HELP! any info? - classic lens Rokkor MC 40-80/2.8

[doogyscoot]

Hi all, new on the board here so thanks in advance for your expertise! My father gave me an old minolta srt303b a good few years ago while he was having a purge (he lost an arm many years ago and an slr is now, to say the least, inconvenient). I used it for a while but the expense of learning on a film camera and paying full whack for development tempted me over to DSLR.... lazy, I know. I've been looking to buy a few new lenses and my father said he was happy for me to sell off his old film slr stuff to go towards getting some new glass. I was looking at the lenses and I couldn't find much info on one in particular, I'll post pics if required but it is identical to this one on ebay except that mine is not the X version. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 0286692710
It has always intrigued me as the adjustment mechanisms are on a strange kind of "box" attached to the side of the lens rather than as rings along the lens body as usual. If anyone has any info or knows anything about this lens please let me know. This one on ebay seems terribly expensive, is it a very rare type of lens?
I also have a pentavision 70-300 which I cannot find any info on at all, and a hoya wide angle lens (Yes, it is actually a hoya lens, not a filter) I am in the same position with... seems dad had a rather unusual set of lenses

Many thanks, Doug.

[David Kilpatrick]

The Rokkor was one of the first two truly high quality midrange zooms ever designed. The other, launched in the year, was Canon's first 35-70mm f2.8. The 'throttle control' zoom (like a vintage car dashboard advance-retard lever... or your lawn mower...) was also unique because the internal zooming ran in flat tracks instead of a helicoid/tube. This allowed the groups to move independently of each other with corrections for every focal length, not just an optimised correction. As a result, this lens has perhaps the highest quality of any similar zoom made until very recently. It is a collector's item, originally cost far more than the SRT303b, and should be treated as such. Expect it to sell only to a serious collector, no-one else would appreciate it. It dates, I think, from 1974 as I was still working at a newspaper when I got that lens to use for a while on the new XE-1.

The other two lenses are nothing special at all, Hoya make Tokina lenses, but sold plenty of the same designs labelled Hoya over the years.

David

[doogyscoot]

Hi David, thankyou so much for the excellent reply, your brain must be quite the data bank!
I had wondered why the lever system was used, I'd presumed there must be a benefit but had no idea what it was. That is quite an interesting way to solve the problem, even if it does look a little unusual
I expect I will sell it on as, to be frank, there is no point in me keeping it as it will likely never get used. I'm not sure if there is anywhere you would recommend I try selling it, is there a site catering for collectors? Otherwise it will probably just go on the selling minefield that is ebay. With any luck it will allow me to buy a nice 50mm prime lens for documenting our little one!
I didn't think the other lenses were anything special, just couldn't find much info on either. Shame I can't use them on the new DSLR. Out of interest will these lens still be usable on many newer minolta or maybe sony camera bodies?

[David Kilpatrick]

Out of interest will these lens still be usable on many newer minolta or maybe sony camera bodies?

Sadly, no. The 40-80mm belongs on an XE-1, XM or XD-7 (or the US equivalent models) to be 'in period'. You could use it with a 1.2X MD to AF adaptor as a manual lens on the Sony bodies, it would become about f3.2 max aperture and be more or less a 50-100mm manual focus curiosity. The adaptors cost under $50 usually and can be obtained from B&H - or eBay...

David

[bonneville]

I'm not sure if there is anywhere you would recommend I try selling it,

You could give Dave Boyle a try. He is building up a personal collection of Minolta stuff at his "Camera Repair Workshop" at Milton Keynes, which specialise in KM and Fuji.

His email is: [email protected]

[doogyscoot]

Thanks very much Brian, I will get in touch with him and see if he is interested.
Many thanks, Doug.