A NEW useful list of NON-Minolta lenses for Minolta SLR users

xkaes · Jun 12, 2023

While it only covers the major Independent lens distributors'/manufacturers' lenses for Minolta cameras, it's pretty comprehensive -- from 8mm to 1,000mm. For example, it lists the Soligor 23mm and 25mm lenses in addition to their 24mm lenses. It even lists the Vivitar and Sigma auto-focusing lenses for Minolta's manual-focusing cameras! I bet you never heard of the Sigma 12mm f8 fisheye or 28-56mm f3.5-4.5 zoom. They're there, too! But the list does not have lenses from the lesser-known brands, such as Kalimar, Cosina, Seagull, Phoenix, Samyang, etc., although some of their lenses are listed because they were sold under some of the major brand names, such as the Vivitar, Sigma or Soligor, for example.

So, if you are a Minolta user and looking for lens information, instead of going to dozens of websites, MINMAN has it all in one place for you. And MINMAN has a lot more than that, for sure, like the most complete lens list of Minolta-made lenses, from 12.5mm to 1,600mm -- and all of Minolta's manual-focusing, still, film cameras, of ANY format.

And this lens list will be useful for most NON-Minolta users as well, since nearly all of these lenses were produced in lens mounts other than Minolta's.

http://www.subclub.org/minman/lenstable.htm

How about M42 lenses, you might ask? While they will fit on Minolta SLR cameras, they require an adapter, so they are not included on this list -- and besides, there is already the M42 website that covers them.

beemermark · Jun 12, 2023

Fantastic

eurekaiv · Jun 12, 2023

Is this a domain you manage? I've been trying to hit this link off and on all day and it's spitting a "server not found" error. Not having trouble with anything else.

xkaes · Jun 12, 2023

Yes, it is my website. I bet beemermark is using a different browser than you. Give that a try -- or reset your security settings..

dynachrome · Jun 13, 2023

I don't see the Cosina-made Vivitar 100mm f/3.5 Macro on the list.

xkaes · Jun 13, 2023

Thanks, I'll check it out. I'm sure there are others as well.

Yup it's a lens made by Seagull and was sold under the Vivitar and Soligor labels, as well as Seagull, Promaster, and many others. "They" have been added.

It's an interesting approach for a MACRO lens. Typically, a macro focuses to 1/2 life size, and an extension tube is added to reach 1X. With the "Cosina/Seagull" lens the 1X magnification is reached by adding a supplementary screw-in lens/filter to the front of the lens. This appraoch was also used by the Sigma 90mm f2.8 MACRO, and perhaps others.

eurekaiv · Jun 13, 2023

xkaes said:
Yes, it is my website. I bet beemermark is using a different browser than you. Give that a try -- or reset your security settings..

Looks like you're blocking Mozilla's VPN service. Not sure if that's on purpose or not.

xkaes · Jun 14, 2023

eurekaiv said:
Looks like you're blocking Mozilla's VPN service. Not sure if that's on purpose or not.

The MINMAN server is not blocking anything or anyone -- as evidenced by the other people (above) who can access it. It's Mozilla VPN that's preventing access. So use a different browser or turn off VPN.

dynachrome · Jun 14, 2023

I don't think the Vivitar 100mm f/3.5 Macro was made by Seagull. That may have been one of the names it was sold under but it was made by Cosina.

xkaes · Jun 14, 2023

You might be right, but Cosina didn't/doesn't make all of their lenses. They may have designed the lens, but I would not be surprised if someone else made it, and if that is the case, I suspect Seagull mainly because it is the largest lens manufacturer in China.

dynachrome · Jun 14, 2023

I have many examples of this lens in different mounts, with different names. Most are manual focus models but some are AF lenses. Every one is marked as being made in Japan. My understanding of Seagull is that it made copies of pre-1966 Minolta SLR cameras for some time. Eventually some Minolta SLR cameras (X370, X700) started to be assembled in China using parts made in Japan. Other models, not using the Minolta name, were assembled in China using Chinese made parts. The X700 was introduced in 1981 and stayed in production until about 1998, years after the Maxxum 7000 came out. In some markets which were not affluent, manual focus cameras continued to be purchased. I like the X700 very much and have a fleet of them. On a day when I think a Canon F-1 is too heavy to carry, an X700 is just right.

ant! · Jun 15, 2023

dynachrome said:
An X700 is just right.

Or an X570/500, which unless you use the P mode is the better one. Or the funky X600, which I would rate below the X570/500, but sometimes using AAA batteries instead of a button cell can be an advantage. The XD/XD11/XD7 shouldn't be much heavier neither. (Love my Minoltas, from Autocord to Maxxum 7)

xkaes · Jun 15, 2023

dynachrome said:
Eventually some Minolta SLR cameras (X370, X700) started to be assembled in China using parts made in Japan. Other models, not using the Minolta name, were assembled in China using Chinese made parts.

Anyone interested in a more complete picture of this Minolta-Seagull connection -- it's rather extensive -- can visit:

http://www.subclub.org/minchin/

You can determine if a Minolta SLR was made in China because the bottom of the baseplate reads "MADE IN CHINA" -- not "ASSEMBLED IN CHINA". Minolta's manual-focusing lens manufacturing was also moved to the Seagull factories in China -- like this Minolta MD 50mm f1.7 -- although the lenses are not similarly marked.

dynachrome · Jun 15, 2023

The highest shutter speed on any of my Minolta manual focus cameras is 1/1000. I am not interested in getting an XK. I read somewhere that an oddball camera under the Phenix name had a Minolta manual focus mount and a top shutter speed of 1/2000. It would be nice to find one of them even if I didn't use the 1/2000 speed that often. I have many Minolta and Nikon cameras with a top shutter speed of 1/8000. The Maxxum 9xi has an even higher top speed but I have read that if the top speed is used too often, the shutter malfunctions.

aw614 · Jun 15, 2023

dynachrome said:
The highest shutter speed on any of my Minolta manual focus cameras is 1/1000. I am not interested in getting an XK. I read somewhere that an oddball camera under the Phenix name had a Minolta manual focus mount and a top shutter speed of 1/2000. It would be nice to find one of them even if I didn't use the 1/2000 speed that often. I have many Minolta and Nikon cameras with a top shutter speed of 1/8000. The Maxxum 9xi has an even higher top speed but I have read that if the top speed is used too often, the shutter malfunctions.

The Braun SR2000 is one I've been wanting to get just for the 1/2000 shutter speed.

BRAUN

ant! · Jun 15, 2023

The XD/XD7/XD11 has a rumoured undocumented shutter speed in aperture priority mode of 1/2300s, but of course in manual or shutter priority it is 1/1000s max.

xkaes · Jun 15, 2023

There are several Chinese / Minolta cameras that have a top speed of 1/2000 -- and they are NOT the same camera, but all of them have metal, vertical, NON-electronic shutters. The Braun SR2000 MD is just one of them, and is similar to the Phenix (NOT Phoenix) DC901 and DC20. All of Phenix's 35mm SLRs have vertical, metal, mechanical shutters -- that don't need a battery.

There's also the Seagull DF-200 and DF-200A that have the 1/2,000 speed -- in a Minolta X-370 body. The batteries are only used for the meter and viewfinder display.

All of these cameras lack auto-exposure control -- because they lack an electronic shutter.

The actual shutters might be the same in all of these cameras -- but other features of the cameras vary. Use the above link for more details.

xkaes · Jun 16, 2023

The Seagull DF-100 is another with a 1/2,000 top shutter speed -- so there may be others. There are dozens and dozens of Chinese SLRs using the Minolta lens mount -- at LEAST 12x12 = 144. That's about as many as Minolta made.

dynachrome · Jun 21, 2023

I found a Braun SR2000 on the auction site and bought it. It will take a while to get here from overseas. Now I will finally have a Minolta manual focus mount camera with a top shutter speed of 1/2000. When I have gone to the auction site and tried to look for one of the Phenix models, the search automatically gets changed to Phoenix. I don't know how to change it back.

xkaes · Jun 21, 2023

Try quotes, like this: "phenix":

https://www.ebay.com/sch/625/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=%22phenix%22&LH_PrefLoc=2&_sop=15

Phenix also sold cameras with Pentax K, Nikon, and Contax/Yashica mounts.

dynachrome · Jul 3, 2023

While reading this thread I clicked on the link to a section of subclub. One of the Minolta manual focus mount cameras mentioned was the Braun SR 2000. I found one on eBay and it arrived today in very nice condition. Now I finally have a camera which will accept my Minolta mount manual focus lenses and has a top shutter speed of 1/2000. Apart from the lens mount, it's about the same as the Promaster 2500PK Super.

xkaes · Jul 3, 2023

The good news is that even though these cameras are harder to find, the asking prices are either amazingly low or ridiculously high.

I just found a Seagull DF-500 with a Seagull 28-70mm and Seagull 70-210mm for $20 -- all in mint condition. How could I pass it up?

aw614 · Dec 6, 2023

xkaes said:
The Seagull DF-100 is another with a 1/2,000 top shutter speed -- so there may be others. There are dozens and dozens of Chinese SLRs using the Minolta lens mount -- at LEAST 12x12 = 144. That's about as many as Minolta made.

I ordered a DF400G on Aliexpress and they ended up sending me a DF200 instead that I just got today, both were priced very similar.

After I placed the order I did have second thoughts on getting a DF200 instead due to being mechanical with meter vs what I am assuming is the DF400G being electrical only since it did have aperture priority. So I think I am just going to keep the camera instead of trying to deal with returning back to China, etc.

I will say, while being the same mount and chassis as the x370, it does feel cheaper and the ISO selector only goes from 50-400 ISO. But hey a 1/2000 shutter speed Minolta SR mount that I can use.

xkaes · Dec 6, 2023

The DF-100, DF-200 & Df-400 have metal, vertical shutters, but I think the DF-400 is the only one with auto-exposure.. I think they all have 1/2000s speed -- not sure.

A NEW useful list of NON-Minolta lenses for Minolta SLR users

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