. Certainly a slow method, but all that was available at the time. One problem with these semi-automatic lenses lies with the internal tab in the lens that links the shutter release to the aperture. When the film is advanced, this tab is moved beyond the diameter of the lensmount of the camera. Should the lens be removed after the film is advanced, this tab is easily broken. In this case, you end up with a very expensive manual diaphragm lens. (The tab retracts once the shutter release is pressed, so if you need to remove one of these lenses after advancing the film, just waste a shot BEFORE removing the lens.) These lenses are hard to find and often in a broken state (although they are still usable in manual mode). It has LV numbers, a locking f-stop tab, and a DOF button -- but unlike other DOF buttons, this one fully releases the aperture. The lens is not reset to the auto-aperture state by releasing the DOF button -- it is necessary to recock the lens. The lens has half-stop aperture settings between f2.8 and f11. The aperture ring is in the middle of the lens so the f-stops will not appear in camera viewfinders. |
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FOCAL LENGTH: 135mm |
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An updated version of the Auto Rokkor 135mm 2.8 -- with a fully auto-diaphragm. There was no longer a need to cock the lens separately. The lenscocking lever is now a stop-down lever. |
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FOCAL LENGTH: 135mm |
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In 1965, Minolta came out with a series of "compact" Rokkor lenses. It was a select group of Rokkors from 35mm to 135mm that were a little thinner, a little shorter and weighed a little less than their predecessors. The 135mm f2.8 Auto Rokkor was one of these. This model was a "compact" version of the original 135mm f2.8 Auto Rokkor. The size and weight of the lens were reduced, and there was a new optical design. |
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FOCAL LENGTH: 135mm |
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The lens was mainly a continuation of the 135mm f2.8 from the Auto Rokkor series, but with meter-coupling and yet another new optical design. The aperture ring was moved slightly closer, but not completely, to the camera body so that meter-coupling could occur, so the lens features are very similar. The stop-down button was conveniently placed. |
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FOCAL LENGTH: 135mm |
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An updated version of the MC Rokkor 135mm 2.8 with the improved cosmetics and lenses coating of the MC Rokkor-X series. Although the inscription on this 6/5 lens can be the same as that of the later 4/4 model (below), you can tell the difference by the mark for the focusing scale and the aperture scale. On this model there is a combined mark, on the later model there are two separate marks -- one for the aperture scale and one for the focusing scale. Another noticeable difference is the focusing ring has five rows, while the next model has 10. Also, this model has a slide-out lens shade, unlike its later brother. |
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FOCAL LENGTH: 135mm |
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A less expensive version of the MC Rokkor-X 135mm 2.8 with a different optical design -- unusual for the Celtic line of lenses. |
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FOCAL LENGTH: 135mm |
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An updated version with a change in the optical formula from 6/5 to 4/4 -- and a much wider focusing ring. Although the inscription on this 4/4 lens can be the same as that of the earlier 6/5 model, you can tell the difference by the mark for the focusing scale and the aperture scale. On this model, there are two separate marks, while one the earlier model there is a combined mark for the aperture scale and focusing scale. Another noticeable difference is the focusing ring has 10 rows, while the earlier model has five. |
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FOCAL LENGTH: 135mm |
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An updated version with a change in the optical formula matching that of the MC Rokkor-X model above. |
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FOCAL LENGTH: 135mm |
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An updated version of the MC Rokkor-X 135mm 2.8 with the typical changes of the MD Rokkor-X series. The most noticeable difference is a narrower focusing ring with six rows instead of 10, but the lens now has a built-in, sliding lens shade. There is also a change to the DOF scale. |
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FOCAL LENGTH: 135mm |
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An updated version with a change in the optical formula -- an additional element is added. Despite this, the lens become noticeably smaller and lighter in this version even though it maintained the 55mm filter thread and added more glass. The lens is shorter and the front is narrower, but it retains the buit-in lens shade. If you want a fast 135mm that is small and light, this is the one to get. |
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FOCAL LENGTH: 135mm |
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A less expensive version of the MD Rokkor-X 135mm 2.8. |
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FOCAL LENGTH: 135mm |
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An updated version of the MD Rokkor-X 135mm 2.8 with the typical changes of the MD Minolta series -- except that it retained the 55mm filter thread! This is one of the few instances where a Minolta MD lens actually gained weight over it's MD Rokkor-X predecessor! Could it be that Minolta felt the earlier model felt too light? |
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The material on this website is protected by US Federal copyright laws. It cannot be copied or used in any manner without specific approval from the owner.
