Featured Forum Post: 'Why I hate my new Minolta Rokkor MC 50 /1.4 PG'

[nianys]

Why ? Simple. It is totally better than it has any right to.



It's sharp. Dang that thing is sharp. It's actually too sharp. Wide open it has a gorgeous glow and fabulous bokeh but glares a tad and lack sharpness. Stopped down to F2 it has gorgeous contrast, loses the magical flare/glow and comes back in earthly bokeh territory. It's also so bleedingly sharp it has me rethinking my whole PP workflow.



It needs a intermediary stop between 1.4 and 2 !! Except there is none, and trying to leave the aperture ring between those doesn' work. The stops are SO close on the ring that trying to set between them, you knock the ring back to one or the other the second you moved the focusing ring... Dang.



I also hates this lens because it's not lovely to look at. A lens this insanely sharp, and contrasty with great bokeh and fantastic colors MUST have a dreamy smooth metal focus ring and be gorgeous to look at ! Cr@p, it's not. The focus ring is nicely dampened allright, but it's rubber and the lens looks like 80's modern. Not as ugly as my FD 50/1.8, but getting there.



Ok, the REAL reason I hate this lens is because it rivals my beloved FL 55/1.2 which IS gorgeous and desirable and all metal. And that I paid 6 times the price I snatched the MC for.



I hate this lens because I love it to death and I'd want it to be handsome and expensive and exotic. It's none of that. The price I paid for it is shameful (not my fault either, the seller probably had NO clue it could be used on a modern camera and sold it to me dirt cheap and even threw in a Like New MD 50/1.7 for free for good measure). I hate the Minolta>NEX adapter for being as long as it is. The whole thing sticks as a sore thumb on my siny new NEX 6.
But holly cow, what a great piece of glass. Rush out and buy one if you can. This way you can "hate" it as much as I do

[Dioptrick]

Haha... when I saw the title of your thread I somehow knew you hate this lens because it must be really good!

Congrats all the same... and three cheers to all the fugly lenses out there!

[Bimjo]

Yeah, I hate it too. You should use it some more and post more pics so everybody can hate it.

[dixeyk]

First off...you're welcome

It is an amazing lens. It feel great in hand, has a lovely damped feel and it's IQ is as good or better than anything I have...and I agree wholeheartedly that it's ugly. You'd also need to pry it out of my cold dead hands to get it away from me.


Give in to your hate!

[freddytto]

Why ? Simple. It is totally better than it has any right to.

I received a few weeks ago, this great lens and let me tell you it's great, I've had a lot of shots with it, I had an opportunity of shooting some shots in Chinatown. It's sharp at all apertures, super smooth, solid mechanics and perfect combination of sharpness, contrast, color rendition and bokeh.

Focus is a dream: the waffle-pattern rubber has perfect grip, and the smooth and precise focus helicoids respond to focus fast. I've gotten for 30 bucks, with shipping, auque has small minimal wear and in the corner has a slight bump, still in perfect condition, I can not be picky for a lens that almost double my age.


This photo was taken with this lens, f1.4, ISO100 A1/125S and nex7


Untitled by Freddytto Robles, on Flickr

[Bimjo]

Damn Freddy, that's an absolutely stunning shot.

[Deadbear77]

Just took this with my md 1.4 too

[eno789]

IMO 1.4 hits the sweet spot in terms of price/performance. This is especially true for Minolta, you can choose among 58mm/1.4 MC Rokkor-PF, 50mm/1.4 MC Rokkor-PG, and 50mm/1.4 MD Rokkor.

[nianys]

IMO 1.4 hits the sweet spot in terms of price/performance. This is especially true for Minolta, you can choose among 58mm/1.4 MC Rokkor-PF, 50mm/1.4 MC Rokkor-PG, and 50mm/1.4 MD Rokkor.

I'm looking at a 58/1.4 auction ending today. Can anybody give feeback on this lens ???

[nianys]

Fredytto your old woman portrait is indeed, stunning.
My copy has flare/glow wide open, which confers it a sort of magical appeal, however at 1.4 sharpness is either lacking, or critical focus is so elusive I can't get it right. At F2 it become TOO sharp, I can't use any sharpening actions later on in PP, at least not if there's human hair involved... I really wish I could have it firmly stopped to 1.8, but as I explained before both stops are very very close on the ring, and it knocks back to either one with the slightest action of the focusing ring.