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Minolta 35mm 2.8 MD III

Minolta 35mm 2.8 MD III on Sony A7



Rumor goes that this lens can be used wide open. Well, this lens doesn't have the typical soft glow wide open which many vintage lenses have. No magic here, wide open is f/2.8.

This copy is decentered. The right side is not that sharp compared to the left side. Even in the eighties decentering was an issue. To evaluate this lens we are going to look at crops on the left side.

Clicking on a crop loads the whole image in original size. A tip for Retina display users: Zoom in 1.5x or 2x. Otherwise you are not really in 1:1 mode.
Images are developed from RAW files in Ligtroom 5. All adjustments are Lightroom standard (sharpness: 25/1/25/0).

overview crops

Minolta 35mm 2.8 MD III f/2.8

crops 2.8

In the center sharp but not super sharp. It's usable.


Minolta 35mm 2.8 MD III f/4.0

crops 4.0


Minolta 35mm 2.8 MD III f/5.6

crops 5.6

Good sharpness in center and corners! Edge is behind.


Minolta 35mm 2.8 MD III f/8.0

crops 8.0


Minolta Minolta 35mm 2.8 MD III f/11.0

crops 11.0


Conclusion Minolta 35mm 2.8 MD III



The lens can be used wide open as long as you need center and mid-range sharpness. Edges and corners don't have much resolution. The lens has its maximum sharpness at f/5.6 and f/8. Though, the good sharpness level doesn't spread to the edge. The edges are always behind the center. There is a reason for this. Look at the corner on crop f/5.6 and compare it to the edge. The corner is definitely sharper than the edge! Why is that? It's because the foliage is more close to us. The lens has strong field curvature. Meaning, sharpness is not on a flat plane in front of us. It's a curved plane bended towards us at the edges. This can be an advantage or disadvantage. I'd like to have a 35mm wide angle lens like my Minolta 85mm. Resolution is almost even across the frame without noteworthy field curvature. For me, it's easier to work with lenses without field curvature. It's a little bit crazy. For portrait shootings with my 85mm I could pass on edge sharpness. For architectural images with the 35mm I'd like to have tons of resolution at the edges and corners.

My quest for a 35mm lens has not yet ended. Lenses from last century are just not good enough. Even modern 35mm lenses have very often weak edges. Especially when you're taking images at distances of 3 or 5 meters. Yes, there is the Sigma 35mm f/1.2, but it weighs 1.3 kg, and it's a f/1.2. Half the weight and f/2.8 would suffice.