New to photography with a Minolta SR-T 201: which lenses?

<p>Hi,</p>

<p>since a while i wanted to start learning photography. I was unhappy with those point-n-shoot and wanted - and still want - to shoot with manual cameras. I did not want to ruin myself for my first camera, so I decided to buy a good old Minolta SR-T 201. I am still waiting for it (it should arrive in a week or two). It comes with a 50mm F1.7 lens, but I would also like to grab 1 or 2 other lenses. <br>

<br>

Which one would you recommend, assuming that I will use my camera to make fun trying to do portraits (yeah, I know it's hard), landscapes, etc.? Also, I am doing a 2 months trip in France and I would like a lens that would be good to take great pictures of the monuments/castles I will visit. <br>

I searched a little bit and I think a wide angle, such as a 28mm f/2.5, would be cool.<br>

<br>

Any suggestions? Thanks! :)</p>

Doesn't the 201 use a mercury battery? How are you going to handle that? Minolta lenses used to be divided into three

general categories, the lenses for the SR cameras, the MCs and the MDs that worked with fully automatic cameras. Plus

within at least the latter categories there were the Celtic and Rokker lines, the Rokker being the more "high end". Now

The Celtics were quite good, but not with as high a build quality.

 

 

These days with a few exceptions, you can get all of them at bargain prices. Try KEH and see what they have. I suspect

they'll all be at bargain prices. They will be heavy though, at least some will. I still have an XE-5 and started with a SR-T-

101 and always found the lenses very good in quality.

 

 

For portraits, 135 is cheap, 80-100 is more "standard" I guess. For landscapes, I like 24mm, 35mm, or 50mm with

occasional light telephoto. Nothing is likely to be too pricy but remember weight.

<p>Yes 28mm, you could probably find a cheap zoom 80-200. See what they have on ebay and anything cheap or looks good, get.<br>

<a href="http://www.keh.com/Camera/format-35mm/system-Minolta-Manual-Focus/category-Zoom-Lenses?s=1&bcode=MI&ccode=7&cc=81129&r=WG&f">http://www.keh.com/Camera/format-35mm/system-Minolta-Manual-Focus/category-Zoom-Lenses?s=1&bcode=MI&ccode=7&cc=81129&r=WG&f</a><br /> Though, here is my 2 cents about the camera.<br /> I assume you bought this camera on Ebay or some second hand place for cheap.<br /> Here is my suggestion, you can pick up a a Digital SLR (Konica Minolta 7D, Sony A100, etc) old models on ebay for pretty cheap these days.<br /> You can then buy a converter and use those minolta lenses. Or simply so with the mounts for the current minolta/sony AF models<br /> You can stick those camera's into manual mode and still do the whole learning thing with digital.<br /> Film is just so hard to get these days and even to develop (at least where I am)<br /> I just think a cheap second hand DSLR would have been more fun, and certainly more convenient.<br /> for example KM 7D on KEH<br /> <a href="http://www.keh.com/camera/Minolta-Digital-Camera-Bodies/1/sku-DM029990839330?r=FE">http://www.keh.com/camera/Minolta-Digital-Camera-Bodies/1/sku-DM029990839330?r=FE</a><br /> Some Sony Models<br /> <a href="http://www.keh.com/Camera/format-Digital/system-Sony-Digital/category-Camera-Bodies?s=1&bcode=DS&ccode=2&cc=80175&r=WG&f">http://www.keh.com/Camera/format-Digital/system-Sony-Digital/category-Camera-Bodies?s=1&bcode=DS&ccode=2&cc=80175&r=WG&f</a></p>

<p>The old SRT's are great cameras. Probably some of the best fully manual cameras ever made and a good choice for your first. Just keep in mind that using a fully manual camera with film is a little slow going. If you are just starting out you wont be getting many action shots. But since you mentioned portraits the camera will be excellent for that. Landscapes also. Even macro if you want to get into that.</p>

<p>If the 50mm 1.7 it comes with is a Minolta Rokkor (and not some third party brand) then you are getting a GREAT lens. I have never met a 50/1.7 rokkor I didnt like. If by chance it isnt an actual Minolta lens then I recommend picking up a Minolta MC Rokkor PF 55/1.7. Yes, thats 55mm...it the standard lens from a little bit further back in Minoltas history and I own one and can personally recommend it. My copy is phenomenal. Good thing is they can be had pretty cheaply.</p>

<p>The MD Rokkor 35/2.8 is another stellar lens. Can be had for not much money. If you need someting wider pick up the 28/2.8. It is a good lens but personally I prefer the 35mm. Anything wider then 28mm and the prices start going up up up.</p>

<p>You can get a dedicated portrait lens (85mm) but these might be a little costly as well. Just use the 50mm 1.7 and get close.</p>

<p>I also have an MD Macro Rokkor 50/3.5 that is a great lens. I have used it for some nice portraits as well. Actually, if you want a BEAST of a bokeh lens then go for the older MC Rokkor 58/1.4. It can be used quite nicely for portraits and the bokeh from the old tank is stunning. A great lens and highly recommended. </p>

<p>Here is a good link for all the Rokkor lenses ever made. There is a ton of information here.<br>

<a href="http://minolta.eazypix.de/lenses/index.html">http://minolta.eazypix.de/lenses/index.html</a></p>

<p>I also second the notion that you consider a digital camera. I use my old Minolta lenses on my Sony NEX 7 and it is a match made in heaven. You can pick up used NEX 3's and NEX 5's for not a lot of money. They can use all these minolta lenses (and just about any lens ever) using a cheap readily available adapter. And they have focus peaking built in which makes it easy to use old manual lenses. You can see some examples of what these cameras are capable of in my NEX 7 folder on flickr if you like.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/8539414@N07/sets/72157629936411965/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/8539414@N07/sets/72157629936411965/</a></p>

<p>A large part of that folder was shot with Minolta Rokkor lenses. The rest come from Yashica, M42's and various others.</p>

<p>Good luck with your new camera. Post up some photos when you get your film developed.</p>

<p>Those NEX cameras are pretty nice, it's true. But if you want the experience of manual shooting, you can't beat an SRT. Manual film shooting is great. It makes you slow down and think. Start thinking in units of 24 or 36, give yourself "assignments," pick some scene or place or object and think about how many ways you can look at it (while using one prime lens instead of a zoom because it makes you move and when you move you see things you would have missed). When you develop B&W film and pull it off the spool you get 36 images in an order - it's a tactile / narrative thing that you only get this way. I have some very high end digital equipment but still come back to B&W and manual focus Minoltas periodically to tune up.</p>

<p>You've got a hand-made piece of clockwork machinery there. Just make sure it's clean and the shutter is firing on all speeds, and keep in mind that you need to deal with not having the correct battery (because the original ones used too much mercury and were banned) by buying Wein cells or zinc-air hearing aid batteries and cutting a cardboard ring to go around them or something.</p>

<p>Now, lenses. The 50mm you have is some Minolta made version, presumably? They're all excellent, just make sure it's in good shape (no glass scratches, aperture blades move freely). The Minolta 135mm f/2.8 models are great portrait lenses you can have for not a lot of money. In wide angle, all the 28mm f/2.8 Minolta made lenses are winners. There are a couple of Vivitar models you can look at if you can't find the Minolta ones. The 28mm f/2.5 with the large front element is a good lens, and the 135mm f/2.8. I have one in Nikon mount that has a serial number starting with 28 that's a good all-around portrait lens with good sharpness, bokeh and neutral color rendition.</p>

Minolta offered a couple of really good zooms in early 80's: 28-85. F3.5-4.5 and 35-135 f3.5-4.5. For tele zooms the 70-

210 f4 is the one to get.

<p>Thank you very much guys for all your answers! Yeah, the camera actually comme with the original 50mm F1.7 lens! Also, I've bought a 28mm F2.5 lens. I will try these as soon as I got them (they are still being shipped), have a little fun and then I will plan to get one or two other lenses. Thank you for your help for the great portrait lenses!<br /><br />But yeah, I know recent digital cameras makes the learning easier, but I really want to start with hard things! Also, I have little hipster tendencies that lead me to be attracted by that ''older'' things ;) And I'd love to shoot in B&W and I think old cameras are awesome for that.<br /><br />Of course, when I will have more money to spend, I will afford a great digital SLR. It's just that I hate to buy cheap things and I did not want to buy a cheap 400$ SLR that I would not have liked and would have put in the attic once I will have a good camera. However, I know that when I will have a good camera, I will still sometime use my Minolta, just like Andy L, to shoot B&W.<br>

I will save some money and when I will be used to shoot manually, I will buy a really good camera and use my Minolta lenses ;) (And newer one, of course!)<br /><br />So, that's it! Thank you again, guys! And sorry for my maybe bad English, it's not my first language ;)</p>

 

You should have a good look at some Minolta zooms.

 

I was blown away by the quality images that the Minolta MD 35-105mm f3.5-4.5 Macro Zoom produces.

 

Have a look for yourself - http://www.parabellumfoto.com/stunning-test-results-for-minolta-md-35-105mm-f3-5-4-5-macro-

zoom/

 

I have Rokkor MC 50mm f1.4 PG and this zoom rivals this lens.

 

Also 35-70mm f3.5 Macro Zoom is another lens to consider. This lens is the one Leica took as their own.

 

Basically you can't go wrong with Minolta glass. My experiences have been very positive.

<p>The original Minolta Rokkor-X 35-70 f3.5 is the one to get. The later 35-70 had macro focusing, but I think maybe a bit less build quality. Optically, it is still fine, though. Avoid the last of the 35-70's: The 35-70 f3.5-4.8. This was the cheap kit lens packaged with the Minolta X-370 near the end of Minolta camera production (at least manual SLR). It was outsourced (probably Cosina). When Minolta offered it separately the dealer net cost was less than the 50mm f1.7 (which is a very good lens of course). Since you're getting a 28mm lens you might want to skip the MD 28-85 and look at either the 35-70, 35-105, or 35-135. If you check teh CMC forum, you will find older posts with images taken with those three lenses.</p>

That 201 will meet your photo needs for a long time. For glass, don't overlook Minolta's two stellar lenses for portraiture. One is the f2.0 100mm MD. Glorious. And the other is the exotic 85mm Varisoft with dial-in aberrations. A long shot is the f2.0 135mm MD, a huge lens with a huge price but marvelous effects in portraiture.

Oops. Almost forgot about landscapes. The most heralded lens in wide angle is the Rokkor MD 24mm 2.8. It is as sharp as any WA in the Nikon line and has floating elements for great macro. Great color saturation also. Might be ideal for wide scenes.

<p>Or the very compact Minolta 100 mm f2.5 MD (latest version took 49 mm filters). Nearly as fast as the f2 but less expensive and a lot more compact.</p>