Data sheet: Minolta MC Macro Rokkor-QE 100 mm f/3.5

This lens was kindly provided for cataloguing by Vladimir at #photogears

Pekka Buttler, 01/2026

Specifications

The table below summarizes the lens’ key specifications (Measurements based on pictured sample):

Brand:	Minolta	Lens name	MC Macro Rokkor-QE 1:3.5 f=100mm
Focal length(s) 1	100 mm	Angle-of-view 2	24 °
Maximum Aperture	f/3.5	In Production	1973–78
Lens mounts	Minolta SR	Subfamily (if applicable)	MC X
Length 3 (without / with 1:1 adapter)	88,7 mm / 137,8 mm	Diameter 4	75,4 mm
Filter ring diameter	55 mm	Weight (without / with 1:1 adapter)	602 grams / 806 grams
Lens element count	5	Lens group count	4
Aperture blades (S/R/C) 5	6 S	Focus throw	330 °
Minimum focusing distance	45 cms	Maximum magnification	1:2 (1:1 with adapter)
Has manual aperture ring	YES	Has Manual focus ring	YES
Aperture mechanism type	Automatic	Aperture click stops 6	3.5–5.6•8•11•16•22

Further notes:
• For the era of the Minolta SR system, Minolta offered Macro lenses in the 50 and 100 mm focal lengths (and bellows lenses in the 12,5; 25; 50; 100 and 135mm focal lengths).
• This lens is a representative of Minolta’s ‘longer’ macro lenses. Alike all Minolta SR era macro lenses it was designed to reach from infinity to 1:2 magnification on its own, and to 1:1 magnification with using a specialised adapter which Minolta called the “life-size adapter” (a dedicated extension ring)
• The close-focusing ability of the lens is created using a double helicoid (the lens extends significantly when focusing on both sides of the focus ring).
• The lens barrel shows the current magnification and exposure compensation factor (see: effective aperture) for use without (white) and with (yellow) the 1:1 adapter.
• The lens’ front element is relatively exposed and does not offer an integrated lens hood. Hence using a 55 mm screw-in hood might sometimes be advisable.

Versions

The table below shows the genealogy of all Minolta 100 macro lenses:

Name (on lens)	Type7	years	focal length	max. aperture	min. aperture	elements	groups	filter	weight
MC Macro Rokkor-QE-PF	MC II	1972–73	100	f/3.5	f/22	5	4	55	550
MC Macro Rokkor(-X)-QE-PF	MC X	1973–78	100	f/3.5	f/22	5	4	55	602	(this lens)
MC Macro Rokkor(-X)	MD II	1978–79	100	f/3.5	f/22	5	4	55	600
MD Macro Rokkor(-X)	MD II	1979–81	100	f/4	f/32	5	4	55	380
MD Macro	MD III	1981–90	100	f/4	f/32	5	4	55	385

From 1973 to 1981 Minolta sold its lenses in the US/CAN market as “Rokkor-X” lenses (whereas in the rest of the world they were just “Rokkor” lenses (without the -X).

Adapting

This lens cannot be used natively on any current SLR or dSLRs. To use it in its native environment, you will need a Minolta SR (SR/MC/MD/X-600) film camera. Luckily these are quite easy to find. To use the lens’ full designed capabilities, a Minolta MD-compatible body (any Minolta SR body launched after 1977) is most recommended..

Thanks to being a fully manual lens (manual aperture, manual focus), the lens can be adapted to all mirrorless cameras using a suitable adapter. Moreover, a simple ‘dumb adapter’ will do the job perfectly. Thanks to the popularity of the Minolta SR mount, the availability of adapters to all mirrorless mounts can be taken for granted, on the other hand, specialist adapters (speed boosters, helicoid adapters, tilt/shift adapters) are not available for all mirrorless mounts, but daisy-chaining adapters (e.g. Minolta SR -> Canon EF; Canon EF –> mirrorless) can offer a work-around.

Using Minolta SR mount lenses on dSLRs is also be an option, but it is not trouble-free due to that the Minolta SR mount’s flange focal distance is shorter than that of any dSLR mount (technically with the exception of Olympus’ four thirds mount). Hence, any attempt at adapting Minolta SR lenses must rely on an adapter that uses corrective optics to allow infinity focus. However, such adapters are readily available.

History of Minolta

Minolta exited the camera business in 2006 and sold its remaining photographic assets to Sony. The 50 years before that ignominious date tell a very different story: one of a Japanese optics and innovation powerhouse that has interesting links to Germany – not Nazi Germany, but both pre WWII Germany as well as postwar West Germany. Read more in the Minolta company profile.

Footnotes

1. Focal length is (unless stated otherwise) given in absolute terms, and not in Full-frame equivalent. For an understanding of whether the lens is wide/tele, see ‘Angle-of-view’. ↩︎
2. Picture angle is given in degrees (based on manufacturers’ specs) and concerns the diagonal picture angle. Rule of thumb:
   > 90 ° ==> Ultra-wide-angle
   70–90 ° ==> Wide-angle
   50–70 ° ==> Moderate wide-angle
   40–50 ° ==> ‘Standard’ or ‘normal’ lens
   20–40 ° ==> Short tele lens
   10-20 ° ==> Tele lens
   5-10 ° ==> Long tele lens
   < 5 ° ==> Ultra-tele lens ↩︎
3. Length is given from the mount flange to the front of lens at infinity. ↩︎
4. Diameter excludes protrusions such as rabbit ears or stop-down levers. ↩︎
5. S=straight; R=rounded; C=(almost)circular at all apertures. ↩︎
6. Numbers equal aperture values on aperture ring; • intermediate click; – no intermediate click. ↩︎
7. The history and development of the Minolta SR mount is usually divided into four main variants (SR, AR, MC and MD) most of which are divided into several generations. ↩︎