Minolta MC 21mm f4 Rokkor-QH w/finder.

[Nokton48]

Raid,
Yes it is sharp! The film is dry and sleeved, and on my lightbox. Very sharp through my loupe.

Here is a very famous picture, which I recently learned, was taken with the Minolta 21mm F2.8 MC W-Rokkor NL :

http://www.pixiq.com/article/minamata

F2.8 is an obvious optical advantage in some circumstances.

 

[Nokton48]

I have been using this new Minolta 21mm F4, and my venerable retrofocus 21mm F2.8 MC, to shoot the same scenes, as an A-B test. It will be interesting to compare the results after I have run the rolls. John Titterington did a CLA on both of these recently for me, and they are as smooth-operating now as when new.

 

[Nokton48]

Here is something interesting that I just found on Ebay (Not affiliated with the seller).

The 21mm F4.5 Rokkor, with SRT Minolta 21mm Viewfinder. This is the first version of this lens, I believe. Ready to use on an SRT body.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/111010223578?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

Price is decent.

 

[raid]

I am looking forward to your comparison. Most likely, the newer lens will perform better.

 

[Nokton48]

I am looking forward to your comparison. Most likely, the newer lens will perform better.

I suspect you will be right regarding the 21mm F2.8 MC.

It has a legendary reputation and -is- an awesome piece of glass, figuratively and literally. The floating front element improves close-up performance. Fred DeVan told me he used to use this lens to photograph racing cars speeding past, on both sides of him, he was standing in the center of the track as they ripped past him at 200 MPH!😱 The Kodachromes ended up in "Road and Track" magazine at the time.

That said, I love the 21mm F4 for grab-shooting. It's just so light and small, and easy to use. I was shooting with it today (in the car on my way to the local airport) shooting without viewfinder. A very rangefinder-like experience.

 

[raid]

It is the main difference; small and RF like or SLR and optimized better. I bought the 21/4 as a RF lens, so to speak. It was meant for a RF camera from the start.

 

[Nokton48]

Ideal original Lenshood for the 21mm F4 MC Rokkor:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=111017006523&ssPageName=ADME:L:OU:US:3160

It looks promising. The 20mm F2.8 MD Rokkor Clamp-On. Two of these hoods are now on their way to me. 🙂

Hopefully, no vignetting.

 

[raid]

I don't think that I have ever used a lens hood with the 21/4.

 

[Nokton48]

I don't think that I have ever used a lens hood with the 21/4.

I have Minolta Filters, and Minolta Lens Hoods, on my entire collection of Minolta lenses. So I am hopeful that this will work out well.

The filter and hood protect the lens from raindrops when working outside, and help me from getting my fingers in front of the lens, when working quickly. Not a necessity, but nice to have in my opinion.

 

[Nokton48]

Here is the New Lenshood on the 21mm F4.

Here is the New Lenshood on the 21mm F4.

Package of lenshoods arrived today. Here is the new Minolta 20mm F2.8 MD Lenshood, mounted on my 21mm F4 MC Rokkor QH. Looking through the back of an empty SRT body, I am not seeing any corner cutoff at all, with the addition of the new lenshood. Time to shoot more film, but I'm pretty sure I'll be pleased with the results.

I wanted a hood for my old 19mm F3.5 Canon, but had to give up on that idea. This should be quite satisfactory for my needs. 😎

 

[raid]

Thanks for the tip. I may get such a lens hood, if I can find one.

 

[Nokton48]

New Fun Project.

New Fun Project.

Today I went out into my freezing-cold workshop garage, and using a min-drillpress and a rattail file, I made this nifty two-piece lenscap for my Minolta Rokkor W.Rokkor-QH 21mm F4 lens.

This will protect the rear lensmount and rear element, when I remove the lens quickly, and throw it in my Domke F2 bag, or my Military Surplus bag, if I am traveling really iincognito 😎

I drilled and filed out an old original SRT rear cap, to accommodate removing the larger rear cap, with the smaller rear cap still on. The small cap is a "Schneider Optik Kreuznach" large-format lens cap, which I found in the lens cap box, in my studio.

So now the lens will have some protection while traveling, and be more dust-free, when not on the camera.

Testing continues. Love this lens 😛

 

[Nokton48]

New Lenshood for 21mm F4 Rokkor.

New Lenshood for 21mm F4 Rokkor.

I bought this lenshood a while ago for $5 from Midwest Photo Exchange, with the idea of using it at some point (on something). It is specially made for the 20mm F4.5 SMCT Super Takumar lens, which has a 58mm filter ring.

I spent $3 for a 58-55mm stepdown ring, and without a filter attached, there is no vignetting. So I can use the hood, but without a skylight filter on the lens. This may be a good idea already, the lens is deeply recessed, and a filter can introduce spurious reflections.

The hood is scruffed up, kinda like the SRT101 it is mounted on. I think it looks cool, and I am looking forward to trying it with film.

 

[radi(c)al_cam]

Oh, it took me a couple of years to find this thread, obviously 😉

Yes, I'm also a user of this peculiar (in the best sense!) Rokkor lens.