Favourite lenses in my collection

[caspert79]

I currently don't have a huge collection, a lot of lenses come and go.
As already mentioned in this thread: http://forum.mflenses.com/portraits-thinking-of-the-nikkor-105-1-8-but-do-i-need-it-t84666.html there is a selection of lenses in my collection I would most likely never sell.

Voigtlander Color-Skopar 21mm f/3.5
SMC Pentax (K) 28mm f/3.5
Minolta MD 35mm f/2.8
Mamiya Sekor 55mm f/1.8
Mamiya EF 50mm f/1.4
Mamiya E 50mm f/1.7
Zuiko 50mm f/1.4 (latest version, although I still have to properly test it)
Auto Yashinon 5cm f/2
Petri 55mm f/1.4 (although I still have to properly test it)
Yashica ML 55mm f/2.8 macro
Minolta MD 75-150mm f/4
Leitz Canada Summicron 90mm f/2 (1976)
Tokina AT-X 90mm f/2.5 macro
Minolta MC-X 100mm f/2.5
Minolta AF 100mm f/2.8 macro
Minolta MD 100mm f/4 macro
Topcor RE 100mm f/2.8
Pentax-M 100mm f/2.8
Konica Hexanon 135mm f/3.2
Zeiss Sonnar 135mm f/3.5
Super Multi Coated Takumar 150mm f/4
Mamiya Sekor 210mm f/4 (645)
Mamiya Sekor 300mm f/5.6 (645)

Let me know if I can eleborate a bit more on certain lenses.

And of course I'm curious about your favourites!

[stevemark]

[caspert79]

Correction: my Minolta 100/2.5 is the 5/5 version. And the Mamiya 50/1.7 is the EF version. Not sure if it's different from the E version, but mine is definitely a good performer with nice rendering. Very sharp wide open. Have to close down a bit more than the EF 50/1.4 though in order to get the corners sharp. Build quality is mehh.

[kiddo]

One question regarding MD 35mm 2.8, I've read before that 1.8 version it's much better. I do have the mc 1.8 that I like but mostly use wider FL, the 2.8 I found many times pretty cheap and surely lighter , can you guys confirm 2.8 is better than 1.8 version? Thanks

[caspert79]

[calvin83]

[stevemark]

[Doc Sharptail]

My list is going to be a bit on the limited side, due to the native Nikon F mount.
I consider myself much more aficiando than I do snob, so let's get that out of the way first.
Nikon did , like everyone else, turn out the occasional mutt.

In no particular order, here's my list. The number of 50's does not surprise me very much. All are far from technically perfect if one is to pixel peep the corners~ which actually has little to do with the final image in the long run.

50mm f2 H.C. nikkor.
I reach for this little gem when I know events will be unfolding and changing rapidly. I think it is the fastest focusing lens I have.

50mm f2 "K" nikkor with the factory A/I conversion. Rendering. This is one of nikon's best for accurate images.

50mm f1.4 A/I-s nikkor. A bit faulty wide open, the MFD on this one is a real pleasure to use.

55mm f3.5 micro-P nikkor- versatility.

135mm f 3.5 Q-nikkor- rendering again. It is actually a bit sharper than it's much bigger and heavier f2.8 brother, which I also have.

O.C. Nikkor 35mm f2. Easily one of nikon's best for rendering. I've discussed this one quite a bit here in the recent past, and am in love with it.

Series E 100mm f 2.8. Easy to focus, with a reasonable distance range performance. This is where the 105's fail to impress.

85mm f1.8 nikkor. Portrait king.

200mm f4 nikkor A/I. One of my most used lenses. I'd rather pack it for it's small size and weight over the technically superior "better" 200's out there.

Tamron 103-A 80-210. One of the better optically 3rd party offerings. It seems to like winter scenes for some reason.

There's a few more here that I am going to keep, regardless of their infrequent use.

-D.S.

[kiddo]

[stevemark]

[kiddo]

[RokkorDoctor]

I can certainly second the choice of the Minolta MD 75-150mm f/4!

I collect mostly Minolta SR mount lenses; for both historic and practical reasons I decided to stick with the SR mount; it is not because I think Minolta is better than other makers.

I usually just pick what I fancy for the day, but a select few I keep coming back to are:

Minolta MD FISH-EYE ROKKOR 16mm f/2.8
Minolta MD 20mm f/2.8
Minolta MC W.ROKKOR-NL 21mm f/2.8 (optically less good than the MD 20mm above, but just fun to use sometimes)
Minolta MD VFC 24mm f/2.8 (VFC takes practice to learn how to use effectively, but it can be more useful than shift/tilt when shooting cramped interiors where tripods are prohibited)
Minolta MC W.ROKKOR-HH 35mm f/1.8
Minolta MD 35mm f/1.8
Minolta MD 50mm f/2
Minolta MC ROKKOR 58mm f/1.2 (lots of SA at f/1.2 on the SONY A7S, but just a fun piece of optics to work with)
Minolta VARISOFT ROKKOR 85mm f/4 (the MD 85 f/2 is optically better, but not as much fun)
Minolta MC TELE ROKKOR-PF 100mm f/2 (optically inferior, but somehow just a nice lens to work with)
Minolta MD 100mm f/2.5
Minolta ROKKOR-TC 100mm f/4 (older triplet, but very nice rendering and being preset a joy to work with on mirrorless)
Minolta MC MACRO ROKKOR 100mm f/3.5 (inferior to the later 100mm f/4, but I just prefer it somehow, if only for its hefty looks)
Minolta MC TELE ROKKOR 135mm f/2.8 (4/4 version)
Minolta MD 135mm f/2 (optically not stellar unless stopped down a bit, but that extra stop sometimes really helps; used for my avatar image)
Minolta MD 75-150mm f/4 (superb lens, light, small, sharp, contrasty, nice rendering, not too flare prone, modest level of simple distortion easy to correct if felt necessary)

I rarely shoot 28mm; somehow that FL just doesn't chime with me. Nor do I regularly shoot longer than 150mm; often circumstances dictate I carry something smaller and more lightweight.

Wider than 20mm I tend to prefer the 16mm FISH-EYE to 17mm rectilinear, but each has its own use. Due to the significant shift in centre of perspective between taking and viewing, when used judiciously the 16mm FISH-EYE can look more natural than the 17mm rectilinear, especially when not shooting architecture or combined with a single-axis de-fishing filter in PP.

[caspert79]

Minolta produced quite a few great lenses. I discovered that pretty late.

[marius.zaech]

Well I am not really someone that holds on to lenses forever. I've sold a few very nice ones that I thought I'd keep (such as my minolta 35/1.8 or my tokina 17/3.5), simply because I didn't use them enough and wanted to fund other purchases.

There are however some I will (most likely) never part with:

- Minolta MC 50/1.4 (hasn't left my xd7 in 2 years)
- Zeiss Contax 85/1.4 AE
Just a great fast 85. It has a very specific rendering that I really like, and the build quality is excellent. What I could imagine is switching it for a MM one, although the ninja bokeh doesn't bother me that much.
- Zeiss Contax 50/1.4 AE
- Zeiss Contax 28/2.8 AE

One reason why I love the three contax lenses is because they form a really balanced set on the A7ii, and I have also used them for filming from time to time. I also really started to like the zeiss 35-70/3.4, although mine has some issues with a broken bearing. More on this in another thread at some point.

[stevemark]

[marius.zaech]

Oh I'd LOVE to have the zeiss 4/18, but I'm not willing to pay the prices they go for. I'm currently using a mediocre "Minolta" (actually tamron) AF 17-35/2.8-4, and for that money I'd rather upgrade to either a good A-Mount alternative or a native Sony E wide angle zoom, or even some fast modern prime from a third party brand.

I love vintage lenses (especially contax) but old wideangles often can't compete with cheap modern ones. Plus I've found the AF quite useful in concert scenarios, despite being a manual focus advocate ever since I started photography

[stevemark]

[stevemark]

Here's one of my favourite series of MF lenses: Eraly Minolta MC-X stuff. These lenses are incredibly well made, and they were among the best (in some cases the best) available for 35mm SLRs. Even after 50 years, focusing is perfectly smooth, and they rarely have fungus or stuck aperture blades (unless serviced improperly later on, but that's a different story). They are hevy and large, though.



Actually I did start collecting MF lenses only after I got a pretty worn Minolta X-1 (aka XM/XK) back in 2007. Having used extensively all professional Minolta AF SLRs (the 9000, the 9xi, and the alpha 9), I always thought I should the only professional SLR with SR bayonet mount as well, and well - it happened when I saw a cheap XM sitting in the window of my then favourite local photo store. Not much later I got my first two MC lenses, an MC 2.5/28mm and an MC 1.7/85. Prices were pretty reasonable back then, and after two years I had acquired some 20 or so nice Minolta MC and MD lenses.

Here's the Minolta XM - shown with waist level finder and the Rokkor 1.4/50mm - plus a few midrange lenses.
* Minolta MC Rokkor 1.4/50mm (on the XM)
* Minolta MC Rokkor 1.2/58mm
* Minolta MC Rokkor 1.7/85mm
* Minolta MC Rokkor 2.5/100mm (later [5/5] version, there was also a [6/5] MC-X 2.5/100mm)
* Minolta MC Rokkor 3.5/100mm Macro (slightly extended to show the beatiful engravings)



Especially the 1.2/58mm and the 1.7/85mm are well known for their smooth handling, their bokeh and their performance. The 2.5/100mm is a bit underrated since the Nikkor 2.5/105mm was a "must have" in the 1960s, the 1970s and even the 1980s. Nevertheless the [5/5] version of the Minolta MC/MD 2.5/100mm has superior detail resoultion, and an equally good bokeh as the corresponding xenotar type Nikkor 2.5/105mm. The 3.5/100mm Macro was the very first of its kind. It also has a very smooth bookeh, but - optimized for macro work - needs to be stopped down to f8 for "perfect" landscape / infinity images. Beautifullush engravings, and very smooth focusing, though!

S

[stevemark]

In addition to the longer lenses shown above, Minolta had also one of the wideangle series available back then (I would even say the best, unless you were scientific photographer in need of Nikons very special fisheye lenses).

* Minolta MC FISHEYE Rokkor 2.8/16mm
* Minolta MC W.Rokkor 2.8/21mm
* Minolta MC W.Rokkor 2.8/24mm
* Minolta MC W.Rokkor 2.5/28mm
* Minolta MC W.Rokkor 1.8/35mm



Some of these lenses (2.8/16 Fish, 2.8/21, 2.5/28, 1.8/35) were the fastest retrofocus wideangles when presented at Photokina 1968 in Köln. Soon it became clear that they were also among the best, and my own tests comparing them on 24 MP FF with contemporary Canon / Nikon lenses confirm their (then) superior optical performance.

Again pretty heavy stuff, but fun to play with!

S

[RokkorDoctor]

[sergun]

My five kopecks. At first I collected md3. but almost all of them were "crooked" although I took some two copies. Now I have taken three md1 lenses of different focal lengths and they are all straight on several adapters.
md1: 28/3.5, 50/1.7, 200/4.

[stevemark]

[sergun]

[stevemark]

[papasito]

My humble list.

Ultron Zeiss 50/1,8 Icarex
Color Ultron 50/1.8 QBM
planar 50/1,8 QBM
55/1,8 Mamiya SX
50/2,8 color Skopar DKL
58/1,4 minolta MC II
57/1,4 Hexanon II
50/1,4 MC MINOLTA
50/1,4 MD II Rokkor Minolta
50/1,4 MD III Minolta
50/1,4 Minolta AF
50/2 Nikkor
50/1,8 Miranda.

Special mention Minolta 35/2,8 MD.
Great lens!!!!!. I use it for street with my so y A3500. I don't use my a1 and 24-70 GMII everytime. The Minolta 35 lens and the 20 mp A3500 do the job very well