The Friedman Archives Blog: My Favorite Minolta Lenses

In this issue:

My Favorite Minolta Lenses
Wireless Flash Workshops summer 2027?
A Chatbot for your camera

My Favorite Minolta Lenses

Ever since I my blog post about the 10 Best and 10 Worst Minolta Cameras back in 2012, I've received many requests to do a similar video about the 10 best Minolta lenses. Well, here's one that talks about 15 of my favorites from over the years, including images that were shot with them.

The lenses discussed are:

28-85 f/3.5-4.5 macro MD
KM 28-75 f/2.8 AF
24mm f/2.8 MD 2
28-70 f/2.8 G
80-200 f/2.8 G (Black and White HS versions)
85mm f/1.4 (Original version, with double-cross Maxxum logo)
100mm f/2.5 MD2
135mm f/2.8 MC 1 MC Tele-Rokkor -PF
Shift CA Rokkor-X 35mm lens – with VFC Variable Field Curvature feature, which let you bend the lens's plane of focus from flat to either concave or convex.
500mm f/8
35-70 f/4 Original version
70-210 f/4 Original version (actually there was only one)
50mm f/3.5 Macro MD Rokkor-X
50mm f/3.5 Macro AF Restyled
100mm f/2.8 Macro original design (not mentioned but it was on the table).

More about that Las Vegas Shot

The Vegas shot referenced in the above video was taken with the 500mm f/8 mirror lens on film about 26 years ago. I chose that lens because it could "compress" the background and give a better feel of the busy-ness of the city. Over the years I've only licensed it one other time.

Another 500mm shot of Vegas hotels that aren't there anymore.
I love the way long lenses can "compress" the background into
an blizzard of neon entropy.

The client, the Las Vegas Television Network (theLVTN.com), took that image and ran it through AI to make the quick animation. Says, the client, "This is the winner. It will run every 30 minutes all day, every day. We’re now up on Roku, Apple and Android. Thanks again, I couldn’t have done it without you."

So this has suddenly become my most-viewed licensed image. Kind of on par with Windows XP's default wallpaper (you know, the one with the green rolling grass and the blue sky with puffy white clouds.)

===

Wireless Flash Workshop - Summer, 2027?

I've been giving photography seminars worldwide since 2007. That's a long time. They were designed for people who understood their cameras but still weren't happy with their images.

I'll still conduct a seminar to any photo club that wants to hire me. (Or you could purchase the streaming version if you'd like to learn these forgotten secrets that only Kodachrome shooters knew before there was Photoshop.). But right now I'm focusing on the next chapter. Proper lighting is the key to getting "Wow!" type images regardless of the camera or lens you own. And the easiest way to ease into controlling your lighting? Why, wireless flash, of course!

Wireless flash intimidates people. I know this because I've taught it. Part of the problem is that the manufacturers have transformed what used to be easy and straightforward into something needlessly complex. Which flashes are compatible with wireless? Radio or optical trigger? How do I configure my camera to work with it? And why can't I just shoot with natural light like my favorite online influencer?

So as I approach my retirement my new mission is to help photographers tackle this essential tool. For the past eight months I've been honing a half-day wireless flash workshop which I've conducted at local photo clubs, and the participants tell me they were hesitant at first but finally were comfortable with the technology, and besides - at the end they were having FUN with it!!

I'm at the point where I can take this on the road. To start, my wife and I are planning a cross-country trip the summer of 2027 and we'd like to visit photo clubs across the U.S. who would like to host such a workshop. Know of a photo club that would welcome this? Have them get in touch with me at Gary at Friedman Archives dot com!

A Chatbot For your Camera

[Editor's Note: This section contains more text than images. So to balance things out I'm including images from past blog posts with links so you can learn more about how they were done.]

Every time a new camera comes out, I scan the dedicated online discussion groups for questions people ask. It often gives me insights as to what I need to cover in the next book.

Learn how I lit this shot here.

But even after the book comes out, I still see a parade of questions that my book clearly explains, which gets frustrating. And while I could spend time responding to every one with "My book answers that" and then give a specific chapter and an excerpt, I feel it's not a good use of my time, plus I could get booted out for self-promotion. (That's why I encourage my readers to provide those kinds of answers for me. (Hint, hint. :-) ))

While I take great pride in making my books as complete and clear as possible, I also know that the idea of purchasing an 900-something-page book (that's what the A7R VI book size is) is intimidating, and then to have to invest the time to absorb it all, well... some days it's just easier to just ask ChatGPT for the specific setting you're wondering about.

I totally get that. Which is why I've been experiementing with training a chatbot on one of my books and then have it answer questions. Two months ago it wasn't possible - all the chatbots I tried choked on the sheer size of my books.

A trick for better B&W photography.

Then a month later I found not one but TWO AI models that could do the job on the RX10 V ebook. I immediately set up an experimental page on my website and invited those book owners to give it a spin. Does it provide useful answers? Does it hallucinate? Should this be an adjunct product (like the tip cards) or should it stand on its own? How much would you be willing to pay if I had to charge for it?

The website was deluged with queries of all types:

"What are the best settings for birds in flight?"

How it was done.

"Is it possible to disable the EVF and use only the rear screen to save battery power?"

"Is there a starry sky infinity focus mode?"

"Does the RX10V have any special colour JPEG modes such as black and white with coloured filters, sunset or autumn, portrait, fireworks and so on?"

"Is f/16 on the RX10V an actual physical f/16, or is it achieved by switching in an ND filter?"

Better autumn photos in one minute.

"Does the RX10V support dragged shutter plus flash technique usually set by using second curtain flash synchronisation on brief time exposures?"

"Can the RX10V take double or multi exposures?"

"As there is no built-in flash, what flash unit should be used if a 30fps sequence requires flash lighting?"

"How many hours or days can be set for the length of a time lapse sequence?"

"Does the RX10V use a separate movie button to the shutter release or can it shoot movies triggered by using the shutter button instead"

Learn the technique
behind this shot here.

"Does the camera store a full resolution jpg inside the raw file?"

"is 4:2:2 the only color bit depth available?" [sic]

"How can I add annunciators to HDMI output?"

"RX10 V camera with AF w/Shutter OFF. Using Sony Creators' app, how can I initiate auto-focus?"

"How do I uploaded the Friedman Camset to my Sony RX10V?"

"how to assign a set parameters to a button"

Step-by-step how
it was done.

And some of the answers really impressed me.

===

Q: What does choose a button--> page 4 mean. I don't understand the page 4.

A: **“Page 4” means the fourth page of assignable functions on the camera’s screen—not page 4 of the book.** The book abbreviates that step as “→ 4.”

In other words:

1. In **Custom Key/Dial Set.**, select the button you want to customize.

2. The camera displays a list of functions you can assign to that button.

3. Browse to **page 4 of that list** and select **Recall Custom hold 1**.

Lighting cellos.

What do you see on the screen after selecting your button?

===

Q: Where is the seting that highlights the area that is in focus

A: That’s called **Peaking Display** (focus peaking). According to the book, go to:

**MENU → Focus → Peaking Display → Peaking Display → On.**

In the same submenu, set:

The $5 Studio

- **Peaking Level:** Start with **Mid**, the author’s preference.

- **Peaking Color:** Choose **Yellow**, Red, Blue, or White—whichever stands out against your subject.

Use it while focusing manually in **MF or DMF**. It highlights sharp, high-contrast edges in your chosen color. Low-contrast areas might not be highlighted even when they’re in focus. See **Section 10.5, pages 523–525**.

===

Q: How do I uploaded the Friedman Camset to my Sony RX10V?

A: You load Friedman’s **CAMSET file through a memory card**, using the camera’s **Save / Load Settings** menu. Here’s the procedure from Section 13.2.2 of your book.

1. **Download `CAMSET01.DAT` to your computer.** Section 2.9.1 provides this address:

https://friedmanarchives.com/~download/001XR/CAMSET01.DAT

Lighting for street portraits.

The file contains Friedman’s recommended menu settings and button assignments.

2. **Copy the file to the memory card in this exact folder location:**

PRIVATE/SONY/SETTING/RX10M5/CAMSET/CAMSET01.DAT

The `PRIVATE` folder should be at the card’s top level—not inside the photo folder.

The $5 Studio in action

3. **Put the card into the camera’s Slot 1**, then go to:

**MENU → Setup (toolbox icon) → Reset/Save Settings → Save / Load Settings**.

4. **Select the CAMSET file to load it.** This recalls most menu settings, button assignments, the My Menu configuration, and Camera Set. Memory locations.

**Before loading:** Consider saving your current configuration under a different filename using the same Save / Load Settings function, so you can restore it later. **If the menu is unavailable**, the book notes that Save/Load Settings cannot be accessed while a Camera Set. Memory location is active.

===

One person quiered in Dutch and the chatbot answered in Dutch!

My worst trip ever.

Everyone reported great answers and no hallucinations. Most reported that the camera-specific answers were of a higher quality than what ChatGPT natively provided. Most people said it was a great accessory to the book but not a replacement for it. And almost nobody said they'd pay for it - that it should be included with the price of the book.

Alas, after 12 hours I had to pull the plug on the experiment. Chatbots are not cheap and the bills were rolling in. But at least I understand that it can be of value. And for this feature to be economically viable it would have to be offered on a subscription basis. (I looked into placing ads on that page, but they would recover perhaps 1/1,000th the cost!)

How I lit this child prodigy.

So I'm going to continue experimenting with this. What I want to do next is increase the chatbot's capabilities, allowing users to upload .jpg, .hif, or .arw files and have the EXIF information examined to add insights into "Why are my images coming out like this?" That will take extra time. I'm also going to look into ways for charging per use (or perhaps a subscription), since it doesn't make sense to operate it at a loss.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Hey, Gary, I thought you were swearing off AI!

A: I swore off GENERATIVE AI, which is AI used to create fake images and videos of things that didn't actually happen. I'm still exploring other, beneficial applications. For example, it helped me realize a 25-year wish of being able to 3D-print a Maui Xaphoon Pocket Sax in keys other than "C". (It's tricky. You have to elongate the entire instrument without touching the mouthpiece, and all of the holes have to remain round.) It took the chatbot 3 tries to get something kind of sort of in tune. :-)

I used it to restore an old photo of a relative. The improvement was amazing:

I used it to create a family portrait of my Aunt, her late husband, and her geographically disbursed children (and grandchild) who never seem to get together for family portraits. She loved it. And the likenesses were perfect!