Minolta MD 70-210mm f4,5-5,6 – 49mm filter – Review

The Minolta 70-210mm zoom lens is another lens where the collaboration between Leica and Minolta played a role. There are different versions of it, both manual and autofocus (AF). It also got the nickname “Beercan” because of its distinctive shape.

However, this particular version has a 49mm filter thread, is not listed in the Minolta Lens Index – https://minolta.eazypix.de/lenses/index.html – and has very different dimensions than the original Beercan. In any case, this lens is a late production version, possibly an MD IIIa from around 1985-1996. And if that’s the case, it might not even be made by Minolta but probably by Cosina.

Many people may know Cosina better as Voigtlander, they also make top-quality lenses. I also noticed that there are many similar lenses from other brands such as Vivitar and even an OM Zuiko, and upon closer inspection, they are all made by a third party, and if you didn’t know, the last 35mm film camera that Olympus released, the Olympus OM2000, was also a Cosina/Voigtlander product.

But why would I use a lens that is not made by Minolta? Well, I became very curious, especially because it is so small and light, I would even say it’s in the micro 4/3 class. Moreover, I was able to buy it at the incredible low price of €19, and I couldn’t resist testing it out.

There is another reason to have this lens; using vintage manual lenses on modern digital mirrorless cameras is fun, but especially enjoyable for wide-angle lenses up to small telephotos, say from 24mm to about 135mm. This lens has the size of a 135mm, which normally has a field of view (FOV) of 270mm on micro 4/3. However, this lens offers a range up to 210mm, equivalent to an FOV of 420mm. A gigantic range in pocket size, and, thanks to the built-in famous image stabilization of the Olympus camera, fully stabilized!

There isn’t much information about it on the internet; I found only two articles/reviews that mention it and also have published photos, which are http://forum.mflenses.com/testing-my-lenses-part-76-minolta-md-70-210mm-4-5-5-6-t42690.html and also on https://www.mu-43.com/threads/minolta-70-210mm-f-4-5-5-6-md-zoom.54643/, so be sure to check them out if you’re interested in this lens.

Minolta MD 70-210mm f4.5-5.6 49mm specs:

Weight: 336g – Dimensions: 88 x 66mm – Fully extended: 153mm – Filter: 49mm – Many plastic parts

For comparison, the real “Beercan”:

Weight: 634g – Dimensions: 153 x 72mm – Fully extended: 166mm – Filter: 55mm – Many metal parts

So, it’s a one-touch pump lens, and I find it very easy. You can zoom and focus with just one hand. Zooming starts when the lens is completely closed at the shortest length, which is 70mm. By pushing the large zoom/focus ring forward, you can zoom in to 210mm, and at the same time, the lens becomes longer. This movement is smooth and has enough resistance – the zoom ring doesn’t move on its own when you hold the lens upside down.

Focusing is a different story; it’s more challenging on my lens copy. It feels a bit stiff and jerky, making it difficult to find the right focus point. However, with practice, it eventually works. The aperture clicks nicely, a bit stiff but not annoying. Focusing with magnification and focus peaking works well and is clearly visible. It’s just a bit tricky to set it precisely at that point due to the stiffness.

Developed from RAW in RawTherapee, Camera M10 MKIII – iso 1250 – 1/400 – f8 – Adobe M10 natural camera profile

Above: left original 4/3 – right crop

Above: These are jpg images straight from the camera, all taken at high ISO. The photos of the robin were shot through a window that had become quite dirty due to the weather conditions in the last weeks. However, what is evident in the photo of the window and the laundry of our very young children is that the sharpness remains reasonably good even in the corners. I even got the impression that with the aperture fully open, the sharpness is not much worse than at f8.

However, a few days later I had the chance to take pictures in fairly dry conditions, and afterwards I could clearly see the difference. Not that they are bad at f4.5, but f8 is a lot better, also less faded and sharper.

Conclusion :
I think I set the bar too high from the start, and I was hoping to see the same results as the original beercan.
Unfortunately, that is not the case, and that makes sense.
But, it is good, and small and light.
And in my opinion the results are certainly usable. Taking photos at f4.5 is possible, but f8 is recommended. All photos were taken with an Olympus M10 MKII with stabilization set to focal length. That worked very well, which is probably because it is so small and light, and the great camera stabilization thanks to Olympus, taking blurred photos is difficult.
So, if you are someone that uses analog lenses for photography, I would definitely consider this lens for those moments where you need some extra range. However, not for things very far away, but rather to bring things closer, such as the robin in the photo above, a portrait or perhaps details in the landscape, and for this it can be very useful.

I have a few more photos in my gallery, comparisons and also some individual photos, click here or on the collage below to go to the gallery.

La Gallerie

The photo gallery of Open Source Photography, Olympus micro 4/3 system, Vintage Lens Photograpy, Film Simulation, PictureFX, HDR – Photographer : Marc R.