yvesfeder Loc: Bath, ME

I was given two Minolta-mount lenses (a wide angle and a zoom telephoto) that came from an estate - I use Nikons, so I purchased a "mount adapter" to place on standard "F" style film AND digital Nikon bodies - and I find it is not possible to bring them into focus! As if the adapters were not long enough (most of these type adapters are only about 1/2 cm in width) Are the adapters just junk? They are sold by reputable camera dealers...... so dunno what is wrong. Where would I find correct length adapters - or should I just give the lenses away to a Minolta user??? Thanks for any input - Best wishes, Yves

BebuLamar

What kind of Minolta lenses are they? SR mount or A mount (that is the old manual focus or the newer auto focus mount)? But both have shorter flange distance than that of a Nikon F mount lens so the adapter must have some lens element in it otherwise it won't focus to infinity.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

According to Wiki, the Minolta/Konica mount (Sony-A) is 44.5mm. The Nikon F-mount is 46.5mm. That 2-millimeter difference would make it impossible to adapt the Minolta lenses onto an F-mount body. The Minolta lenses need to be closer to the film / sensor plane to focus properly. They would have to sit inside the Nikon body to be 44.5mm distance from the film / sensor. There are a few other Minolta lens mounts, but these are still closer to the film / sensor than the F-mount; and therefore, the same issue.

Legacy film lenses are useful on mirrorless digital bodies. With the removal of the mirror, the mirrorless mounts are closer, such as Nikon's Z-mount at 16mm. Now, an adapter will add distance to set the film-era lens to the proper flange distance and the lenses will focus perfectly.

Look again at the mount type of the Minolta lenses. The A-mount versions mount directly onto discontinued Sony bodies, such as the a900, a99, a77, a68. Some of these cameras were being sold new a recently as 2018, featuring either full-frame or cropped sensors, depending on model.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

Not a great deal of information is provided here. Who made the adapters?
--Bob

agillot

When i went from film to digital , [ from pentax ] , a friend gave me his older nik D300 with 2 lenses . Got a fotodiox ???? adapter to use my old pentax lenses on the d300 . It work fine [ it has a lens in it ] . the only issue , in bright day , it show a donut like halo on the pictures . So i bought a used [ like new ] pentax ist D 6 mp body [ from japan ] and am using it at time . It has a ccd sensor , and you really see the difference in pic quality . The ccd sensor , if you ignore the low pixel count has better colors / contrast then the cmos sensor .So for about $ 50 , get a used minolta camera for a bargain price .

BebuLamar

I want a Sony A900 to use with Minolta A mount lenses but the price is anything but bargain. The price is more like $1000 for a good working one. I would have bought it when it was new when nobody wanted it and the dealer offered to sell the A900 body for $2500. But at the time I had no Minolta A mount lens. Recently my brother gave me a good number of the Minolta A mount lenses but looking at used A900 they are way too expensive.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

The a900 is (was) a 24MP "pro-tier" Sony model. Prices are now in the $500 range if you shop around a little. These top-tier models will tend to retain their value the longest, but still, their prices drop as they age and fall further behind current / new technology.

BebuLamar

OK I look but really to answer the OP as I have the Minolta lenses and Nikon body but I never consider adapt them. They just won't work right.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Yep, for DSLRinosaurs. Mirrorless and / or the digital bodies with the native mount are valid options, technically.

newsguygeorge Loc: Victoria, Texas

I have a bunch of Minolta lenses from the SRT101 days. I researched using them on my Nikon D5300 and bought a FotodioX Pro Lens Mount Adapter for Minolta MD Lens to Nikon F Mount Camera from B&H. I had no expectation that the older lenses would work like the ones designed for the D5300. But, they do work. I have to manually focus and I choose to manually set exposure and shutter speed. After lots of experimentation, I only use an old Tamaron 600 with a converter to go for some really long shots. It works. On the other hand, since I also have the F mount Tamron 18-400, the old lenses don’t get much use.

TDLR; The FotodioX Pro Lens Mount Adapter for Minolta MD Lens to Nikon F Mount works manually.

yvesfeder Loc: Bath, ME

Thank you much for the detailed answer! Explains why I can't bring them in focus............

No, these lenses are older legacy models I suspect - the so-called adapters are too short I believe and I'm just offering them to any Minolta users who might want them. Nice glass - one is a Fujinon, the other Minolta, both very well made and finished. I toyed with the idea of picking up a Minolta body on the cheap just to have fun but in the end would rather pass them on..... :)

Take care,
Yves

Nicholas J DeSciose

Well, work on new Sony bodies with adapter EA – LA

AnotherBob

I have multiple old Minolta MC Rokkor lenses from my old Minolta SRT-101 days. Although I prefer to use them on my Z6 with a Metabones MD - Z mount adapter, they do also work with a "Fotodiox Pro Minolta MD - Nikon" adapter for my Nikon D60, D800 or D500. Both adapters were purchased from B&H, with the Metabones being more expensive. In both cases, the lenses focus to infinity. I did not realize until I purchased it (my bad) that the Fotodiox has a lens in it to allow it to focus to infinity, while provided 1.4 x magnification. Much easier for me to use with the Nikon Z camera bodies, which assist with the focus; handy with my 77 year old eyes. I also find the lensless Z adapter provides a clearer image.

If you decide to give them away, and they are MC or MD mount, I would be more than happy to take them off your hands. Until then, enjoy the experiment, and treat it as such.

Frank Gossett Loc: Colleyville, TX

I, too, have Minolta Rokkor Lenses that I use on a Z6 with Fotasy MD/NZ Adapter. I have the 45, 50, 85 & 135. All go to Infinity.