Minolta MD Rokkor-X 45mm f/2, Almost The Perfect Normal

Analog Diary: Film photography favorites, analog diary, image making with a Minolta MD Rokkor-X 45mm f/2, the almost 'perfect' normal prime lens.

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One of the accepted definitions of the 'perfect' normal lens for a 35mm full-frame camera, a lens that reproduces a field of view that appears natural to a human observer, is based on the diagonal of the film frame, which measures 43.3mm.

A lens unique to the interpretation of this definition is the Minolta MD Rokkor-X 45 mm, 1:2.0, a very compact lens with a focal length that is very close to the measured distance. Introduced in 1978, and only available as an MDII version, this lens is a rare case as Minolta normally replicated and made the lenses available over their camera version releases.

Not quite a true pancake, the lens is a blend of a plastic body and a 6-element and 5-group glass. It measures 30.5 mm in length and weighs 125 grams, comes with 5 aperture blades, a minimum aperture of F16, and a minimum focusing distance of 0.6 meters.

Minolta MD Rokkor-X 45mm f/2

With a large open aperture of 1:2, the lens is also a potentially good bokeh lens, and with its compact size, it makes the lens a worthwhile consideration for the street shooter, fashion, or lifestyle photographer, simply as a lowlight lens or one to get good background separation with.

Minolta X-700, Minolta MD Rokkor-X 45mm f/2

At most times unnoticed, and grossly underrated except by gig lens connoisseurs, the Minolta MD Rokkor-X 45mm f/2 is more than the sum of its parts. Images are exceptionally sharp, with good mid-tone contrast and accurate color reproduction. It is lightweight both on the wallet and in the camera bag, and whichever Minolta body it is found attached to, it is the go-to lens.

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Olympus OM Zuiko 24mm f/2.8, Cropped Close-Ups

Digital Moments: Image making with an Olympus OM Zuiko 24mm f/2.8, from the garden, cropped close-ups.

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Compared to the ultra-wide Olympus OM Zuiko 21mm F3.5, the 24mm f/2.8 has a 10° narrower angle of view and is considered the widest of wide angles. Lenses at these focal lengths tend to have a strong rendition of the perspective when used in the context of the surroundings. For cropped close-ups, however, this is not necessarily something you have to delve too deeply into.

Mounted on the 2x crop-sensor MFT (Micro Four Thirds) digital camera, a 24mm lens will give you the 35mm full-frame equivalent focal length of 48mm, close enough to that of a 50mm focal length lens, which is considered the standard for a 35mm full-frame camera.

Olympus E-P5, Olympus OM Zuiko 24mm f/2.8

The H.Zuiko 24mm f/2.8, as used in this assignment, is the earlier version of the series, 8 elements in 7 groups construction with floating elements design, weighs 180 grams, and focuses down to 0.25 meters. The floating element design incorporates an automatic close-focus correction mechanism that counters possible aberrations while keeping the excellent optical performance of the lens intact.

Olympus E-P5, Olympus OM Zuiko 24mm f/2.8

Shooting with the lens wide open, i.e., at its widest aperture, is shooting with a very narrow DoF (depth of field). Getting the perfect focal point in the composition you are looking at, as in the case of these sample images, may take a bit more time and experience to master. And, of course, I need the same.

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Olympus Zuiko OM 21mm f/3.5, Street Wide, From the Hip

Analog Diary: Film photography favorites, image making with an Olympus Zuiko OM 21mm f/3.5, on a hipster-style street shoot.

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Street photography, the most accessible photography genre, is something you can do pretty much anywhere, anytime, and with whatever camera equipment you have. Though etiquette may apply, there are no rules either; you are free to shoot whatever you visualize as a collective of events, emotions, or the reality of the space you are in.

The main part of the visual is, of course, the context of the image, where the background becomes the backdrop to the event, of the activity of the figures you are incorporating into the image. Removing either of the two from the context or the content of the image will just nullify the notion and render the genre ineffective.

Olympus OM-2 SP, Olympus OM Zuiko 21mm f/3.5

I recently challenged myself to shoot from the hip while doing the streetwalk, with the camera mounted with an ultra-wide-angle lens on a hyperfocal zone setting. The framing of the images was purely a guesstimate. The lens I had was the Olympus Zuiko OM 21mm f/3.5, mounted on an Olympus OM-2S.

As horizontal alignments of hipster-style images taken with the camera away from your eyes are just guesstimates, there is the notion that you might have to lose a bit of the image with tilt adjustment crops during post-processing. I looked at that as an advantage.

Olympus OM-2 SP, Olympus Zuiko OM 21mm f/3.5

Physically, the all-metal and glass Zuiko 21mm f/3.5 is a lightweight and extremely compact lens, acknowledged for its optical quality and ability to capture sharp images with excellent contrast even at full aperture. The lens is a 7-element in 7-group construction, it is only 31mm in length and weighs 180/185 grams. A bit of a classic, a rarity, and worth keeping, the lens comes with its own band of dedicated followers.

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Olympus Trip 35, A Look Back

Analog Diary: Film photography favorites, image making with an Olympus Trip 35, a look back at people and places.

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The Olympus Trip 35, a 35mm compact camera manufactured by Olympus, was introduced in 1967 and stayed in production until 1984. Targeted at people who wanted a compact, functional camera for holidays or family snapshots, the camera was the subject of an advertising campaign featuring a popular British photographer, David Bailey.

The Olympus Trip 35 is fitted with a D.Zuiko 40mm F2.8 lens and does not need a battery to operate. The camera is powered by a selenium light meter and comes with two shutter speeds, 1/40 and 1/200 seconds, and two exposure settings: 'A' for Program automatic and a manual aperture opening selection for shots at the lower 1/40 second, the setting for flash photography.

In Program automatic mode, the camera will choose a shutter speed of 1/40 or 1/200 seconds, matched to an aperture range from F2.8 to F16. The film ISO setting is 25 to 400 for later models, which come with a black shutter release button, and 25 to 200 for earlier models, which have a chrome silver shutter release button.

Olympus Trip 35

Focusing is by a zone system with four distance icons set for portrait, shoulder shot, group, and landscape. The distance icon is visible through the viewfinder via a small sub-window located just below the image frame. Flash is used in manual mode with a preset aperture opening.

Olympus Trip 35

The mainstay of the camera is undoubtedly its four-element three-group Tessar lens, which is acknowledged as very impressive. The lens is capable of giving you sharp, high-quality images with good mid-tone contrast and natural colors. Just as endearing is the use of the selenium photocell, which is even capable of getting a correct exposure under bright fluorescent light, without a flash.

Over its production run, more than 10 million units of the camera were produced and sold.

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Photo of the Day

Pentax MV1, SMC Pentax-M 40mm f/2.8

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