Minolta MC Fish-EyE Rokkor 7.5mm f4

Minolta MC Fish-EyE Rokkor 7.5mm f4 is one of Minolta’s rare lenses. Produced around 1975–83, the production time is relatively long. There are MC and MD versions, but the optical structure has not been changed. 12 elements in 8 groups, weighing only 340g, and having a 180 degree viewing angle. The aperture is composed of four groups of f4-f22 apertures, without focusing ring. The price of this lens is 148,000 yen, which is very expensive, and it is not available to ordinary consumers (16 / 2.8 fisheye 60000 yen, 58 / 1.2, 85 / 1.7 only about 35,000 yen) . So there are not many existing ones. Most of them are collected by Minolta collectors. Now the second-hand price is still very expensive. Although this lens is widely used, it is definitely not easy to control. There are more collectibles than real items, so there are not many photos taken online. Here is a brief introduction and sharing experience:

The metal lens body and front lens , which is extremely protective with a rubber ring inside to prevent the front lens from being scratched

Actual operation:

The first impression, you will feel that the lens is still light, with a diameter of about 62mm. This lens is considered to be one of Minolta’s most advanced lenses, and its construction is not harsh. It uses an all-metal design, and the front cover has a rubber ring to protect the front mirror. Since the maximum aperture is only f4, as you can see from the camera viewfinder, it is full of exaggerated deformation effects, and there is no continuous focus, because there is no focus ring, haha. Although there is no focusing ring and the lens does not have a depth of field ruler, in fact, it only needs a minimum focusing distance of about 1.2 meters. F4 already has enough depth of field to infinity, that why, it does not need to focus XD. If the aperture is closed to F22, the closest focusing distance is only 16CM, which is very easy to use. The curved lens at the front end cannot be protected with a protective lens, so four filters (1A, FLD, Y52, R60) are built into the lens for black and white photo. In fact, the best way to use it may be to use a 400-sensitivity film, so that the shutter value can be kept at 1/125 or more, and the only thing the user can do is to compose the picture, press the shutter, and pan focus.

Imaging performance and experience:

Although it is a fisheye lens, the imaging from the center to the edge of the painting also have a good The sharpness, even under backlight, can still maintain a good level and contrast, the color is rich and pleasing to the eye, making people unforgettable.

Minolta MC Fisheye rokkor 7.5mm f4, Minolta MC fish-eye rokkor 16mm f2.8

There are several aspects to be aware of when using this lens. First, under the 7.5MM full-circle image-forming lens, it can fully capture the foreground and foreground objects, and the wide 180-degree field of view is completely captured in the spherical image. Through bold and exaggerated perspective angles and deformation processing effects, the most ordinary and tasteless subject matter is also full of novel ideas. Its wide-angle feature is used for landscape shooting, which can make the scene look more imposing and more spacious, and when the indoor environment is narrow, it can also take a seemingly wide space, which is much more convenient. But at the same time, because a large number of scenes are very easy to enter the screen, you need to be very careful in choosing the theme, and put the most interesting protagonist in the center position, otherwise it will easily appear deformed. Because it is a 180-degree fisheye lens, special attention should be paid when shooting, whether your hands, feet, hair, etc. will enter the screen.

Second, metering is another important point to note. Because of the 7.5mm, the vision is very wide. In the captured image, the metering value may be 1 to 3 levels. It is recommended to perform exposure compensation most of the time. The metering value cannot be displayed normally. The metering value will be blacked out and only approximate values can be estimated. It is recommended to use it for the first time, use a film with a higher sensitivity value, shoot with a better shutter value and exchange for a greater depth of field. Like other special effects mirrors or ultra-wide mirrors, facing the same scene, most of the time, only one or two fisheye pictures will be taken, because it is not easy to find relevant and interesting subjects, so this lens will not be Where the main lens group is.

to sum up:

Minolta MC / MD Fish-EyE Rokkor 7.5mm f4 is one of the most creative lenses in Minolta history, but when this lens was produced, it was already a rare / professional lens, so now the second-hand price is often made Stop, as an ordinary photography enthusiast, fisheye lens is not a standing lens, and even as a standard Minolta enthusiast, it will be discouraged because of its high price and low usage rate. Fisheye shooting only needs a little fantasy, combined with rich imagination, it is not difficult to take some interesting photos with fisheye glasses, maybe you need to take a satisfactory fisheye look, in addition to technology, you must have a little luck. Most of the fisheye lenses are scientific or astronomical, but they are mostly used in the production of special effects. The application of full-round fisheye is rarer than that of half-period fisheye. Other similar full-round fisheyes include Peleng 8mm f3.5 and Sigma 8mm f4. The former can never be compared with Minolta 7.5mm f4. The latter is also very expensive and not easy to find. For most of the special effects lenses, I still feel that it would be more convenient or easier to get the desired effect if I changed the camera to a few horses. After entering the MD lens sequence, the minimum aperture of the lens was increased to f: 22, and MD tabs appeared on the aperture ring. MD series lenses are lighter than MC series lenses, and the overall weight is reduced by about 15g. The third generation MD lens also adds a focus confirmation button on the aperture ring, although this lens uses a fixed focal length. At the same time, the minimum aperture lock is also added.