Minolta Rokkor 58mm f/1.2 - WOW

Well, after months of wanting one, I got a Rokkor 58mm f/1.2 from KEH yesterday and spent about 2 hours doing the mount conversion from Minolta MC to EOS (which is quite labor intensive.) I still have to do some more sanding of the aluminum shim, as I'm not quite to the point where I can hit infinity focus (I can only focus to about 35 feet right now, but another 20 minutes of work and I'll be at infinity, not that I'll use it there much). Still, this is one amazing lens. Got mine for $275 in EX condition, which is a steal (usually goes for $350-$400 on eBay). Especially considering it really rivals the 50L in image quality, if it's not even a little better. (Of course it doesn't have AF). Haven't had a chance to shoot outside...just a few shots around the house.

This lens is HEAVY. And it has incredible bokeh. Just some quick test snaps:

First, the lens, and the lens on my 30D:

Looks very good. I think you need to find yourself a body with a decent viewfinder Are you using a AF confirm adaptor or not possible?

Well, actually, I have a Katz-Eye split prism and a Nikon DK-17M eyepiece magnifier, which makes my 30D's VF almost the exact same size as the 5D's. After using it a bit more this morning, it's actually quite easy to hit focus. Not using AF confirm, and I've been OK hitting focus with my manual lenses. The split prism and magnified viewfinder make it pretty easy to focus.

f/1.2 is a wide aperture, it feels more than a half stop faster than my 50 f/1.4. (shutter speeds seem more than a half stop faster too.)

It's a sweet lens...not bad for nearly 30 years old. I've had mine for a few weeks now...I'd say that the bokek rivals that of the vaunted 85L. And no, the beer bottle was not superimposed onto the background...the lens gives a nice 3D effect (much like some Zeiss lenses). Shot with a 5D, both at f/2:

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Yes, great lens. I love mine though I have found that the new SIgma 50/1.4 can give it a good run in some situations. Also try the Rokkor 85/1.7 which is also fairly easy to convert to EF mount. Both of those 2 lenses (85/1.7 and 58/1.2) look and feel the same. They are getting harder to find just as the Rok 58/1.2 is getting harder to find now that the word is out. If anyone is interested, I have 6 extra copies of the Rok 58/1.2 that I just do not have the time to convert right now.

I see these type of conversions all the time, but I'm curious as to how one does the conversion... any directions or tips around?

BTW, nice shots and the lens looks great mounted....

luisv wrote in post #6032499
I see these type of conversions all the time, but I'm curious as to how one does the conversion... any directions or tips around?

BTW, nice shots and the lens looks great mounted....

Try this link:

http://www.cogitech.ca​/Rokkor/index.html

I guess it's safe to say this thing is a bokeh master. What a beautiful rendering. It's very, very nice stopped down too, with very round highlights and no edge...just a flat, even illumination. Those without a disc are blurred nice and smooth.

This is at f/1.2 - The most amazing thing? The green blur on the left side is a 0shrub that is no more than 2 feet behind the subject coneflower. The other flowers are all probably within 6-8 inches of the focus plane:

Lookin' good - the conversion looks a bit daunting for the non-super handy types like me!

Very impressive there. Just wish I were the handy-man sort. I've started dabbling with alternate glass recently but have stuck to those that can safely work without any modifications.

Lovely!

Dorman wrote in post #6035452
Lookin' good - the conversion looks a bit daunting for the non-super handy types like me!

It's really not that difficult, it just takes some time, and a lot of arm rotation (the sanding takes forever).

Jman13 wrote in post #6037173
It's really not that difficult, it just takes some time, and a lot of arm rotation (the sanding takes forever).

Well when you get one done for me I'll send you my address.

Impressive! I like its name too

Awsome lens, even with manual focus. Where do I get one of these???