JimBuchanan Offline Upload & Sell: On
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p.1 #1 · The MD 85/1.7 & Rokkor dyslexia | |
I find it increasingly difficult, telling these two apart.

For sure, the 58 works swell on a crop camera in the fast portrait mode, and a fast normal on 5D/FF. But, the 85 should be the portrait lens of choice for all those 58/1.2 & 5D users. There are no mirror concerns and it seems to have that 58 look, however the going rate for the 85's is a bit less than the 58's. Maybe its all the 85/1.4 options that are available, or, I read where the there were problems with the conversion of the MC/MD 85 to EOS, retaining the aperture function.
Anyway, I decided to convert this MD 85/1.7 to EOS, since no one in the B&S forum was interested in its unique rarity factor and stock Minolta SR mount. The lens inside back includes all aperture linkage as most MC Rokkor lenses do, and a good conversion can not eliminate it, even though its tempting to replace it with a M42-EOS adapter using those convenient, visible 4 screws.

In short, I removed .018 inch off the back, and pinned a zero profile EOS flange over the stock Minolta flange stalk. This got me very close to infinity focus and then fine tuned it with the adjustment screws under the ID ring. The lens turned out very nice.
The latest conversion version of the 58/1.2 uses a modified M42-EOS adapter that sits down flush into a custom spacer, that replaces the original one, for a 2 piece assembly that simply screws to the lens body.
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