Minolta MD Celtic 28mm f/2.8

Extremely lightweight wide angle with good center performance.

The Minolta Celtic lenses get a bad rap for being the cheaper alternatives to the Rokkor and Rokkor-X lines but it's largely undeserved. The lens is a great performer and well worth consideration. I found mine on eBay for an OK price but I think if you tried harder you could find an even better deal.

Specifications

Mount: SR Mount

Focal Length: 28mm

Aperture Range: f/2.8 - f/22

Minimum Focus: 0.3m

Weight: 260g

Filter Thread: 49mm

Data Source: All Photo Lenses - Lens-DB

Collection Information

Date Acquired: 06/01/19

Serial Number: 1022117

Purchase Price: $40

Going Price: ~$60

Condition: Near mint condition

Lens Review

The mechanics of this wide angle are great. The focus ring is very smooth with about a half turn of throw and the aperture is easy to adjust. The markings are clear and easy to read. The filter thread is a surprisingly small 49mm despite the f/2.8 aperture. Amusingly enough the Minolta Celtic line is the "cheap" alternative to the Rokkor-X lenses but frankly I don't see anything cheap about this lens. My only real issue is that it's yet another black lens that's easily lost among the others. It's missing the little bit of the styling the Rokkor line has which is unfortunate.

The center is tack sharp straight from f/2.8 but the corners aren't quite as lucky. In fact they never really change with aperture until diffraction becomes apparent. Vignetting is present but is gone by f/4. The lens does a good job controlling flare even when your light source is directly in frame. Wide angles are not known for their shallow depth of field but with f/2.8 you do get some. Point light sources are rendered as bubbles of light which can be good or bad depending on the vendor. Overall the bokeh is quite nice for a 28mm.

Overall the shooting experience is great. It does what it needs to do with no frill and no problems. I wish more lenses were like this with no real problems in operation.

Photo Tests