Minolta Rokkor-MD 50mm f/1.4 Review

In this video, I review a lens that is very dear to my heart: the Minolta Rokkor-MD f/1.4 (also referred to as MD III in collector circles).

The review covers the lens' handling, optical performance and shows a wide range of sample photos taken on film in Munich and Berlin.
The Minolta MD 50mm f/1.4 feels very solid and high-quality. The lens barrel, lens mount, helicoid and filter threads are made out of metal, only the aperture ring is made of plastic in the later version and aluminum in the earlier version. The lens weighs around 240g, is 40mm in length and 64mm in diameter. The filter size is 49mm for the later version (shown here) and 55m for the earlier version.

The optical performance of the Minolta MD 50mm f/1.4 is really nice. The optical construction of seven elements in six groups combined with Minolta's coatings and corrections for aberrations creates excellent results in most situations. The bokeh is mostly beautiful, there is only some slight fall-off when shot at f/1.4 and the lens is not very prone to ghosting and flare. Watch the video for all the details.

Gear used:
Minolta SRT 101x
Minolta Rokkor-MD 50mm f/1.4

Films used:
Ilford Pan F
Ilford Delta 400

Scanned with my Epson F3200.

Take a look at Lens QA Works if you are curious about more technical details and test results: https://lens.ws/minolta-md-50mm-f1-4/

If you'd like to get in touch or see some early behind the scenes footage, find me on Instagram:   / analog_insights