Leica LTM Super Rokkor Chiyoko 45mm-1:2.8 M39 Leica Screw Mount

Leica M39 screw mount bodies/lenses
raid said:
I received a Minolta fixed lens camera for free, but it seems to be inoperative. The camera has the Rokkor 45mm/2.8 on it. Now what? Is the lens really that great, supporting a repair of the camera?
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The lens on your camera is probably not the same as the LTM Super Rokkor 45/2.8. The Super Rokkor was neither a Tessar nor a Heliar; it was sort of in between, with a 5-element/3-group design (cemented triplet up front and two single elements behind the aperture). The Rokkor in your fixed-lens camera is most probably a straight up Tessar. In my experience, the Rokkors in Minoltas fixed-lens rangefinders were all very good, and, for what it's worth, the Rokkors in Minolta Autocords (a Tessar) are exemplary. The LTM Super Rokkor is quite special though -- not just sharpness, but the overall image quality is tops. Whether it is worth repairing your camera depends on the model and cost; you may be able to find a working one for less money than it would cost to repair.

Regarding the cap/filter issue: the Super Rokkor 45/2.8 takes 34mm screw-on filters and hoods (Minolta made them, but any maker's will fit). The original cap was a chrome 36mm push-on job, but any 34mm snap-in or 36mm push-on will fit.

Cheers,

David
 
dberger said:
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Regarding the cap/filter issue: the Super Rokkor 45/2.8 takes 34mm screw-on filters and hoods (Minolta made them, but any maker's will fit). The original cap was a chrome 36mm push-on job, but any 34mm snap-in or 36mm push-on will fit.

Cheers,

David
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Thanks David for the information🙂
 
I found a Minolta 35 (1C) at a flea market on a drive back from a visit to my brother in Toronto in the summer of '07. The body had the usual deteriorated curtains while the 45/2.8 lens was not focusing properly. Missing screws indicated a vain attempt to fix the camera and lens in the past. I packed it away as a future project...

Recently I tried to revive the camera - it uses a 4-post system which differs from a Leica - and after a few attempts I knew it was beyond my DIY ability. So I'm hoping my friend Jay (Zorkikat) can get the shutter working again.

Inspired by a Flickr search yielding very nice super rokkor images from furcafe and trittium, I worked on the lens - cleaned the elements and was able to mount it back into the focusing helical.

A quick test on my E-P1 showed promise....
243reyv.jpg

4kisec.jpg


....then a film test on a Leica II...
rs4dav.jpg

wide open, f2.8
2hywev4.jpg

mid aperture

ogfeq8.jpg

The filter ring was dented when I got it 🙁. Still, not too shabby for a $40 lens with a Minolta 35 rear cap 😉
 
David Murphy said:
Nice shots, sweet camera and lens. Is that city Baguio by any chance?
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Thanks!

Actually the view is part of the Sierra Madre mountain range as seen from the balcony of my attic in Quezon City which is well within the Metro Manila area. Seems like you've visited the Philippines.....
 
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A friend has kindly lent me his LTM Rokkor 45mm f2.8; I've put it on my IIIc.

I like this lens, it performs very well, but the handling is less than ideal (rotating the focus also rotates the aperture markings, which is probably why they put a secondary aperture scale on the front of the lens, viewable through a small circular hole). On the copy I've borrowed the focus is stiff - it needs a CLA.

Here is the lens mounted on the camera:
U27021I1438005044.SEQ.0.jpg


...and here are a few photos taken with it. The first is wide open at f2.8:
20032643368_a8ec6fcea4_o.jpg

by lynnb on Flickr

The second photo was taken at f11. No problems with detail!
20028756759_551c154dbe_o.jpg

by lynnb on Flickr
 
After reading about this little lens over the last year, I found one in nice shape for a good price. This Super Rokkor has a focusing tab in addition to the knurled ring but it would have been nice if they added detent stops for the aperture. Currently I'm using it on a M6 TTL and have added a hood for a 50 Elmar. The thumb screw on the hood makes a nice lever to adjust the f stop.
 
I own a later 45/2.8 Super Rokkor that has no aperture window. I like the rendering very much and my lens is sharp.

The ergonomics for me are not so bad. I like the massive scalloped focus ring which makes like a lens that has 6 focus tabs. I wish the aperture had detents, but the compact size makes this very much like a pancake lens.

The filter thread is 34mm, and I use a Heliopan 34mm-39mm step up ring to use my 39mm filters. I also use a version 3 50/2.8 Elmar (latest version) hood with the step-up ring and get no vignetting.

Since I own a 43/1.9 Pentax-L I share this great VF'er with my 45/2.8 Super Rokkor. Looks great on my IIIG. I paid $269.00 for my clean example that was CLA'ed before I bought it. Not a common lens.

Cal
 
Thanks, Cal. I made an error in stating which hood is in use. I have been using the FOOKH hood for a 35 3.5 Summaron/Elmar. I like the ability to use both the hood and the A36 push on filters with both the Super Rokkor and the Summaron. With the hood in place, I aline the thumb screw with the 2.8 mark and use the hood to change f stops. I like the size of the lens and much like the odd ergonomics of the Summaron make it a little challenging but fun to use. Now a really small 90 will fill out my tiny lens collection.
 
madNbad said:
Thanks, Cal. I made an error in stating which hood is in use. I have been using the FOOKH hood for a 35 3.5 Summaron/Elmar. I like the ability to use both the hood and the A36 push on filters with both the Super Rokkor and the Summaron. With the hood in place, I aline the thumb screw with the 2.8 mark and use the hood to change f stops. I like the size of the lens and much like the odd ergonomics of the Summaron make it a little challenging but fun to use. Now a really small 90 will fill out my tiny lens collection.
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Sorry I failed to mention that with my 34mm-39mm step-up ring that it is either or with the filters or 50 version 3 Elmar hood. I can't use both together or vignetting occurs.

In this requard you enjoy better flexability with your hood and filters.

BTW if looks count, the Super Rokkor looks great on a LTM and a M-body.

Cal
 
I've had a Chiyoko Rokkor 45mm 2.8 LTM for the past six months or so. As others have noted it has striking looks and is nice and compact appearing very well made.

I has a somewhat swirly OOF look and is very sharp in the centre wide open. Edges improve progressively and are more than acceptable from f5.6. The edges though never do catch up with the centre, so it's not a lens I'd reach for for landscapes or any thing else where I'd want edge to edge sharpness.
In my small collection of normal FL lenses ( Topcor S 5cm f2, Nikkor SC 5cm f1.4) it has a place for its compactness and performance wide open.

The only real annoyance is that it's hard to see what aperture you've selected if the lens is focused in close. The small window in the beauty ring is pretty hopeless for me as there's no way I can read it without eyeglasses .
 
I have one too... I couldn't resist buying it for use on my little mirrorless digital. It has a kind of retro, low-contrast look in the photos.

I've done a little with it on film but not lately. Maybe soon. I have film in my Canon...

Mine had awful, stiff focusing, so I took it apart and removed the old grease which had pretty much petrified. It took some practice to put it back together properly but now it focuses like butter! Its a neat little lens.
 
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