In this relatively quick review of the Minolta MD 50mm f/2 lens, I use the Sony Nex-6 with a RaindbowImaging lens adapter, and put the lens through a serious real world photography workout!! The Minolta MD 50mm f/2 lens is an old School, high quality, and fully manual lens from back in early 80’s that I purchased on Ebay for $34.00 + shipping = ~$45.00. Killer deal to say the least, and Ebay is loaded with these types of older fully manual lenses from back in the film days.
I’ve only been able to use the Minolta MD 50mm f/2 lens for about a week now because I just got the RainbowImaging MD to Nex Lens Adapter for Christmas. Since I got the adapter however, I have only taken the lens off once or twice and continue to be amazed that I only paid ~$45.00 US.
I’ve taken about 2-300 pics so far with the Nex-6 and Minolta 50mm lens combo, and shot exclusively Raw using Focus Peaking to help with the manual focusing. More detailed info on Focus peaking with the Nex-6 over Here>>
Minolta MD Build Quality
Minolta MD Old School lenses are in another league of build quality compared to what we see today. They are heavier, beefier, simpler, and engineering excellence in my opinion. The fact that this lens is so old and it still works flawlessly is a sure sign of a well made product. It also means it was well maintained and not left in a garage somewhere for years.
The MD 50mm f/2 lens has 6 aperture blades inside which makes for a hexagon shape when visible in the bokeh as you will see shortly.
The dampening on the focus ring is silky smooth and there is a locking switch for the aperture @ f/22. The aperture ring also clicks at each stop letting you work blindly if you count. I got a really good well maintained lens here clearly!!
I plan on getting many more Minolta MD Lenses just to let you know. In fact, I just won an auction for the Minolta 58mm rokkor f/1.4 lens!! Guess how much??
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RaindbowImaging Lens Adapter
Here is the RaindbowImaging lens adapter I used to attach the Minolta MD lens to my Sony Nex-6 E-Mount camera body. Michele purchased the very affordable lens adapter at Amazon >> for me.
Real World Sample Photos!!
As I said above in the into, the fully manual Minolta MD 50mm f/2 Lens is an absolute blast to use on the Sony Nex-6 thanks to the Focus Peaking feature!! It makes manual focusing cake, and I could not stop taking pictures of stuff in total newbie amazement 😉
All these photos were taken in Raw Quality and process in adobe Lightroom 4. Most of the photos are right off the camera as you will see the slight noise in the 100% crops and the color may not be 100% accurate. Other photos I did process a bit further using sharpening, clarity, vignette, and some BW conversions. Video Tutorial on Developing Sony Raw Files in Lightroom 4 Here >>
Minutes after opening the RainbowImaging Lens Adapter during gift time, I took this photo of Layla using the Minolta MD 50mm f/2 Lens @ f/2, 1/60sec, ISO 2500, Nex-6, RAW, handheld.
Be sure to Click on the Photos for the full size 1200px version!!
Chubs keeping an eye on things 😉
Layla got her first Camera from Santa and was checking it out with love in her eyes!!! She was in the middle of eating a cookies and cream snack though when she got distracted by the camera. Got Milk?? Now remember, I was manually focusing during this quick series of three photos, and using the focus peaking feature on the Sony Nex-6 for the assist.
Some delicious Christmas Day dinner at my Parents house.
Be sure to Click on the Photos for the full size 1200px version!!
Ham was killer!!
Cocktails were spotted!!
Desert is always my favorite part of the meal 🙂
Here’s a few photos taken outside starting with some trees that looked photogenic.
Be sure to Click on the Photos for the full size 1200px version!!
Seconds after the “up the tree’ photo above, I took this photo of my wife Michele who was patiently waiting in the car for me with Layla 🙂 Just look how awesome that bokeh looks on the back car!! I had the camera just behind the car about 4 inch’s out from the side which produced this perspective.
I took this photo of the shed from the back of the car as well. Dynamic range was really high!!
I also took a swing by my new favorite gas pump and snapped a few test shots. The optics and lens coatings really work well keep the fringing under control in the high contrast areas!
Be sure to Click on the Photos for the full size 1200px version!!
Here’s a street scene from a few days ago that I decided to convert to Sepia with two 100% crops so you can see the incredible detail this lens and camera combo produces.
Same scene from a slightly different angle and @ f/2.
This next scene I just took Thursday towards the end of the day. The Sun was looking brilliant and I figured why not see how the Minolta MD 50mm f/2 Lens handles it?? That is a farm in the distance conveniently 😉
The Nex-6 sensor is incredibility as you can see by the detail retention in the Sun scene above, but the Minolta MD lens also hols up quite well!! Some rainbow glaring on the right side, but really not to bad and I expected worse.
Bokeh Test Photos
Here you will see the 6 aperture blades I mention earlier. First showing off wide open f/2 which produces a perfect circle as the aperture blades are completely retracted.
Check out the 6 sides.
A few more test shots of three Hersey’s kisses on the table about 6 inches spaced apart front to back. A lamp is in the top right of the scene making that big blob of light.
Vignette @ f/2 – Wide Open
Check out this out of focus shot of my work pants with the aperture set to the wide open position of f/2 where the vignette shadowing is most noticeable. The vignette is easily fixable if necessary in Lightroom 4.
Closing Remarks
I highly recommend the Minolta MD 50mm f/2 Lens for anybody in the market for a 50mm lens and a compatible camera. It’s very sharp corner to corner, really well engineered and built, and the value for dollar ratio is off the charts in my opinion!! Especially if you have a Sony Nex camera with Focus Peaking!! Other mirrorless cameras will also be able to use this lens with the correct adapter.
Note: It’s important to remember that these types of lenses are old, and used, so you need to be cautious. Look carefully at the photos and read the item description line by line!! Is it some guy who found a box of dirty lenses at a garage sale and just put them up on Ebay?? You can tell by the photos if they are legit pics. Read the description carefully and ask the seller questions to make sure everything works ect.. Believe me, it’s easy to get excited and bid on a lens and then notice it says fungus or aperture is tight, focus gets stuck, things like that.
The RainbowImaging Lens adapter was extremely affordable at ~$20 when I received it, but it has since dropped even lower in price to ~$16 now on Amazon >>
Photography wise I love this lens. Full manual is great on the Nex-6 and I personally enjoy turning the dials and manual focusing. It adds another dimension/ challenge to the Photography which I thoroughly enjoy. It might sound nutz to be going backwards in technology with the old school fully manual lenses, but that is the beauty of the Sony Nex camera system. So versatile you can get all in one lenses, native E-Mount High Quality Primes with OSS, Mount a LA-EA2 lens Adapter and use any A-Mount lens with PDAF, or get a passive adapter like I did and save yourself some cash and have a blast 😉
Tell me you don’t want to get a few of these lenses now for fun at the very least??
Be sure to check out the links below for a few of the hottest Old School Lens Auctions on Ebay including the Minolta MD 50mm f/2 Lens reviewed in this article!!
Also, be sure to check out the Ultimate Lens and Lens Adapter Combos Guide >>
Catch up with you later and please feel free to ask questions, comments, ect..
Jay
