MINOLTA M ROKKOR 28mm F2.8

Review and photo examples of the Minolta M Rokkor 28mm.

Gallery

Sample photos were taken with a LEICA M8.

Review

The M Rokkor 28mm is a wide-angle lens developed by Minolta for the MINOLTA CLE and is compatible with the Leica M mount.

Since this lens was made for MINOLTA CLE, there is some difficulty in compatibility when using it with an M-type Leica camera.When this lens is attached to an M-type Leica camera, the 28mm viewfinder frame is not displayed, but a 35mm frame is displayed. Ru.
The reason for this is that in order to separate the 28mm and 90mm indications on the viewfinder frame, MINOLTA CLE allocates 28mm to the 35/135mm part of the claw length that CLE does not use in the viewfinder frame display.
The table below shows the relationship between the length of the M mount claw that displays the viewfinder frame of MINOLTA CLE and the viewfinder frame.

Finder Frame type	Mount Tooth length	MINOLTA CLE Finder Frame	LEICA M Finder Frame
28/90	long	90	28/90
50/75	middle	40/50	50/75
35/135	short	28	35/135

The display on the viewfinder frame of the M-type Leica depends on the physical length of the leftmost claw when viewed from the mount side of the M mount’s four claws, and the longest claw displays 28/90. , the intermediate length is 50/75, and the shortest nail is 35/135.

When this lens is attached to an M-type Leica body, 28/90 is not displayed, so you can see that the nail is not long enough. In order to display 28mm, if the camera has a viewfinder frame control lever, you will need to move the lever or make the claw that determines the viewfinder frame larger.
I remember that in the past there were companies that would do modifications to extend the nails, but as of 2023, I no longer hear of such stories. It’s easy to file your nails as an amateur, but I think it’s very difficult to lengthen them. If a nail breaks off due to bad work and falls into the camera room and gets tangled in the shutter curtain, you won’t be able to see it, so I don’t feel there is a need to take that much of a risk.

I had no problems using this lens with the EPSON R-D1 and Voigtleder’s Bessa series, as the viewfinder frame is determined by the user with a lever, but I felt a little strange with the LEICA M8/M9, which automatically displays the viewfinder frame.
KONICA, which merged with MINOLTA, seems to have placed emphasis on M mount compatibility, and KONICA M mount lenses do not have problems with viewfinder frames.

This lens has a slightly rude nickname, such as the Japanese-made Elmarite 28mm, but I think it’s a lens that generally produces good images.
The one I owned had the appropriate helicoid torque and was able to focus smoothly.
When attached to the LEICA CLE, it could be used as a compact wide-angle snap camera.
The special hood is made of metal, but the material is thin and flimsy, so you may see used hoods that are warped. The weak point is that it tends to fog up, probably because the lens material is made of balsam material, and most of the cheaper ones tend to fog up. Lenses repaired by Minolta are less likely to fog up, but lenses in good condition are expensive.

The lineup of lenses for CLE is simple: 28mm, 40mm, and 90mm.
If you are an average photographer, three lenses will be enough for most purposes, and there is a problem with the viewfinder frame, but the CLE is compatible with M mount, so you can use lenses from other companies, so you won’t have to worry about lens play. Old Japanese rangefinder camera and lens manufacturers such as Minolta had a simple lens lineup.
Leica and Canon, unlike other companies, supplied lenses with a wide variety of focal lengths.

Specification

Lens name	M ROKKOR 28	G ROKKOR 28	GR 28
Focal length(mm)	28	28	28
Max aperture	2.8	3.5	2.8
Min aperture	22	←	16
Lens Construction	7 elements in 5 groups	5 elements in 5 groups	7 elements in 4 groups
Leaf blade	10	9	10
Min distance(m)	0.8	←	0.7
Lens length(mm)	35.5	19.5	23
Max diameter(mm)	51	51	49.5
Filter Size(mm)	40.5	←	←
Hood	Exclusive bayonet hood	Wrapper type screw-in hood	Wrapper type screw-in hood
Release date	1981	1998	1997
Production numbers	–	–	3000
Weight(g)	135	110	180