Chiyoda Kogaku Super Rokkor 50mm f/1.8

Chiyoda Kogaku Super Rokkor 50mm f/1.8

The fastest of the normal lenses Chiyoda Kogaku built for its Leica-influenced Minolta-35 rangefinder, this 50mm was introduced in 1958 alongside the camera's final model, the Minolta-35 IIB [1]. It is a screw-mount (LTM/M39) lens with a coupled rangefinder, made in a comparatively short production window, and it has come to be regarded as the strongest performer among the Super Rokkor primes [1]. Chiyoda Kogaku was the company that would later be known simply as Minolta, and the Super Rokkor name marks this early postwar period of its rangefinder optics.

Optically the lens uses a six-element, five-group design, a more ambitious configuration than the simpler Super Rokkor normals that preceded it [2]. It was made for the Minolta-35 series in the Leica thread mount and couples to the camera's rangefinder for focusing [2]. In its place within the lineup, it sat above the earlier 45mm f/2.8 and the 50mm f/2 and f/2.8 normals, which had appeared with earlier Minolta-35 models, while the f/1.8 was reserved for the IIB [1].

The Minolta-35 itself was produced from 1947 until the line closed, and the IIB that carried this lens was offered only briefly before the arrival of Minolta's first SLR, the SR-2, in 1958 brought the rangefinder series to an end around 1959 [1]. Because the IIB was sold for roughly a single year and was never officially exported to the United States, both the camera and this lens are difficult to find outside Japan [3].

Optical qualities

Rendering Documented impressions of this lens are limited but consistent: it is described as highly regarded for image quality, and a user who tested it adapted to a digital body reported notably sharp results with pleasing color rendition [3]. Used at greater-than-life-size magnification through an adapter, the lens was found to resolve fine detail strongly, which speaks to a well-corrected design for its era [3]. Beyond these accounts, detailed, independent optical testing of this specific lens is scarce, so claims about its bokeh, flare behavior, or vignetting should be treated cautiously.

History

Development and Launch The Super Rokkor 50mm f/1.8 was released in 1958 to accompany the Minolta-35 IIB, the last model of Chiyoda Kogaku's Leica-inspired 35mm rangefinder system [1]. The Minolta-35 line, begun in 1947, had introduced several practical improvements over the contemporary Leica design, including back-loading film and an integrated rangefinder and viewfinder [1]. Over the system's life Minolta offered a series of normal lenses, the 45mm f/2.8 from 1947, then the 50mm f/2 and f/2.8 with the Model II in 1952, and finally this 50mm f/1.8 with the IIB [1]. The debut of the SR-2 single-lens reflex in 1958 led to the discontinuation of the Minolta-35 around 1959 [1].

Collector Notes This lens is genuinely scarce. One owner reports that only about 3,000 were made, and that clean examples typically surface from Japan at prices in the range of several hundred dollars, since the IIB was never officially exported to the US market [3]. As with any rangefinder lens of this age, prospective buyers should check the glass for haze and cleaning marks and confirm that focus and aperture operate smoothly, points that the same account raised when comparing period LTM lenses [3]. Buyers should also note that the Super Rokkor name covers several different normal lenses (45mm f/2.8, 50mm f/2.8, 50mm f/2, and this 50mm f/1.8), so verifying the engraved focal length and maximum aperture is important to avoid confusing the faster f/1.8 with its more common siblings [1].

Sources

• [1] Earth, Sun, Film. VMLP 34: The Minolta-35 IIB, Inspired by Leica and Very Nice! https://earthsunfilm.com/vmlp-34-the-minolta-35-iib-inspired-by-leica-and-very-nice/
• [2] AllPhotoLenses. The Chiyoda Kogaku Super Rokkor 50 mm f/1.8 Lens. Specs. https://allphotolenses.com/lenses/item/c_4578.html
• [3] Earth, Sun, Film. Macro Photography Surprise: Minolta Super Rokkor 50mm 1.8 (LTM) and Olympus e300. https://earthsunfilm.com/macro-photography-surprise-minolta-super-rokkor-50mm-1-8-ltm-and-olympus-e300/