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Production
1958 – 1999
Country
Japan
Optical
-
Updated
Feb 15, 2026
Minolta MC Tele Rokkor 135mm f/2.8
M42 screw mount
Overview
The Minolta MC Tele Rokkor 135mm f/2.8 is Minolta's telephoto portrait lens — a classic focal length for reaching out and compressing backgrounds. With beautiful Rokkor rendering and solid build quality, it's a great value telephoto option.
Verdict: Great value telephoto portrait lens. The Minolta look at 135mm is lovely.
Optical Character
Bokeh
The bokeh is described as creamy and smooth in the center, with the famous 'swirl' effect appearing at the edges when shooting wide open, the subject is close, the background is distant, and the background has texture. Bokeh balls show slight onion rings and can turn into cats-eye shapes at the edges.
Color
The color rendering is warm and slightly golden, leaning toward amber/yellow in the highlights. Skin tones render pleasantly warm, sometimes too warm in golden hour. Greens can shift toward yellow-green, giving a 'nostalgic' film-like quality.
Sharpness wide open
Center sharpness is acceptable wide open, but not clinical. Corners are soft until f/4. Peak sharpness is achieved at f/5.6-8 across the frame, though never razor-sharp by modern standards. The micro-contrast is pleasing.
Flare resistance
Flare is abundant and characterful, especially in the single-coated versions, which produce dramatic veiling flare and colorful streaks when shooting into light. Multi-coated versions are more controlled, but many shooters still use the flare creatively.
Contrast
Low to medium contrast wide open, increasing as you stop down. The low contrast at f/2 contributes to the 'dreamy' look, with shadows not being crushed and highlights rolling off gently. This makes the lens very forgiving and easy to grade in post-processing.
Vignetting
Noticeable vignetting wide open (about 1.5 stops in the corners), diminishing by f/4. Many users enjoy the natural focus this adds to the center of the frame.
Community Insights
Summary: The Helios 135mm f/2.8 lens is praised for its cinematic results, solid metal construction, smooth focusing, and affordability. While it doesn't have the same dreamy character as some Russian lenses, it is considered a great value for the price. Sentiment: Positive Top Praised: - Produces very cinematic results with shallow depth of field - Solid, metal construction with smooth focusing ring - Affordable price point (around $40/£25) - Suitable for a wide range of cameras due to M42 mount Top Complaints: - Some chromatic aberration when used wide open - Rotating front element prevents the use of variable ND filters - Lacks the "dreamy" character of some Russian lenses Use Cases: - Telephoto portrait photography - Cinematic video recording - General shooting where a fast, sharp telephoto prime is desired Disagreements: None noted. Confidence: 5/5 - The review provides a comprehensive and consistent assessment of the lens.
What people love
- Telephoto compression
- Minolta colors
- Sharp
- Affordable ($50-100)
What people dislike
- 135mm needs space
- f/2.8 is moderate
- Needs good light or steady hands
Sources (3)
phillip_reeve-
https://phillipreeve.net/blog/manual-minolta-lens-ratings/
phillip_reeve-
https://phillipreeve.net/blog/manual-minolta-lens-ratings/
Lens Heritage 2nd JSONsecondary
The Minolta MC Tele Rokkor 135mm f/2.8 is Minolta's telephoto portrait lens — a classic focal length for reaching out and compressing backgrounds. With beautiful Rokkor rendering and solid build quality, it's a great value telephoto option.