MINOLTA 17mm f4.0 LENSES

The 17mm is the widest rectilinear lens that Minolta ever made, and appeared in three of Minolta's lens series.  It changed very little over time, and you will see the same results, no matter which version you purchase.   

The 17mm lens isn't for everyone.  Although it is a rectilinear optic (not a fisheye as many people assume), so lines appear straight, the superwide angle of view requires careful use.  Some people don't like the photographic effect, and some people are even disturbed by its distortion.  Subjects far away almost disappear, while objects near to the lens look enormous.  But with attention to detail, striking landscapes capturing near and far objects, can be obtained.  It can also be useful for interiors, but caution is advised in these situations.  If people are in the scene, they can appear distorted, with the parts of their body closest to the lens looking abnormally large.

The angle of view of the lens is so wide that ghosting is a real problem. If you are taking pictures during the day, there is a good chance that the sun will get into the picture and create those multi-colored streams of reflections.  This will happen with any version of the lens and is not significantly diminished with the newer lens coatings.  While this effect is sometimes desirable, most of us instinctively reach for a lens shade.  But a lens shade was never made for this lens, and is practically useless.  And all but the widest lens shade will create some vignetting.  In fact, you can only use one filter at a time with this lens or you'll end up with cut-off corners.  If you insist on a lens shade, you can use the shade from the 21mm 2.8, but you won't be able to use any filters, and you can still end up with ghosting.  

In addition, the 17mm, like all superwide optics, suffers from light fall-off.  In other words, the edges and corners of the image receive less light than the middle of the picture and can appear slightly darker, especially with large, smooth-toned images like a blue sky.  The effect can be minmized by stopping down the lens as much as possible.  Keep in mind that the effect can be advantageous with some subjects and can be minimized in the darkroom, if necessary.  Another alternative is to purchase a graduated neutral-density filter which counteracts the light fall-off at the widest apertures.

The 17mm f4.0 employs a floating element design to improve image quality at close distances.  The only drawback is that the front of the lens rotates as the lens is focused.  Normally, this is not a problem, but if a polarizer is being used, the polarizing effect will change as the lens is focused.  You have to rotate the polarizer AFTER you focus the lens making sure that you don't inadvertently move the focusing ring of the lens as you rotate the polarizer.  But using a polarizer is difficult with this lens for another reason -- it's WIDE angle of view.  You'll quickly discover that only part of the image will polarize and this can lead to odd-looking skies.

While none of Minolta's 17mm lenses are cheap, the f4.0 aperture keeps it under $400 on the used market. You can get less expensive alternatives, such as those made by Soligor, Tamron, or Tokina.  Some of these are slightly faster, at f3.5, but the lackluster results are hidden by the enormous depth-of-field.  Finally, if you want a lens even wider, Minolta made fisheye lenses.  

MINOLTA 17mm f4.0 LENSES

LENS FEATURES	IMAGE	COMMENTS
FOCAL LENGTH: 17mm f-STOPS: 4-16 PERIOD: 1972-1977 INSCRIPTION: MINOLTA LENS MADE IN JAPAN MC W. ROKKOR-X 1:4 f=17mm DESIGN: 11/9 FILTER: 72 DIAPHRAGM: auto MC: yes MD: no CLOSE FOCUS: 10" SIZE: 3.0"x2.1" WEIGHT: 11.6oz.		A new superb, super-wide lens in the MC Rokkor-X line-up. It incorporates a floating element design which means, unfortunately, a rotating front filter thread -- but it means great close focusing to 10 inches.
FOCAL LENGTH: 17mm f-STOPS: 4-22 PERIOD: 1977-1981 INSCRIPTION: EARLY STYLE: MINOLTA LENS MADE IN JAPAN MD W. ROKKOR-X 1:4 f=17mm LATE STYLE: MINOLTA MD W. ROKKOR-X 17mm 1:4 LENS MADE IN JAPAN ø72mm DESIGN: 11/9 FILTER: 72 DIAPHRAGM: auto MC: yes MD: yes CLOSE FOCUS: 10" SIZE: 3.0"x2.1" WEIGHT: 11.5oz.		An updated version of the MC Rokkor-X 17mm with the typical changes of the MD Rokkor-X series.
FOCAL LENGTH: 17mm f-STOPS: 4-22 PERIOD: 1981-present INSCRIPTION: MINOLTA MD 17mm 1:4 JAPAN ø72mm DESIGN: 11/9 FILTER: 72 DIAPHRAGM: auto MC: yes MD: yes CLOSE FOCUS: 10" SIZE: 3.0"x2.1" WEIGHT: 11.5oz.		An updated version of the MD Rokkor-X 17mm with the typical changes of the MD Minolta series.

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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.