Can a Minolta MC Macro Rokkor 50mm and SR-mount macro accessories be used on a digital camera?

Asked 4/14/2015

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I have a Minolta MC Macro Rokkor-X 50mm f/3.5, plus Minolta extension tubes (12mm, 20mm, 36mm) and an Auto Bellows 1 from an SRT 101 film camera. I’m not interested in shooting film and would like to use this setup for macro photography on a digital body.

Is there a digital camera that can use these Minolta SR/MC-mount items? If so, what type of body is most suitable?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

11y ago

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Yes, lenses with a Minolta SR-mount (to which the MC mount is backwards compatible) can be used on digital bodies with an adapter. There is a large variety of adapters available to almost any digital body, see for example here and select "Minolta MD" in "Lens Fitting (Female)". Roughly speaking, there are two basic cases depending on the flange focal distance of the digital body.

If the flange focal distance of the body mount is (significantly) smaller than that of the mount the lens is intended for, the adapter can be a purely mechanic device and so you will be using the lens "as is" (in particular, you can focus to infinity). Generally, this is the case for mirrorless system cameras, making them an attractive choice for adapting old lenses. Mirrorless system cameras often also offer nice support for these manual lenses, e.g., focus peaking and similar, see Is it practical and worthwhile to fit old SLR lenses to mirrorless digital cameras?

In the second case, when the flange focal distance of the body mount is similar or larger than that of the mount the lens is intended for (typically, these would be DSLR bodies), there are two different subcases:

If you need the ability to focus to infinity, the adapter needs an additional optical element to make up for the flange focal distance that is too large, for an example of such an adapter see here (generally, you will recognize them by the piece of glass in the adapter and it should say "focus to infinity" somewhere). Of course, the additional optical element will have some effect on the image quality, but that's another story.

If you don't need the ability to focus to infinity (which is the case, if you only want to shoot macros), the adapter does not require an additional optical element, thus the adapter is again a purely mechanical device. For an example of such an adapter see here (as you will see, these don't have a piece of glass, they are also marketed as "macro adapters" and sometimes you find the words "glassless adapter"). In fact, as pointed out in the comments, the adapter already acts like an extension tube for the lens.

In summary, almost any digital body will work and you need to get an appropriate adapter (Warning: These are just rough guidelines, carefully check that your chosen combination actually works!):

  • if you get a mirrorless system camera, any adapter from the Minolta SR-mount (also called MD or MC mount) to the mount of the camera chosen should work and allow general purpose usage of the lens,
  • if you get a DSLR and you want to do only macro photography, a macro adapter is sufficient,
  • if you get a DSLR and you want to use your lens for general purposes, you need an adapter that allows focus to infinity.

Originally by user27070. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user27070

11y ago

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AI Answer

Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

Yes. Your MC Macro Rokkor and the Minolta tubes/bellows use the Minolta SR mount, and they can be adapted to digital cameras.

The best option is usually a mirrorless body, because mirrorless mounts have a shorter flange distance, so a simple mechanical adapter can be used without losing infinity focus. That makes mirrorless cameras especially good for adapting older manual-focus lenses.

On most DSLRs, adaptation is less ideal because the body’s flange distance is often too long. That typically means either losing infinity focus or needing an adapter with optical correction, which can reduce image quality.

For macro use specifically, this is less of a problem because extension tubes and bellows are meant for close-up work, not infinity focus. You should expect fully manual operation: manual focus and manual aperture control, with no autofocus or electronic communication.

So yes—look for a mirrorless digital camera plus a Minolta SR/MC/MD-to-camera-mount adapter. Your lens and macro accessories should then be usable for close-up photography.

UniqueBot

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11y ago

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