Discuss how to buy, fix, clean, and use all the old manual focus photography kit you can find.
M42, Pentacon 6, Contax, Leica, Canon, Nikkor, Carl Zeiss Jena, Asahi Pentax Takumars etc!
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A friend of mine has a large collection of Minolta manual focus lenses and now wants to get into digital. Are there any DSLR's out there that will take those lenses without corrective optics in the adapter? I've read that you need an adapter with a corrective lens to get infinity focus on the Canon EOS, but what about other cameras?
If he does need a corrective adapter, how badly will that affect his image quality?
He spent thousands of dollars on these lenses back in the day, so he'd hate to stop using them.
Thanks!
Last edited by dutchboy (2008-05-17 16:00:06)
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I know the problem of your friend, I started with Minota SLR-camera's in 1966. Some lenses - most older ones - can be converted for use on Canon EOS or Sny Alpha. Only manual aperture.
May be a better policy is to convert a Canon camera mount: see
http://digitalrokkor.altervista.org/
The lense can be used without conversion, but the body is than not to be used for Canon mount lenses.
Using the MC/MD-lenses with optical converter is not an option when fast lenses has to be used wide open and nothing for wide angle lenses. Haoda converters etc deliver 1.2x TC effect costing a half stop and soften the image strong. Original Minolta converter is somewhat better but 2x TC effect, costing 2 stops.
I use a converter without glas (smal extension tube) for macro and have not yet converted any of my MC/MD-lenses. I keep them on film bodies sofar.
Last edited by Minolfan (2008-05-17 21:07:14)
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Or you can go to this site > http://digitalrokkor.altervista.org/
then change EOS 350, 400 DSLRs's mount to SR/MD mount.
It is not cheap, but the large collection of MC/MD lenses are usable
by stopping down the aperture.
The change is reversible so that you can later sell your EOS camera.
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Most Olympus DSLRs can use Minolta MD lenses with the aid of a mount adapter (no corrective lens).
Picture shows my E-500 with MD Rokkor f1.4 50mm and MD Zoom f3.5 24-35mm mounted. The adapter was purchased on eBay (Rong Jin) for GBP29.82 including postage. As shown a small Allen key is supplied to secure the lenses to the adapter but the fitting procedure is very simple.
Focal length is multiplied x2 so these lenses become a 100mm and 48-70mm respectively. The photo below was taken using the MD Zoom.
No in-built focus confirmation is available with the E-500 but I believe a focus confirmation chip is now available which could be fixed to the adapter.
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Some Rokkor have been successfully converted to EOS mount but it requiere some non reversible modifying if you don't rebuilt the needed part :from scratch :
http://www.cogitech.ca/Rokkor/index.html
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dwright wrote:
Most Olympus DSLRs can use Minolta MD lenses with the aid of a mount adapter (no corrective lens).
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2420/222 … 808910.jpg
Picture shows my E-500 with MD Rokkor f1.4 50mm and MD Zoom f3.5 24-35mm mounted. The adapter was purchased on eBay (Rong Jin) for GBP29.82 including postage. As shown a small Allen key is supplied to secure the lenses to the adapter but the fitting procedure is very simple.
Focal length is multiplied x2 so these lenses become a 100mm and 48-70mm respectively. The photo below was taken using the MD Zoom.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3108/249 … edc39a.jpg
No in-built focus confirmation is available with the E-500 but I believe a focus confirmation chip is now available which could be fixed to the adapter.
why was there an allen key needed?
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I've got three glassless Minolta SR to Eos adapters. Two of them are easy to use thick macro adapters and one more fussy thin adapter that falls around the Minolta mount, adding no extra distance. With this adapter, you only get the 0,5mm difference in register, so longer telephoto lenses can be focussed to infinity but wideangles can't. In everyday use this adapter is less easy to use as it needs to be fixed with a small screw and cannot fix the eos camera bayonet pin.
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dwright wrote:
Most Olympus DSLRs can use Minolta MD lenses with the aid of a mount adapter (no corrective lens).
Picture shows my E-500 with MD Rokkor f1.4 50mm and MD Zoom f3.5 24-35mm mounted. The adapter was purchased on eBay (Rong Jin) for GBP29.82 including postage. As shown a small Allen key is supplied to secure the lenses to the adapter but the fitting procedure is very simple.
Focal length is multiplied x2 so these lenses become a 100mm and 48-70mm respectively. The photo below was taken using the MD Zoom.
No in-built focus confirmation is available with the E-500 but I believe a focus confirmation chip is now available which could be fixed to the adapter.
Now question. I have a 58mm rokkor f/1.4 MC. Does the MC and MDs fit the 4/3s Olympus 4/3s DSLRs? I'd love to use this lens and try it out when my E-420 comes
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There is an article about the use of Minolta lenses with Olympus 4/3rds cameras at http://www.rokkorfiles.com/olympus.htm which gives further information regarding compatibility.
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Any ideas on how to change infinity on Minolta lenses?
Specifically, an MC Rokkor PF 1.7/50 ?
I plan to convert it to PK.
The easiest would be to use the existing bayonet.
The lens goes easily into a K100D (handheld) and the test pics look promising.
An added ring which I'd have to cut out of say 1,5mm aluminium could fit into this bayonet (and fixed with screws or glued onto it) and have the outer dimensions of the PK-bayonet.
Just the infinity..
This would basically be the same conversion as with the C/Y lenses discussed here before.
Georg
PS: Nice overview: http://members.aol.com/xkaes/mounts.htm
Edit: Removed the focus rubber this morning, no screws under it
Last edited by georgweb (2008-05-27 13:35:31)
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>why is an allen key needed?<
I think with that adapter it's beacuse it's not a bayonett connector....just a simple bunch of screws that u do up until they grab the donor lens.Lousy design but it works well enough it seems (havent used myself)
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You may be thinking of one of the Russian multi-adapters. For the 4/3 Minolta adapters from Cameraquest and other eBay vendors, the Allen key is required for a single set screw; from what I've read it is as solid as any other mount adapter. Because the Olympus 4/3 system has the shortest flange distance of dSLRs, it can take Minolta (or virtually any) MF lenses without reconstructive surgery.
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This is a photo of my Chinese made Rong Jin Minolta to Olympus 4/3rds adapter. As far as I can see it appears to be very similar to the more expensive Cameraquest version from the USA. I would say that the construction quality is very good.
The purpose of the supplied Allen key is to operate a small grub screw on the outer rim of the adapter which pushes on a springy interior tab to lock the mounted lens securely in position. This can be clearly seen in the left hand picture.
As a matter of interest once the adapter is mounted you can add a Minolta Adapter "L" to use Leica M39 screw lenses (Macro only).
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Hello again,
just an update on how far I've come so far in trying to convert a Minolta MC Rokkor-PF 1.7/50 to Pentax K,
http://www.flickr.com/photos/26544190@N06/
Yes you can change infinity from the front (I need +2mm, approx 30°),
Pic #2 loosen outer screws. I just managed about 8° turn, then it stops.
pic2
It is stopped first from the guidance lever resting against the helicoid (pic #5 bottom left, guidance with 3 screws).
This could be fixed by grinding/sawing the helicoid out a little further.
But: Looks like it would not come out further cause then there is the aperture mechanics on the bottom of the bayonet, pic #5 bottom right.
pic5
So far so good (or not)
Georg
edit PS: Checked the infinity on a K100D with a mock-up setup, seems to be very close to the mirror (got the infinity just before slapping occurred)
Last edited by georgweb (2008-06-11 14:06:04)
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georgweb,
I did sucessfully convert the Minolta MC Rokkor-PF 58/1.4 into P/K. My approach in adjusting infinity focus is kind of different from yours. I repeated almost exactly the same as cogitech in his instruction of converting the Minolta 58/1.2 to EOS (http://www.cogitech.ca/Rokkor/index.html). The only extra work is to sand the lens mount shim a little more. This helps the lens focus to infinity due to the longer register distance of P/K compared to EOS.
Everything works fine and here are some sample shots of the Minolta MC Rokkor-PF 58/1.4 on my K10D



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dickb wrote:
I've got three glassless Minolta SR to Eos adapters. Two of them are easy to use thick macro adapters and one more fussy thin adapter that falls around the Minolta mount, adding no extra distance. With this adapter, you only get the 0,5mm difference in register, so longer telephoto lenses can be focussed to infinity but wideangles can't.
Where did you got the thin one !?
Thanks !!
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A Chinese gentleman used to sell a few of these handmade adapters on eBay. I've not seen them being offered for quite some time now though. It works best with MC lenses, on MD lenses the MD lug touches the Eos bayonet, as I found out with my new MD Rokkor 85/1.7. Very nice lens though..
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I used Rokkor 50/1.4 on my OLYMPUS E-330 through universal adapter: 
http://oly43club.ru/forum/index.php?showtopic=311
OLYMPUS E330 + Minolta Rokkor 50/1.4
f/1.4
Last edited by _VR_ (2008-06-16 09:52:18)
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got my adapter and tested a couple of shots with rokkor on e-500.......
http://weelyboleh.multiply.com/photos/album/138
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Here's an ebay link from an Italian offering conversion mounts,
http://cgi.ebay.de/FLANGIA-EOS-MD-per-o … dZViewItem
think I've seen stuff from this seller before, nice.
Georg
edit: http://digitalrokkor.altervista.org/ is where it comes from
Last edited by georgweb (2008-06-30 18:16:52)
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OLYMPUS E-330 + Minolta Rokkor 50/1.4
http://forum.manualfocus.org/viewtopic.php?id=10897
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