EPL1 with Minolta MC Rokkor-X 50mm/1.4

[MattNQ]

Picked up a cheap Minolta 50/1.4 Rokkor-X PG (circa 1973 I believe) recently. Adapter finally arrived today for the EPL1.
Townsville + midday + october = very harsh light, but couldn't resist racing out at lunchtime & having a play at a nearby cemetery.

First lesson learned- you can't shoot at f1.4 in the midday sun - max shutter speed on the EPL1 is 1/2000. Damn annoying..! But I guess it will be rare I'll be shooting landscapes at midday with this lens at f1.4 .
Hence the highlights in the first one are a little uncontrolled

A couple of samples. Will get some nicer shots in better light this weekend hopefully

No straightening or sharpening (although it looks on screen like the software may have dialed in some sharperning when resizing- haven't used it much for photo editing) - only pp is minor contrast & levels in Paint.net (all I have handy here at present)

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[MattNQ]

Still working through my weekend photos, here are a couple

It is a nice lens to use. Focus & aperture rings are really smooth.

[MattNQ]

a bit more experimenting playing with the depth of field on this lens

Struth, at f1.4, the DoF is sooo narrow.
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[ameerat42]

It doesn't appear to be a slouch for sharpness and esp CA in these pics Matt. Does this lens actually have an MC mount (like the Minoltas of old), as the "MC" indicates.
Am.

[MattNQ]

Am, it does indeed have an MC mount

[invisible]

These look great, Matt. The old lens seems to like your digital camera! I own both the MC (Rokkor-PG) and MD (Rokkor-X) versions of this Minolta lens, but it's looking more and more like a good Nikon adapter doesn't exist. These lenses will likely end up on eBay – a shame!

[MattNQ]

Thanks Fed,
The EPL1 seems to take very well to old lenses.
The LCD is hard to manual focus in bright light though - I realy need to get an EVF - But they cost 2/3 of what I paid for the camera

Looks good on as well


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[MattNQ]

Thought I'd consolidate a few newer shots with the Rokkor X that I posted in other threads, just in case anyone is interested in performance in different conditions.
Did I mention the lens cost all of $100

Edit: meant to mention a couple of points after using this lens for a while..
- The ADPLO adapter hasn't quite got infinity focus right - took me a while to notice as I mainly use it for close subjects. Not sure if a more expensive adapter would be better?
- Manual focussing this lens is really easy (not that I have a choice !) A smooth movement and has a long enough throw that making small adjustments is easy.
- Some lens flare if you are not careful in the sun. Keep meaning to get a hood for it

Ambient light (halogen downlights...warm...not sure what temp) at 1/6 sec, f1.4, ISO 400



Bird in flight mid-late afternoon. maxing out the paltry 1/2000 shutter speed on the Oly. Lens was around f2.8 I think (doesn't register in the EXIF with the adapter). ISO 100.


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Daughter's birthday cake. Inside house. ISO 400, 1/50s, Aperture not sure now, probably f1.4 or f2.0
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[Bromo]

Gday Matt
Thanks for updating the thread. It seems that your liking your Rokkor! Your shots look good and it seems that the lens is sharp wide open and really controls CA very well. The 1/2000th is limiting when shooting f1.4 but your using what you have to the limit and getting some real nice shots.
The only bad part is that this legacy lens look, feel & fun is kinda addictive. I was given 2 old Nikkors a while back and....ummm...that has now grown with a few others lol. I really quite enjoy discovering the difference between them and seeing the different qualities they give.

Anyway, thanks again for posting. Hope to see some more updates!

btw, those last three pics and the cemetery pics are really cool!

LOVE the shot of the Chello and the Blue-Faced Honeyeater!! Great stuff

[MattNQ]

Thanks Bromo for the comments,
You are right about addictive - I love the look and feel of an old metal lens.

[MattNQ]

Time for an update. Bit of a mishmash of shots in very different conditions.
Still one of my very favourite lenses







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