Minolta M Rokkkor 28mm f2.8

Comparable with Leica's Elmarit M Gen-2!

Whoops - I did a double take - Did I really label these images correctly? Indeed, the images from the Minolta M Rokkor 28mm lens show the Elmarit sitting on the desk, and the images from the second generation Leitz Elmarit M 28mm show the Rokkor lens sitting on the desk. Hmm, no mistaking which is which!

Here's what I had trouble with: The M Rokkor looks good, really good - in some cases better than the Elmarit! And this Rokkor lens has the dreaded white spots in the front element flocking, as well as a light haze inside the front element.

Test conditions: 400-speed film, Leica M2 body, focused on the pencil cup in image center, Nikon Coolscan 4000 under Vuescan software, exposure and color locked on all frames for uniformity. The images are completely raw without any post-processing, not even saturation or contrast. Take a look...

Minolta M Rokkor at f2.8: The Elmarit lens is sitting on the desk M Rokkor: Detail at edge of frame M Rokkor: Detail in center of frame / focal point

Leitz Elmarit M at f2.8 Elmarit: Detail at edge of frame Elmarit: Detail in center of frame / focal point

M Rokkor at f5.6 M Rokkor detail M Rokkor detail

Elmarit at f5.6: The Minolta lens is sitting on the desk. Elmarit detail Elmarit detail

I was also surprised to find the Minolta lens has a 10-bladed iris! It's not very important in such a wide-angle (deep DOF) lens, but it's neat to look at the almost perfect circle the iris creates.

The Minolta shade is OK, and certainly better than the Elmarit's shallow shade that was also meant for the 21mm Super Angulon gen-2. The M Rokkor uses a rather common 40.5mm filter. The M Rokkor is also significantly lighter in weight than the Elmarit, but the Elmarit is the winner for solid, eternal build quality.

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