Minolta MD 28mm f/2.8 Review - A Must-Have Lens for Minolta Shooters

[@StymyParsley]

Always happy to see Minolta lenses getting some love!

[@franktatom1837]

Great video. I received a Minolta X-570, 50mm 1.7, 28mm 2.8, and 135mm 2.8 for Christmas, 1984. I still have all of them and they are all functioning perfectly despite regular use for many years. The Minolta lenses were aimed at color rendition and contrast over sharpness, in my opinion, and many people years ago noted the difference in color in my photos. I still use the lenses with a Sony A7ii and to shoot film. I routinely used, and still use, a No. 15 deep yellow filter when I shoot B&W film, for some reason it seemed to match the Minolta lenses well and matches what I see with my eyes.

[@Frisenette]

That is a myth. Several of the Minolta lenses are best in class WRT sharpness. Such as the 24 2.8, 85 2.0, 50 1.4 and 135 2.8.

[@franktatom1837]

@Frisenette In my opinion - and I didn't say they weren't sharp, just that they were aimed more at color rendition and contrast than sharpness. Their own literature at the time mentioned an emphasis on color rendition.

[@Frisenette]

I think you’ll find that in all the literature from the late 60s and forward for any brand. The colour profile matching only really started with the AF lenses. But was also a thing with Nikon or Zeiss optical designs. Minolta made their own glass as one of the very few in the world, so they did have a tremendous amount of control over every minute detail. But matching colour profile is not free image quality wise. Every focal length has its own inherent imprint on the colour rendition, due to barrel length and number and spacing of the elements. You have to jump quite a few hoops to get the same profile.

[@franktatom1837]

@Frisenette I will say it again - in my OPINION. I've owned many, many Minolta cameras and lenses since 1972 (manual focus, AF, rangefinder, SLR), as well as other brands of cameras and lenses, which is a primary basis of my OPINION, along with Minolta's own literature claiming color was better with their lenses. If your OPINION differs from mine, good. I am mature enough to know it is a waste of time to argue with others about their OPINION.

[@Frisenette]

@@franktatom1837 Did someone say "OPINION"? These things are very factual and objectively provable. The question is who has the right data?

[@MattTheMinoltaGuy]

I can’t even begin to count the number of times I’ve gone to those Minolta lens charts for information. They are incredible! Glad to know others use them too!

[@AnalogInsights]

Yay, love them as well. :)

[@grahambell1959]

Another great video, Max. I have the exact same lens and agree with your conclusions. Wide-angle lens generally are not always pin-sharp at their largest aperture but that doesn't detract from their overall quality. Minolta lenses are consistently underrated.

[@mullerzwo7936]

Yes, the MD 28mm/ 2.8 is really a great and highly recommended lens. I'm also more of a 50mm shooter (I usually use the MD 50/1.4 and the MD 50/2.0 on my Minoltas), but the 28mm/2.8 is a very nice addition, especially for landscape and architectural images and delivers very good results .Thanks for the great and informative video, as always.

[@AnalogInsights]

Thank you for your kind comment. I can relate to that quite a bit. 28mm plus 50mm is such a nice combination.

[@ПегасАльферац]

Nice review! I ordered this lense a week ago and can’t wait to get my hands on it! My first wide lens, I also love 50mm but feel the need to go wider haha

[@AnalogInsights]

So nice. Have fun with it!

[@LuxLaboratories]

I recently paired down my Minolta setup and what remains is my Minolta XD, MC 28mm f/2.8, MD 45mm f2, and MD 100mm f/2.5. The 45mm really got me into the 40-45mm focal length and was my first manual film lens I ever bought over a decade ago. Great shots from Japan and Germany!

[@bjornb6961]

I already have a Minolta 28mm, also from my dad. It’s absolutely lovely, my best and favorite analog lens. Though you definitely sold me on taking it to Tokyo! 😂 Not that I needed much selling… but a great video with inspiring shots. Great job!

[@dansmouse7393]

Those old Rokkor’s are also fantastic for adapting on mirrorless systems. I have the 45 f2 and 58 f1.4 lenses that I use on my Sony a7ii.

[@TorstenKathke]

Some love for the 5-element finally, it usually gets no respect😇 I tend to use this on my X-700 together with the 50 f1.4 MD and the 2x teleconverter as a versatile small travel kit.

[@AnalogInsights]

Sounds like the perfect travel kit. ✌🏻

[@jr8440]

Great video from one of my favorite lenses. It is so nice and compact. It can compare very well with the new 28/2.8 Nikkor Z and i find that almost shocking. Your austria images are so smooth and nice

[@12symmo]

Yay! I have the MD W.Rokkor and couldn’t be happier.

[@MrDastardly]

Great presentation from your new subscriber. 👏👏

[@BraulioMedelesJucla]

Great Video!

[@Skipsul]

Great video - I grew up on Minolta and it remains dear to me. The Minolta Celtic 28mm is also a good budget option from the early 1970s. It was Minolta's attempt at a lower-cost entry, so the coatings are not as good as the standard line. Mine was my mother's, and she kept it well. I can say from experience that the lesser coatings are not usually an issue except where shooting into bright lights, but otherwise has a decent performance.

[@the_black_douglas9041]

Great video and interesting! Thanks for making it 😊

[@AnalogInsights]

Thank you for your kind feedback.

[@acddejklor]

I have the 28mm f3.5 MD ii and it is by far my favourite performer - solid metal body but a bit smaller than the f2.8. The smaller size allows for a particularly nimble setup when paired with a body such as the XD.

[@اسماعیلبهزادی-ب7ث]

i have it very sharp lens but vivitar 28mm f2.5 i think better !

[@MarcoRoepers]

Great play with light in the pictures.

[@AnalogInsights]

Thank you. That’s very kind of you.

[@johnmilner0859]

Nice lens. Nice images. 👍🏻

[@amosk24]

Great video, as always. Happy New Year Max!

[@AnalogInsights]

Happy new year! Thank you.

[@raz8911]

great video. i will be grabbing one tomorrow

[@AnalogInsights]

Fantastic. Good choice. :)

[@janjasiewicz9851]

Thanks!

[@AnalogInsights]

Thank you for your continued support. It means a lot. 🙏🏻

[@janjasiewicz9851]

@@AnalogInsights Frohes Neues Jahr! Keep up the important work....always look forward to new episodes!

[@user-pg5rt7ju4f]

I had the 28 f3.5 from 1967, 1 yr after I got the brand new SRT 101( black shutter dial, no hotshoe, no hole in the bottom of bullet-train shaped real leather case for the meter switch). It was my only wide angle & often used until the 80's when I got the MD 24-35. Lost it in 2018, still miss it. I used its nice metal hood on a new Tokina 25-50 very briefly ( like 2 or 3 weeks, in 82) before I was robbed in front of a landmark church, together w/ a new X700 body.

[@inahaase889]

Schöner Film, danke fürs zeigen.❤

[@Rob.S.42]

Thanks for that! Reminds me of the sample I still have, also the 5 elements variant, although I rarely used it so far,. Having already been a Minolta user but with limited funds back in the eighties, I only added some more interesting items much later, deep into the digital era, and this happened to be among them (also a black XD7, for that matter, which had been my dream camera then, but far out of reach). Need to really try this lens out again one of these days.

[@user-pg5rt7ju4f]

I used a black XD11 until the mirror was no longer instant-return; I prob. busted it w/ the winder (?). Quite a few times I had it covered by plenty of snow in my early morning shoots in either of the 2 parks before walking home to sleep (stayed all nite in office). To shoot in snow blizzards , I had the XGM w/ motor drive inside a thick plastic shopping bag & a thick rubber band to hold the bag onto the lens hood. Everything works fine except when changing film; I had no auto rewind until the era of AF Maxxums

[@timothyplatt6053]

Love older 28's like this. I've had a Minolta. a Pentax. Nikon (still have ) and an OM ALL great 28's Simple and effective.

[@philmtx3fr]

Hi Max. Interesting video as usual. The issue I get with Minolta even if they delivered great cameras (srt303 - which is an interesting evolution of the srt101- xe1, x1, xd-7, x700, dynax 9…) the line of lens is very complex as your tables show with a lot (too much) variations of their lenses. In this way I do prefer Nikon which have a simplier but complete line up. For minolta I prefer the old full metal MC rokkor line than the new MD one, the 58mm f1.4 being one of my favorite.

[@mahdimanesh4221]

I bought a 28 for my XE-1 a year ago but never really liked to shoot it as I felt the first rolls of film came out mushy. 😅 Will give it another try but maybe need to replace it… I really like your work. Cheers from Berlin!

[@RichardMaguire110]

Thank you for an interesting video. Minolta MD is one system I do not use, this video has peaked my interest. My relationship with black and white photography has deepened though your videos, these photgraphs are beautiful. I have two Minolta zoom cameras form the 90's and thier lenses make the most beautiful and characterful photographs, it seems to me that Minolta looked at the whole of a lens' performance.

[@kiwipics]

I use Minolta glass adapted to Leica T (MD - L mount) as there are many Leica T / L mount lenses that were actually branded as both. I also use them on Lumix GF1, GX2, EP1 and Canon M mount bodies, just as I do with Voightlander lenses on those bodies even though they are for my Leica M6.

[@AnalogInsights]

Thank you for your kind comment. Glad to hear I got you curious in these.

[@janw.jensen2490]

That plastic lenshood came with the lens when I got mine back in the 1980s (when I was freelancing for a local paper). Nice lens, like most of the Minoltas. As one of the few they made their own glass that they used in the lenses. I used everything from 21mm to 400mm. The 135mm 2.8 is great, better than Nikons.

[@DominikMarczuk]

Interesting. I have the earlier 7/7 version and it's one of the sharpest (if not the sharpest) 28 mm lens I own. Stopped down, it's razor sharp, but wide-open, it's really not noticeably softer. On a high megapickle digital body, you notice some softness, but it's beyond the resolving power of most film stocks. Interestingly, the same characteristics are true of my MD W.Rokkor 35 mm 1:2.8. While I shoot Pentax more often, I must also admit I love Minolta lenses for their optical qualities and handling. On an XD-7, I can't go wrong with them!

[@daveed4475]

I use this on my Leica SL2-S. It’s good enough that don’t feel the urge to upgrade.

[@paulh6043]

As an avid Minolta collector, thank you so much for this review. Would there ever be a chance you might do a review of a Minolta SR2? It's the one model I don't have from the SR/MC/MD mount SLR range. I know that's a big ask because of their rarity. All the best to you and yours in 2025.

[@juancarlosguzman2827]

I have a minolta and love the images coming out of those lenses. Do you also shoot digital?

[@AnalogInsights]

Thanks for your comment. I occasionally shoot digital as well and enjoy using the Minolta MD lenses on my Leica T for instance.

[@juancarlosguzman2827]

@ oh okay you should make a video to see some photos samples. Thanks for the feedback I love your channel great content

[@gogogeegee76]

Hey, I just saw your vid. Good work. One question, are all these photos straight out of the camera?

[@AnalogInsights]

Hi! Thanks for your comment. Well, these are all film images developed and scanned by my trusted lab OnFilmLab. They are unedited (in the sense of barrel distortion corrections or similar light room effects) but there are always some decisions made when it comes to contrast and curves while scanning. Does that answer your question?

[@gogogeegee76]

@AnalogInsights Yes, very much so. It is better this way as we can really see the true character of the lens.

[@misiumalowany]

Hi! The tonality of midtones, the grain and sharpness really complement each other ( with this lens) in Your photos! Could You share the Film and developer used.

[@REFIGUY69]

Yes Minolta lenses and film cameras are excellent. I have SR7, 2- XD models and 2- XE7s. 9 don't own the 28mm Minolta but I own a Minolta si 28 f2. 5 and Kiron 28mm f2 in MD mount

[@user-pg5rt7ju4f]

si 28 f2.5 in Maxxum A-mount ?

[@REFIGUY69]

@@user-pg5rt7ju4f No, MD mount

[@goncalolourenco6989]

I wanted to get that lens a while ago and ended up going with the vivitar 28mm f2.5 for the same system. I kinda regret it as I prefer the general feel of the minolta lenses even though this one is a tad faster.

[@brianschultz3977]

Have you considered the 85mm f/2? Ultra compact, about the size of a 50mm lens. Optically very good. I have one I’d consider lending for a review.

[@AnalogInsights]

Thank you for bringing this lens to my attention. I own the 85mm f/1.7 MC version and was always very happy with it. But the f/2 sounds like an interesting compact alternative. Regarding your kind offer: I currently have a packed pipeline of upcoming videos and don’t feel good about taking on additional commitments. But I might come back to you on this one. Would be really an interesting topic.

[@shingotabisukisuki8184]

👍👍👍

[@tomislavmiletic_]

I've had MC 28mm f/3.5 way back in the day, but that (particular) lens was not good for serious use, being only somewhat sharp at f11, both on slides (with heavy green tint I had to add) or on high resolution B&W films, so I sold it, together with MC 135mm f/3.5, who's IQ way also poor. I kept the MC 50mm f/1.7, together with Minolta srT303b, which is an amazing camera...

[@Frisenette]

So let me get this straight: It isn’t that sharp. Is only tolerable at f8 Vignettes a lot Has more ghosting and CA than the competition And this is a great lens, why again?

[@AnalogInsights]

Haha. Well this is certainly not what I said. It isn’t that sharp wide open and best at around f8. It vignettes a bit when shot wide open but that quickly disappears. Ghosting and flaring is quite limited. I didn’t mention the competition here. The build quality is great, the handling wonderful and the bokeh quite pleasing. Overall a great lens, especially for under 100 Euro. Does that help? :)

[@Frisenette]

@ It helps a lot. Thank you for the clarification.