Minolta MD 20mm 1:2.8 – review
Minolta MD 20mm 1:2.8 vintage manual lens test and review
- Official classification: New-MD
- Collector’s classification: MD III
Personally, it’s my choice among other wide options. I love this lens because of geometry, sharpness, and shape of the hull, or maybe because I’m feeling it in my hands better than others ultra-wides – this MD 20/2.8 is a very fit ‘chan’.
Minolta MD 20mm 1:2.8 (MD III, New-MD) specifications
| minolta.eazypix.de index | 21 |
| Name engraved on lens | MD |
| f[mm] | 20 |
| A max [1/f] | 2,8 |
| A min[1/f] | 22 |
| Lens design [el.] | 10 |
| Lens design [gr.] | 9 |
| Filter thread Ø front(rear)[mm] | 55 |
| Lens Shade | clip-in |
| closefocus[m/ft] | 0.25/1 |
| Dimension Ø x length [mm] | 64×43.5 |
| Weight[g] | 240 |
| Year | 1981 |
| Style | MD III |
| Code No. (ROKKOR-X) or Order No. | 515-810 |
| Floating elements | YES (partial support by autofocused adapters) |
| Aperture blades number | 6 |
| Confidence in the test results of reviewed copies | Very High |
| Reviewed lens SN: | 8003622 |
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- Minolta MD 20mm 1:2.8 optical design
Minolta MD 20mm 1:2.8 exterior
Mounted on Minolta X-700
This is a very suitable set – the camera and lens have the same design (released 1981)
Minolta MD 20mm 1:2.8 lens-shade
Minolta MD 20mm 1:2.8 sharpness
Сlose-distance resolution test
Testing methods description
- Target: 10-15 cm picture, printed on glossy photo paper
- Distance:10% longer than minimal focus distance marked on the lens
- Camera: Sony A7II (24mpx, full-frame, tripod, remote control). M-mode, ISO fixed, WB fixed, SteadyShot – OFF.
- The test was repeated for every F-stop on every focus position with manual focus adjustment for each shot. That is to avoid the effect of field curvature.
- RAW processing: Capture One, default settings. All quality settings – 100%. Crops – 300×200 px
Scene preview
Test results (selected version, easy to compare – 4 positions)
Test results (full version – all 9 positions)
Long-distance resolution test
Testing methods description
- Target: cityscape
- Distance: > 200 meters to center focus point
- Camera: Sony A7II (24mpx, full-frame, tripod, remote control). M-mode, ISO fixed, WB fixed, SteadyShot – OFF. The focus point is on the center only.
- RAW processing: Capture One, default settings. All quality settings – 100%. Crops – 300×200 px
Scene preview
Test results
Minolta MD 28mm 1:2.8 aberrations
Vignetting
Geometric distortion
Coma aberrations
Chromatic aberrations
Close distance bokeh
Test conditions: lens was focused on minimal distance 0.25m, plants are in 2m distance from the camera
Long-distance bokeh
Test conditions: the lens was focused on half distance on the scale (0.5m), buildings are on “infinity”-distance
Light bubbles bokeh:
Test conditions: lens was focused on minimal distance + 10% of scale (about 0.27m), diodes were fixed in 2m distance
Demo Photos
Minolta MD 20mm 1:2.8 (or Minolta MD 20mm F/2.8, New-MD, MD III design) – overall conclusion
Really wide lady. I rarely shoot with lenses wider than 35mm, but if I do it – then take this beauty. An important trait for wide-angle: the lens provides a nice geometry, even better than popular MD 24mmF2.8. What about resolution: it has quite sharp corners after F5.6 and it is enough for landscapes or interiors. Standard bonuses: the beautiful design and amazing feeling in hands – because this is Minolta. Like any ultra-wide lens, it does not require autofocus and stays very convenient on modern cameras.
More materials with this lens:
5 Comments
Radovan Tůma · 2019-06-12 at 00:14
Minolta MC W. Rokkor NL 21mm F/2.8 or this,… That is a question… I like Minolta lenses. I use these on the SRT100X and Nikon Z6. Btw. Very interesting pages, Many greetings from the Czech Republic.
Tony · 2019-06-12 at 00:40
Welcome ))) About the question – the tests of MCII 21/2.8 and comparison with this MDIII 20/2.8 is already done and articles are in production, I hope to publish it close to the autumn. Just can say now that choice is difficult – 20 beats 21 on the center and corners, but 21 beats 20 in the middle. Sounds strange but it is really so. I can’t recommend one instead of other – both have weaknesses and powerful sides.
Radovan Tůma · 2019-06-12 at 10:04
Thank you for your response, so I’m not going to make a mistake with either of them.
Mohammad varzideh · 2021-08-08 at 14:58
Hello tony .
Please correct the focal length in the lens abrasions test section so that this review being the best and most complete review of this gem . Mr ken Rockwell also wrote a review about this lens and said : “this is a gem of manual focus lenses” . I had this (the first version ) and It’s one of my favorite minolta lens . it’s my choice among other wide options too .
Regards .
Tony · 2021-08-08 at 15:12
Hello Mohammad, thank you a lot for the correction (I often use copy-paste of headers and structure from old to new articles and sometimes forget to change everything in the text).
What about the 20/2.8 – yes-eys, probably, it is the best 20mm lens of 20 century independently of a brand