ROKKOR LENSES
Together with the Auto-Rokkor lenses of the same
period, the Rokkor line of lenses was the first offering of lenses from Minolta
for their SLR cameras. This was the simpler line of Minolta's lenses,
but that does not mean they are of inferior quality. It just means
that they had smaller maximum apertures (i.e., smaller glass elements) and
lacked automatic diaphragms. This significantly reduced their cost.
Prior to 1960, nearly all SLR cameras lacked built-in meters and the lenses
for SLR cameras had manual diaphragms. This meant that taking pictures
was much more arduous than it is today. With these cameras and lenses,
you first composed the picture with the lens set at the widest and brightest
f-stop. Next, you removed the camera from your eye to take a meter
reading -- a separate hand-held meter was standard in those days. Then
you could set the f-stop and shutter speed. Finally, you raised the
camera back to your eye and re-composed and focused the picture through a
darkened viewfinder before taking the exposure. The viewfinder was
dark because the aperture of the lens had been stopped down.
This process was quite awkward and one of the reasons why the SLR design
wasn't immediately popular when it was introduced.
The Rokkor lenses had manual diaphragms, but Minolta incorporated a pre-set
mechanism on the aperture ring of most of these lenses to make the process
of composition and focusing a bit easier. With a preset lens, there
was no longer a need to remove your eye from the viewfinder to set the correct
f-stop before each shot -- as long as you had pre-set the correct exposure.
You simply dial-in the desired f-stop on the special preset ring;
then the standard f-stop ring can be quickly switched between "opened-up"
and "stopped-down" while viewing the subject through the viewfinder. They
added some convenience, but you still had to meter the scene separately and
determined the correct shutter speed and aperture.
These manual diaphragm lenses were gradually replaced by the Auto-Rokkor
lenses. These lenses were designed for cameras that did not have meters
or aperture displays in the viewfinder. As a result, the f-stop rings
are not always placed directly next to the camera body which allows the f-stop
to appear in the viewfinder display (if the camera is so equipped). You
can identify these lenses by the front panel around the lens (see above).
The word "ROKKOR" is the main designation and it is marked in white.
Most of us are used to automatic diaphragms in lenses. With these, the aperture remains at the widest, and brightest setting -- until the moment of exposure. Then, for an instant, it stops down and -- an instant later-- it opens back up again. But Rokkor lenses lack automatic apertures and were designed for cameras that lacked TTL meters. Using these lenses depends on the type of diaphragm in the lens and the type of camera:
For manual lenses: The 18mm lens has a maximum aperture of f9.5 and produces a very dark viewfinder even when open all the way. The two 21mm lenses require that the mirror be locked up before the lens is placed on the camera. To use these lenses the correct aperture and shutter speed are determined through the use of an external meter. These settings are then dialed into the camera, and the exposure is taken.
For preset diaphragm lenses: A preset diaphragm is a lens with two f-stop rings. One is set to the desired f-stop for the exposure. The other allows you to open the lens to the widest f-stop and close it down to the preset aperture with one easy step. The advantage is that you do not have to remove your eye from the viewfinder to set the f-stop. With non-TTL metering cameras, the correct aperture and shutter speed are determined through the use of an external meter. These settings are then dialed into the camera, and the exposure is taken. But with a preset lens, the viewfinder will NOT darken as the f-stop is dialed in. The composition and focusing are done at the widest f-stop of the lens. Then the preset dial is turned, the viewfinder darkens and the picture is taken. To use these lenses on later cameras with TTL meters, it is necessary to stop the lens down to the taking aperture for metering purposes. First, focus and compose the shot at the widest f-stop of the lens. Next, select a shutter speed appropriate for the setting (or set the shutter speed dial to "AUTO"). Lastly, stop down the lens until the selected shutter speed is indicated -- and take the picture.
| FOCAL LENGTH | f-STOP RANGE | LENS INSCRIPTION | VIEW | DESIGN | FILTER THREAD | DIAPHRAGM | MC | MD | CLOSE FOCUS | SIZE | WEIGHT |
| 18mm | 9.5-22 | MINOLTA UW ROKKOR - PG 1:9.5 f=18mm | 180 | 7/5 | 37.5 | manual | no | no | 1.5' | 1.9"x2.4" | 8.5oz. |
| 21mm | 4.5-16 | MINOLTA W. ROKKOR - PI 1:4.5 f=21mm | 92 | 9/5 | 55 | manual | no | no | 3' | 0.7"x2.4" | 5.9oz. |
| 21mm | 4-16 | MINOLTA W. ROKKOR - QH 1:4 f=21mm | 92 | 8/4 | 55 | manual | no | no | 3' | 0.7"x2.4" | 6oz. |
| 35mm | 4-22 | MINOLTA W. ROKKOR - QE 1:4 f=35mm | 63 | 5/4 | 52 | preset | no | no | 1.25' | 1.4"x2.4" | 6.5oz. |
| 35mm | 4-22 | MINOLTA W. ROKKOR - QE 1:4 f=35mm | 63 | 5/4 | 55 | preset | no | no | 1.25' | 1.4"x2.4" | 6.5oz. |
| 35mm | 2.8-22 | MINOLTA W. ROKKOR - HG 1:2.8 f=35mm | 63 | 7/6 | 55 | preset | no | no | 1' | 1.9"x2.5" | 10.5oz. |
| 50mm | 3.5-22 | MINOLTA ROKKOR - QF 1:3.5 f=50mm | 47 | 6/4 | 55 | preset | no | no | 8" | 2.2"x2.5" | 7.5oz. |
| 100mm | 4-22 | MINOLTA TELE ROKKOR - TC 1:4 f=100mm | 24 | 3/3 | 43 | preset | no | no | ? | ? | ? |
| 100mm | 4-22 | MINOLTA TELE ROKKOR - TC 1:4 f=100mm | 24 | 3/3 | 46 | preset | no | no | 4' | 3.1"x2.2" | 8.5oz. |
| 100-200mm | 5.6-22 | MINOLTA ZOOM ROKKOR 1:5.6 f=100-200mm | 24-12.5 | 8/5 | 52 | preset | no | no | 7' | 6.9"x2.5" | 1lb. 4oz. |
| 135mm | 4-22 | EARLY STYLE: MINOLTA BELLOWS ROKKOR - TC 1:4 f=135mm LATE STYLE: MINOLTA BELLOWS ROKKOR - TC 1:4 f=135mm LENS MADE IN JAPAN |
18 | 3/3 | 46 | preset | no | no | -- | 2.2"x2.2" | 7oz. |
| 135mm | 4-22 | MINOLTA TELE ROKKOR - TC 1:4 f=135mm | 18 | 3/3 | 46 | preset | no | no | 5' | 4.5"x2.2" | 14oz. |
| 135mm | 2.8-22 | MINOLTA TELE ROKKOR - PG 1:2.8 f=135mm | 18 | 7/5 | 55 | preset | no | no | 4' | 5.9"x2.2" | ? |
| 180mm | 2.5-22 | MINOLTA TELE ROKKOR - F 1:2.5 f=180mm | 13 | 6/? | ? | preset | no | no | 5' | ? | ? |
| 200mm | 5.0-22 | MINOLTA TELE ROKKOR - QE 1:5.0 f=200mm | 12.5 | 5/4 | 52 | preset | no | no | 18' | 6.0"x2.2" | 15oz. |
| 250mm | 4-22 | MINOLTA TELE ROKKOR - QF 1:4 f=250mm | 10 | 6/4 | 67 | preset | no | no | 10' | ? | ? |
| 300mm | 5.6-32 | MINOLTA TELE ROKKOR - QD 1:5.6 f=30cm | 8 | 4/4 | 62 | preset | no | no | 15' | 7.7"x2.5" | 1lb. 3oz. |
| 300mm | 4.5-32 | MINOLTA TELE ROKKOR - QD 1:4.5 f=30cm | 8 | 4/4 | 77 | preset | no | no | 15' | 9.1"x3.1" | 2lb. 4oz. |
| 600mm | 5.6-45 | MINOLTA TELE ROKKOR - TD 1:5.6 f=60cm | 4 | 4/3 | 126 | preset | no | no | 33' | 21.0"x5.2" | 10lb. 5oz. |
| 1000mm | 6.3 | MINOLTA RF ROKKOR 1:6.3 f=1000mm | 2.5 | 7/6 | 49/200 | fixed | no | no | 100' | 17.7"x8.5" | 23lb. 7oz. |
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