MC Rokkor-X VS. MC Rokkor PF

[User_502260]

<p>I am looking at two 100mm f/2.5 Minolta MC manual focus lenses. The first is marked MC Tele Rokkor-X and has a serial number of 16172XXX. It has the rubber covered focusing ring and its raised red mounting index mark has fallen off. The second lens arrived today and is marked MC Tele Rokkor-PF. It has the same green/pink coating on the front element as the first lens and look mostly the same. The differences are the engraved concave red mounting index mark and a depth of field preview tab. The second lens has a serial number of 15206XXX. I thought that the lenses with the rubber covered focusing ring marked MC Rokkor-X were for the U.S. market while those marked MC Rokkor-XX (2 letters) were the same but for other markets. I wonder whether Minolta had some rear sections for the older lenses left over and just used them on the back of the newer lenses.<br>

The only other Minolta pre-Rokkor-X lens I am aware of that had a rubber covered focusing ring was the 55/1.9 MC Rokkor-PF. It has no depth of field preview tab. The 55/1.7 and 58/1.4 MC Rokkors did not have rubber covered focusing rings or depth of field preview tabs. The tabs are handy when you are using an X series camera which has no depth of field preview button. <br>

</p>

[craigd]

<p>The label "Rokkor-X" was for the American market; in other regions, the exact same lens was just marked "Rokkor". This is separate from the two-letter suffix (such as "PF"), which indicates the number of elements and groups in the lens. Minolta used the two-letter suffix on SR-mount lenses from the late 1950s up until about 1976. The America-specific "-X" came in about 1973, so there is a period of overlap between the two; I have lenses marked "Rokkor-X PF" and "Rokkor-X PG", for example. So a lens that doesn't have "-X" was either not made for the American market, or was made no later than 1973, while a lens that lacks have the two-letter suffix is from 1976 or later. A lens from 1973 to 1976 could say either "Rokkor-PF" or "Rokkor-X PF" depending on what market it was intended for. So your second lens ("Rokkor-PF") is older than your first one ("Rokkor-X"), which agrees with their serial numbers.</p>

[User_502260]

<p>The newer lens is marked MC Tele Rokkor-X, without any letters after that. I have a chrome XG-9 which came with a 50mm f/2 lens marked MC Rokkor-X PF. The Rokkor-X marking is orange while the PF marking is white. I have three 50/1.4 MC Rokkor lenses. I think one is an MC Rokkor-X and two are MC Rokkor PG lenses. I like all of them. I have three of the older 100/2.5 MC Rokkors and another MC Rokkor-X. There was an earlier version of the 100/2.5 MC Rokkor which I don't have yet. It probably has the same optical formula but the focusing ring is longer. I would eventually like to have a 100/2.5 MD for the closer focusing. For now I have a number of macro lenses in the 100mm range so I don't miss it. I think there was also a 100/2.5 MD Rokkor-X which was the same as the earlier MC lens but with the addition of the MD tab. I wonder whether there was also a later version of the 100/2.5 MC Rokkor-PF without the depth of field preview tab. It's hard to know every version of a lens. </p>

[elijah_free]

<p>Hi Jeff, this site might be helpful</p>

<p>http://www.rokkorfiles.com/Lens%20Reviews.html</p>

[craigd]

<p>These, also:</p>

<p>Table of Minolta SLR lenses with notes on characteristics:<br>

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

<p>Chronology of Minolta SLR lenses:<br>

<a href="http://thesybersite.com/minolta/historical/Minolta_Lens_Chronology.htm">http://thesybersite.com/minolta/historical/Minolta_Lens_Chronology.htm</a></p>