Minolta lens question

After 4 years of non-use I'm resurrecting my Minolta Maxxum film SLR and
noticed a difference between my Minolta lenses and my Canon lenses. When
the Canons are off the body the aperture is wide open, but when the
Minoltas are off the body they are totally stopped down. These are
Minolta Maxxum autofocus lenses. I assume it's just a difference
between the manufacturers since all 3 of my Minoltas are stopped down
when off the camera. Or do all 3 of my lenses have stuck aperture blades?

Greg

 

Oh, yeah, since the viewfinder isn't dark I take it that it's not the
latter, that the blades are in fact opening fine on the camera.

Greg

 

Could the difference be that the aperture rings are stopped down on the
Minolta lenses? My Nikon lenses that have aperture rings are stopped
down when dismounted and open when put on the body, the one's that lack
an aperture ring are stopped down all the way when dismounted. All Canon
EOS lenses lack an aperture ring, right?

 

It is alleged that G.T. claimed:

If I recall my old (really old, manual) Minolta lenses (which I no
longer have), that is normal. The diaphragm is closed when "relaxed",
the pin in the body side of the mount opens it up when the lens is
mounted.

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instructed to treat every surveillance camera malfunction as a full-
scale emergency.

 

That is normal for Minolta lenses. They contact the tab in the body and
open as the lens is twisted on.

 

That's how they are made. It means the aperture return spring does not
wear out or weaken when the lens is off the camera. If you plan to store
a Minolta AF camera and lens for a few years, it's best to keep them
separated not lens on body, for the same reason.

David

 

Minolta A-mount apertures are stopped down when off-camera. The back
cap holds them wide open during storage, however.

 

.... except that the rear lens cap also hold the aperture open ...

 

LOL

 

I don't know why they did that. I usually just have the cap on the end
of the lens but not bayonetted (some of them don't stay on anyway,
especially the newer white type). The lenses all have their own cases.
In the camera bag, I use the old black rear caps and they do stay put,
and they open the aperture. But the lenses are getting swapped round and
used. Sony has reintroduced the old Minolta black rear cap and scrapped
the 'fall off every time' KM white one.

David

 

Most of my white ones work fine, but the one that came with the 80-200
f/2.8 is definitely a loose cannon. I have a bit of orange paint on it
as a warning. When I bought the 300 f/2.8, the fellow who owned it
added a bit of masking tape over the edge to improve the stick. Black
cap however... loose too.

 

There's no aperture ring on these, they're fairly modern cheap Maxxum AF
lenses.

Greg

 

Thanks Alan. I thought it felt like more was going on with the back cap
than on my Canon lenses.

Greg

 

The expensive Maxxum lenses don't have an aperture ring either. The
entire A-mount (Maxxum/Dynax/Alpha AF) mount never had aperture rings.

Cheers,
Alan

 

My pleasure.

On some lenses you can feel the pull back spring when putting on the cap
.... an indication that the cap might be a bit too loose... (see David's
lament in this thread).

Cheers,
Alan