Yashica ML 28mm 1:2.8 – review
Yashica Lens ML 28mm 1:2.8 lens review, aka Yashica ML 28mm 1:2.8. Made by Yashica.
Mount – Contax/Yashica (C/Y)
Such lenses are always pleasant to hold in hands – Japanese design is always something special and beautiful, even if the thing is not some kind of exclusive. This 28 / 2.8 is quite common in the line of lenses made for Contax cameras, it is not overrated today and therefore it will be a useful task to investigate its IQ.
The lens for the test was provided by Egor Nikolaev (Егор Николаев) – many thanks and greetings.
Yashica ML 28mm 1:2.8 specifications
| Name engraved on the lens | Yashica Lens ML |
| f[mm] | 28 |
| A max [1/f] | 2.8 |
| A min[1/f] | 16 |
| Lens design [el.] | 8 |
| Lens design [gr.] | 7 |
| Filter thread Ø front(rear)[mm] | 52 |
| Lens Shade | slip-on 54mm |
| closefocus[m] | 0.3 |
| Dimension Ø x length [mm] | 61.5 x 41.5 |
| Weight[g] | 233gr |
| Year | |
| Style | ML |
| Notes |
More data
| Floating elements | NO |
| Aperture blades number | 6 |
| Confidence in the test results of reviewed copies | Enough high |
| Reviewed Lens SN: | A1235855 |
Yashica ML 28mm 1:2.8 historical note
Yashika produced some generations of 28mm f2.8 lenses, and it seems that nobody made a classification guide about the products of the company.
The average evolution theory is:
- Yashika DSB 28mm 1:2.8 (single coated) DSB I- optical design #1(?)
- Yashika DSB 28mm 1:2.8 (single coated) DSB II – optical design #2(?)
- Yashika ML 28mm 1:2.8 (multi-coated) ML I – optical design 8el/7gr – currently tested
- Yashika ML 28mm 1:2.8 (multi-coated) ML II – optical design 7el/6gr
- Yashika ML 28mm 1:2.8 (multi-coated) ML III – optical design 5el/5gr (easy to recognise: 49mm filter thread, 0.23m minimal focus distance)
Some internet sources offer some different ideas of this classification with different numbers of generations, I just put them all together into the least controversial and enough full version. Please, let me know if you have better information.
ML – this abbreviation means multicoated Yashika’s lenses. Probably it is based on “Multy layered”, not sure for 100%
Just an additional technical detail – this is the optical design for the next reincarnation (NOT CURRENTLY TESTED):
Yashica ML 28mm 1:2.8 lens exterior
Yashica ML 28mm 1:2.8 sharpness
Сlose-distance resolution test, minimal distance
Testing methods description
- Target: 10-15 cm picture, printed on glossy photo paper
- Distance: 1.7m
- 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
Original target image (printed in horizontal orientation on 10cm X 15cm glossy photo paper)
Scene preview
Test results
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
Yashica ML 28mm 1:2.8 aberrations
Vignetting
Geometric distortion
Coma aberrations
Chromatic aberrations
Long-distance bokeh
Test #1
Test conditions: the lens was focused on minimal distance on the scale (0.3m), buildings are on “infinity”-distance.
Test#2:
Test conditions: lens was focused on 0.5m (the middle of the scale)
Light bubbles bokeh – long distance
Test #1
The lens is on the minimal focusing distance – 0.3m, lights are on infinity (cityscape)
Test #2
Test conditions: lens was focused on 0.5m (the middle of the scale)
Yashica ML 28mm 1:2.8 – final conclusion
Sometimes I get the feeling that all Japanese manual 28/2.8 lenses were made on the same plant by one person. Regardless of the manufacturer, year of manufacture, bayonet, optical design – they are all about the same. This Yashica lens is no exception.
Positive traits: nicely fixed geometry distortion – for so wide lens, of course, a little coma, the absence of chromatic aberrations, and acceptable vignetting. What about sharpness – the lens has a very nice center and middle positions.
The main issue – the sharpness of the corners. Even on F8 they stay soft. As result – this lens can’t be recommended for landscapes, but for any other styles, especially if the photographer works with the object and doesn’t worry about what is happening with the background – this lens would be a good choice. Good news: this lens will work great on crop-sensor cameras.
So if you are looking for 28mm, see the price at first: there too many competitors in this area – 28mm with F2.8 – and this Yashica does not stand out from the rest: the lens maybe not the best but definitely very good.
5 Comments
Ed · 2021-07-21 at 14:03
Thanks for the review. I found this review while looking for an alternative to the brilliant “Vivitar (Komine) 28mm f2.8 close focusing” as I can’t find it in M42 mount. All I see are the Canon FD mount versions which have less than desirable conversion/adapter options. Well done!
Tony · 2021-07-21 at 17:22
Hello Ed and thank you. I am thinking of making a comparison between this Yashika and Minolta 28/2.8 5×5 soon. Try to come closer to autumn please ))
PaulC · 2022-05-16 at 12:23
“Sometimes I get the feeling that all Japanese manual 28/2.8 lenses were made on the same plant by one person.”
Spot on Tony – and thanks for the excellent review. The 7 element in 7 group design for the 28mm f2.8 lens was the same for a whole load of makers/sellers inn the 1980s; Osawa (sold under lots of brand names such as Bell & Howell), Vivitar, etc
The Yashica DSBs were made by Mitake in Japan – who also sold them as Micakon themselves, and under a whole lot of other names I have no doubt too.
So this explains why they are all about as good as each other – and why all are fit for purpose as amateur film camera 28mm’s – they all deliver good 7×5 prints and slide projection to a typical 4-5 foot wide home screen (I remember well those post holiday “Kodachrome” slide shows that my Dad used to put on!)
On a modern digital sensor we can find a whole raft of problems – but shown on a laptop or printed to 7×5 I find them perfectly adequate today with a little bit of post-processing.
To me – the big difference in IQ is the presence vs lack of haze on the internal lens surfaces – many of these lenses went into a cupboard about 2005 when the owner “went digital” and have had time to vapourise the lubricant into a thin smear film – or even worse, help to grow fungus. But get a clean copy for £/$/€ 20 and enjoy the experience……or find £/$/€ 500 for the bulky/heavy modern equivalent with its high density and aspheric glass elements so that you can “pixel peep” and still feel happy!!
Tony · 2022-05-16 at 16:02
Great information update. Thank you for so extended comment!
Thomas · 2022-08-14 at 06:14
Nice review. I used the Yashica ML 28mm in the field over a two-year span with better results in the corners than this test reveals. Perhaps, production quality control is a factor. Regarding the mediocre, middling performance of most 28mm lenses, two Contax standouts are the Carl Zeiss 28mm F2 Distagon and the less expensive F2.8 Distagon.