Afairall Posted October 16, 2019 Share #1  Posted October 16, 2019 (edited) Advertisement (gone after registration) Hi, all A local camera store here in NYC is selling one of these used for $650 -- can anyone shed light on how it performs with a digital M? I know it was produced for film cameras. Or do you recommend just saving up for an Elmarit-m ASPH? Thanks, Anthony Edited October 16, 2019 by Afairall Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted October 16, 2019 Posted October 16, 2019 Hi Afairall, Take a look here Minolta M-Rokkor 28mm f2.8 on Digital M. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
01af Posted October 16, 2019 Share #2  Posted October 16, 2019 (edited) The M-Rokkor 28 mm 1:2.8 is a good lens—still, $650 US seems a bit steep to me. This lens often suffers from little white spots right behind the front element; clean copies are rare these days. If the copy in your local store happens to be clean then it might be worth it. In any case, the older Elmarit-M 28 mm, the current Elmarit-M 28 mm Asph, and the Summicron-M 28 mm Asph are better lenses ... but—by a very small margin only. You'd have to compare directly and to look very carefully to see the difference. If the lens happens to be out of whack and needed an adjustment then you'd be out of luck. Leica Customer Care won't touch an M-Rokkor lens, and Minolta is out of the camera and lens business for 13 years now. You'd need to find an independent technician, or do the CLA job yourself. Edited October 16, 2019 by 01af 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lct Posted October 16, 2019 Share #3  Posted October 16, 2019 Very good lens indeed, nicely made, matches well Mandler lenses with less acutance hence less "clinical" feeling than Summicron 28/2 and Elmarit 28/2.8 asph. No red edge problems with my M8.2 and M240. Works fine on the digital CL as well. 2 problems though: - The lens does not bring up 28mm but 35mm framelines on both my M8.2 and M240. A solution (i did not try) might consist in mounting the flange of an M-Rokkor 90/4 if you can find one. - The lens may develop white spots coming from moisture on the black coating of the rim. See http://tinyurl.com/9d6g8a7 and what Olaf said above. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregm61 Posted October 17, 2019 Share #4  Posted October 17, 2019 (edited) For a little more money, I’d rather have a good copy of the non ASPH 28mm f2.8 Elmarit-M, the one just prior to the first ASPH model. Tamarkin has one right now, really clean with the caps and hood, for $925. Worth the price difference in my opinion. The one at Tamarkin appears to not be, but they can be found already 6 bit coded. Edited October 17, 2019 by Gregm61 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ko.Fe. Posted October 17, 2019 Share #5  Posted October 17, 2019 Cosina Zeiss 28 2.8 and Konica Hexanon 28 2.8 are better for same price (used). Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
calijax Posted October 21, 2019 Share #6  Posted October 21, 2019 These lenses are great bargain grabs and can be had for well less than $400 (with minimal spotting). They are tiny and lightweight. Hard not to keep one around. I agree with @lct, they bring up 35mm framelines on my Leica bodies, but beautiful, uncluttered 28mm framelines on the Minolta CLE.   Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdlaing Posted October 21, 2019 Share #7  Posted October 21, 2019 Advertisement (gone after registration) On 10/17/2019 at 3:29 PM, Ko.Fe. said: Cosina Zeiss 28 2.8 and Konica Hexanon 28 2.8 are better for same price (used). No they are not. They are just different. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ko.Fe. Posted October 21, 2019 Share #8  Posted October 21, 2019 51 minutes ago, jdlaing said: No they are not. They are just different. None of them have Schneideritis defect and both of them brings 28 frames. The rest is negligible. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lct Posted October 21, 2019 Share #9  Posted October 21, 2019 1 hour ago, jdlaing said: No they are not. They are just different. ... and significantly bulkier. The Rokkor is even smaller than the Elmarit 28/2.8 asph v1. It has also a superb bayonet vented hood and the bayonet of the lens is not chrome a la Zeiss or CV but black. As for performances, i have no experience with lenses referred by Ko.Fe above so all i can say is when i bought the Rokkor it was on par with the then Elmarit 28/2.8 as far as i recall. It is now outperformed by the Elmarit 28/2.8 asph though. Here on the Epson R-D1. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!  5 Quote Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!  ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/302474-minolta-m-rokkor-28mm-f28-on-digital-m/?do=findComment&comment=3840005'>More sharing options...
sinjun Posted October 22, 2019 Share #10 Â Posted October 22, 2019 I own and really like this lens - small and sharp. I read somewhere that a magazine test rated this more highly than the contemporary Elmarit when it came out. Mine has no white spots and I'm hoping that it was one of those which was apparently taken back and fixed by Minolta, though there are stories of them developing late. As far as the frame lines are concerned, I wedge my selector to the 28mm position with a small, folded piece of paper. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Afairall Posted October 23, 2019 Author Share #11  Posted October 23, 2019 (edited) Thank you for all of your input -- I avoided the Rokkor at that price. I actually picked up a Summicron 28mm for only $2200 -- my plan is to test and it and possibly keep it, or flip it to buy a used Elmarit ASPH. Edited October 23, 2019 by Afairall Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
james.liam Posted October 26, 2019 Share #12  Posted October 26, 2019 On 10/23/2019 at 10:39 AM, Afairall said: Thank you for all of your input -- I avoided the Rokkor at that price. I actually picked up a Summicron 28mm for only $2200 -- my plan is to test and it and possibly keep it, or flip it to buy a used Elmarit ASPH. Sounds like a great price, enjoy. If you decide it isn't what you like, another option is the Ricoh 28/2.8 LTM. It supposedly is the same optical formula as in their GR film cameras, an excellent design. The one listed is pricey but they were made in limited quantities. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sblutter Posted October 30, 2019 Share #13 Â Posted October 30, 2019 Its fine for most situations & I appreciate the weight & dimension for long shooting days For professional work I'm more confident with the Summi 2.0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alberti Posted October 31, 2019 Share #14  Posted October 31, 2019 I have this lens, it is a small gem, though it has its quirks: just 35mm frameline, hence no coding possible. BUT: there is no fringing/purple corner effect of wideangles. Or only invisible on my M240. And on the MM1 it just gives some concentration because of some vignetting. So coding is not needed at all. Great ‘soft’ sharpness and a superb unsharpness, and in that surpasses my ZM28. Ok, Scheideritis? Yes - it has milky edges against the light, just like many MF lenses made by that firm. last year, agree maybe just like any 28mm, Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Recent in Delft and here the brilliance of the center makes this picture shine:  2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Recent in Delft and here the brilliance of the center makes this picture shine:  ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/302474-minolta-m-rokkor-28mm-f28-on-digital-m/?do=findComment&comment=3845497'>More sharing options...
lct Posted November 1, 2019 Share #15  Posted November 1, 2019 This one would have been sharper with the Elmarit 28/2.8 asph perhaps but the latter did not exist yet. Shot in 2004 with the Rokkor 28/2.8 on my Epson R-D1. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/302474-minolta-m-rokkor-28mm-f28-on-digital-m/?do=findComment&comment=3845584'>More sharing options...
wmm Posted March 28, 2020 Share #16  Posted March 28, 2020 On 10/22/2019 at 3:39 AM, sinjun said: I own and really like this lens - small and sharp. I read somewhere that a magazine test rated this more highly than the contemporary Elmarit when it came out. Mine has no white spots and I'm hoping that it was one of those which was apparently taken back and fixed by Minolta, though there are stories of them developing late. As far as the frame lines are concerned, I wedge my selector to the 28mm position with a small, folded piece of paper. hi.  how exactly do you use the folded piece of paper to change the framelines?  on a digital leica?  I could imagine that on a film leica.  thanks  Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ecar Posted March 28, 2020 Share #17  Posted March 28, 2020 (edited) 24 minutes ago, wmm said: hi.  how exactly do you use the folded piece of paper to change the framelines?  on a digital leica?  I could imagine that on a film leica.  thanks  Some digital bodies (eg, M-E, M240) don't have a manual frameline selector. Most of the others do, on the front of the camera, just like the film ones. A folded piece of paper - or cardboard or toothpick, or whatever - allows to temporarily lock the selector in the desired position and effectively "override" the lens mount to determine which framelines appear in the finder. Edited March 28, 2020 by Ecar 1 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
costa43 Posted August 16, 2022 Share #18  Posted August 16, 2022 (edited) An old thread but I just wanted to add how good this lens draws in my opinion. It’s one of my favourites on the m9p. I’m not a fan of asph lenses in general though.  Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Edited August 16, 2022 by costa43 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/302474-minolta-m-rokkor-28mm-f28-on-digital-m/?do=findComment&comment=4490712'>More sharing options...
lct Posted August 17, 2022 Share #19  Posted August 17, 2022 The M-Rokkor 28/2.8 is a good lens on the M11 too. Good contrast and resolution below f/16 with less acutance than modern asph lenses as expected on a lens from the eighties. Blocks very little the VF and brings up 35mm frame lines but 28mm ones are hardly visible in the M11's VF anyway so framing with the whole VF is a good aproximation. The Rokkor is more prone to flare than modern 28mm lenses so better keep the sun or other bright light sources well outside the frame unless flare makes part of your photography. Snaps below at f/8. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!  6 Quote Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!  ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/302474-minolta-m-rokkor-28mm-f28-on-digital-m/?do=findComment&comment=4491517'>More sharing options...
costa43 Posted August 18, 2022 Share #20  Posted August 18, 2022 That slight reduction in acuity over more modern lenses makes a big difference imo. A great lens. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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