p.15 #1 · MS-Optics lenses Image and Discussion Thread
Fred Miranda wrote:
I just received a MS Optics 28mm f/2 APOQUALIA Version III (Glossy Black Paint) and there are several differences in the build compared to Version II. The newer version is slimmer, measuring 9mm in thickness versus 9.8mm on Version II. As you mentioned in another post, while both are labeled with a 28mm filter thread, only Version II actually accepts a 28mm filter. The filter thread on Version III is slightly larger (perhaps 30mm?), making the front cap incompatible with Version II.
Looking at the spherical aberration graphs, Version III appears to have better correction, which matches your observations that it delivers sharper and higher-contrast images than Version II. I also find it interesting that they decreased the MFD from 0.4m on Version II to 0.6m on Version III...I wonder what led to that decision since it should perform better at close distance.
I plan to compare them side by side to see if the field curvature has changed between the two versions. I have a URUSHI Version II and a Glossy Black Paint Version III, but I am not sure which one I prefer. The Version III makes mounting and unmounting easier thanks to its grip section, but adjusting the aperture is more difficult. On the other hand, my URUSHI Version II allows for easier aperture adjustments but is harder to attach to the camera.
Is that MS-Optics Lens 2 booklet for sale anywhere?...Show more →
Hi Fred,
Looking forward to your detailed findings on the differences between the 2 versions! I bought my v3 first and I really enjoyed using it for the first couple of months in terms of output but I was using it with the tiny hood that it comes with and had to use a toothpick to change the aperture. That was quite troublesome. After I managed to find my v2, I pretty much switched to using it instead of v3 due to much easier aperture control, closer focusing capability as well as having usable hard infinity on my v2 (with my Rayqual adapter, whereas my v3 focuses beyond infinity with all of my adapters). I also find my v2 to have better corner-to-corner sharpness into the extreme edges and corners which is another benefit. I find my v3 to be a bit sharper centrally wide open though as mentioned.
The MS-Optics Lens2 宮崎レンズの世界 Part2 booklet was published in 2022 and I think it was a rather limited print. It was sold at Map Camera and I saw some small camera shop selling them at I.C.S. Camera Fair. Also MKDirect had them available. It's shown in their Instagram here:: https://www.instagram.com/msoptics_official/p/Cf8JbRWpOKd/
I haven't seen them being sold anywhere these days, I think they got sold out and there was no additional pressing.
p.15 #2 · MS-Optics lenses Image and Discussion Thread
Juha Kannisto wrote:
Hi Fred,
Looking forward to your detailed findings on the differences between the 2 versions! I bought my v3 first and I really enjoyed using it for the first couple of months in terms of output but I was using it with the tiny hood that it comes with and had to use a toothpick to change the aperture. That was quite troublesome. After I managed to find my v2, I pretty much switched to using it instead of v3 due to much easier aperture control, closer focusing capability as well as having usable hard infinity on my v2 (with my Rayqual adapter, whereas my v3 focuses beyond infinity with all of my adapters). I also find my v2 to have better corner-to-corner sharpness into the extreme edges and corners which is another benefit. I find my v3 to be a bit sharper centrally wide open though as mentioned.
The MS-Optics Lens2 宮崎レンズの世界 Part2 booklet was published in 2022 and I think it was a rather limited print. It was sold at Map Camera and I saw some small camera shop selling them at I.C.S. Camera Fair. Also MKDirect had them available. It's shown in their Instagram here:: https://www.instagram.com/msoptics_official/p/Cf8JbRWpOKd/
I haven't seen them being sold anywhere these days, I think they got sold out and there was no additional pressing.
Sure, I will post my findings as soon as I have the comparison.
Thanks for confirming that the 28 Apoqualia v3's tactile aperture is more cumbersome than the v2, which can be adjusted using the hood or a filter. However, after spending more time with the v3, I found that placing my thumb and index finger on the innermost front lens markings and rotating them allows the aperture ring to move effortlessly.
I searched everywhere for that booklet, but it's incredibly hard to find. However, Shigeyuki Ishida’s blog is packed with information. For instance, I had no idea how similar the MS Optics 50/1.3's optical design is to the Cosina/Zeiss Sonnar 50/1.5. Thanks for the link!
p.15 #3 · MS-Optics lenses Image and Discussion Thread
I didn't have the chance to test both lenses side by side, but when testing them separately, I noticed the v3 is significantly sharper at the center with less spherical aberration. Both lenses share a similar 'extreme' field curvature, extending from the foreground to the corners, which makes the entire area appear to be in the same focal plane.
I created a Lightroom Preset that essentially blends the 'in-focus' corners (which should be out-of-focus), softening them, which helps make the images look more balanced overall.
For those interested, you can download it here. You'll be impressed with how much better wide-open images look using this preset:
p.15 #6 · MS-Optics lenses Image and Discussion Thread
Does anyone know if the 36mm apollon covers a gfx sensor? I have an opportunity to buy one but I'm not interested if it wouldn't cover. I can't find any mention of the combination online, but I don't see a vignette in full frame image samples, so that might be a good sign.
p.15 #7 · MS-Optics lenses Image and Discussion Thread
brla-brla wrote:
Does anyone know if the 36mm apollon covers a gfx sensor? I have an opportunity to buy one but I'm not interested if it wouldn't cover. I can't find any mention of the combination online, but I don't see a vignette in full frame image samples, so that might be a good sign.
I have not seen any reviews or articles where Apollon would have been tested on a GFX camera. Shige's Hobby pages cover articles for many MS-Optics lenses and he usually tries them out on some Medium Format cameras too but he has not made an article on Apollon so far.
His article on Miyazaki-san's previous 35mm lens (Apoqualia 35/1.3 Slim) showed that that lens didn't cover HASSELBLAD X2D well at all and was just sufficient for regular FF: https://shige-art.net/ms-apoqualia-3513/
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When used with the medium format digital sensor (44mm x 33mm sensor) of the HASSELBLAD X2D, the image circle was completely insufficient. Since there was no change when the aperture was narrowed, using it with medium format sensor cameras such as the X2D and GFX would be outside the specifications.
When testing the usable range of images taken at full aperture, it was found that 9045 x 6783 of the original X2D pixel size of 11656 x 8742 was usable. Converting this to sensor size, this works out to about 34.1mm x 25.6mm. From this calculation, we can see that the image circle of this lens is properly matched to a 35mm full-frame sensor (36mm x 24mm).
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Not sure how much that applies to Apollon but it might be safer to assume that it doesn't provide good coverage of medium format sensor either unless proven otherwise.
p.15 #8 · MS-Optics lenses Image and Discussion Thread
I saw an auction for a used MS-Optics Vario Petz 57/2 (Black version) last weekend (at Yahoo Japan Auctions) and since I didn't have that version of the lens and I've been interested in it, I decided to bid on it. I already have the H-Petz 57/2 without the Vario SA control option from before but there's always room for more options Luckily I managed to win the auction at an acceptable price although there were 11 different bidders and 68 watchers, and I received the lens on Tuesday.
This lens has 5 distinct settings of "Spherical Aberration (SA) control" at the mount area (can't change the setting while lens is on camera). As per the data sheet, the settings are called -2, -1, 0, 1, 2. These settings move the position of the back element to small extent and change the rendering of the lens (as well as available focus distance range etc.).
0 is the only setting that would keep the lens aligned with rangefinder and that setting would make it same as H-Petz configuration. Naturally I'm most interested in the other settings since I've already been shooting with H-Petz for a while. -2 setting only allows close range focusing, from around 0.4m to 2.5m. -1 setting extends the long end to 5m. 0 works from 0.8m to infinity, 1 from 1m to infinity and 2 from 1.2m to infinity. Helicoid adapter helps to make the closest focusing distance much better for the last 2 settings.
Initial samples shot with the 2 extreme settings at Yokohama on my lunch breaks:
-2 and -1 settings are intended to be good for soft focus portrait photography with undercorrected SA, resembling rendering style of Kino-Plasmat and VPK (Vestan, Vest Pocket Kodak modified for soft focus photography by removing the dish-shaped lens hood). +2 and +1 settings have overcorrected SA and are supposed to produce output resembling Leica Thambar lens.
All were processed through C1 Pro and I applied my favorite preset.
Since +2 allows reaching infinity, I utilized it also for stopped down shooting at f8, and the bokeh shots are all at f2. I utilized close focus adapter on some of them.
Since -2 setting is limited to up to ~2.5m, all shots taken with that are close range shots and all were taken wide open.
p.15 #9 · MS-Optics lenses Image and Discussion Thread
Thank you Juha. Yes, Shige is my go-to source. If they didn't try a lens, I have to hope I can find a sample on flickr. Not all lenses are the same, but it seems a pattern that all MS Optics lenses 40mm or tighter (except for the 50 1.0 and 135) can cover the gfx, and all lenses 35mm or wider can't. The Apollon is annoyingly in between, but like you I figured it most likely can't. I like tighter anyway for photo, but wider video would've been nice. Oh well.
p.15 #10 · MS-Optics lenses Image and Discussion Thread
Juha Kannisto wrote:
I saw an auction for a used MS-Optics Vario Petz 57/2 (Black version) last weekend (at Yahoo Japan Auctions) and since I didn't have that version of the lens and I've been interested in it, I decided to bid on it. I already have the H-Petz 57/2 without the Vario SA control option from before but there's always room for more options Luckily I managed to win the auction at an acceptable price although there were 11 different bidders and 68 watchers, and I received the lens on Tuesday.
This lens has 5 distinct settings of "Spherical Aberration (SA) control" at the mount area (can't change the setting while lens is on camera). As per the data sheet, the settings are called -2, -1, 0, 1, 2. These settings move the position of the back element to small extent and change the rendering of the lens (as well as available focus distance range etc.).
0 is the only setting that would keep the lens aligned with rangefinder and that setting would make it same as H-Petz configuration. Naturally I'm most interested in the other settings since I've already been shooting with H-Petz for a while. -2 setting only allows close range focusing, from around 0.4m to 2.5m. -1 setting extends the long end to 5m. 0 works from 0.8m to infinity, 1 from 1m to infinity and 2 from 1.2m to infinity. Helicoid adapter helps to make the closest focusing distance much better for the last 2 settings.
Initial samples shot with the 2 extreme settings at Yokohama on my lunch breaks:
-2 and -1 settings are intended to be good for soft focus portrait photography with undercorrected SA, resembling rendering style of Kino-Plasmat and VPK (Vestan, Vest Pocket Kodak modified for soft focus photography by removing the dish-shaped lens hood). +2 and +1 settings have overcorrected SA and are supposed to produce output resembling Leica Thambar lens.
All were processed through C1 Pro and I applied my favorite preset.
Since +2 allows reaching infinity, I utilized it also for stopped down shooting at f8, and the bokeh shots are all at f2. I utilized close focus adapter on some of them.
Since -2 setting is limited to up to ~2.5m, all shots taken with that are close range shots and all were taken wide open....Show more →
I definitely notice the “Thambar” look in the rendering (like thick outlining) with the +2 setting, but interestingly, I also see more glow, which would usually suggest higher spherical aberration, not lower. In that sense, the result feels a bit ambiguous to me as the -2 setting should allow less correction for SA.
For those looking to use the 57/2 Petz “Vario” on a rangefinder, the Historic version without the SA ring would be a better choice. The SA adjustment isn’t compatible with rangefinder focus and can only be used when adapting the lens to a mirrorless camera or focusing with Leica LiveView.
p.15 #12 · MS-Optics lenses Image and Discussion Thread
Some more MS Optics 73/1.5 Sonnetar photos at a concert. The only drawback I've found with this lens (apart from the flare; I normally like flare but not the flare that this lens produces) is "aperture creep." I usually start shooting at around f1.7 (between the 1.5 and 2 markings) but as I focus the aperture dial starts to move on its own and after 20 minutes or so I'm at f2.8 or higher. Because I'm in the dark when shooting concerts, I can't see this happening so I've gotten into the habit of walking into a lit area to see where my aperture has drifted to (I could also use my phone's flashlight or a small dimmable flashlight instead).
p.15 #13 · MS-Optics lenses Image and Discussion Thread
Fred Miranda wrote:
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To calibrate MS Optics lenses, adjust in the same direction as the focusing discrepancy.
For example:
• If, after focusing on your target using Live View, you need to rotate the focus ring counterclockwise (CCW) to achieve proper focus (indicating front-focusing), rotate the lens’s RF adjustment ring on the back counterclockwise (CCW) as well to correct it. This is typically the outermost ring and requires a spanner wrench for adjustment.
• If you need to rotate the focus ring clockwise (CW) to achieve proper focus (indicating back-focusing), rotate the RF adjustment ring clockwise (CW) to correct it.
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Would you happen to have any examples of this ring, ideally on the 28mm, you shared a photo of?
I've been trying, without success, to adjust this myself and none of the rings seem to budge (the 1.7 version of the lens). There's the outermost ring, which has two "slots" for a flathead-type spanner wrench head that moves the focus so I assume it is this one. Again, this fails to budget but admittedly it is hard to get a grip on it the lens itself is so tiny.
p.15 #14 · MS-Optics lenses Image and Discussion Thread
tlavin2014 wrote:
Would you happen to have any examples of this ring, ideally on the 28mm, you shared a photo of?
I've been trying, without success, to adjust this myself and none of the rings seem to budge (the 1.7 version of the lens). There's the outermost ring, which has two "slots" for a flathead-type spanner wrench head that moves the focus so I assume it is this one. Again, this fails to budget but admittedly it is hard to get a grip on it the lens itself is so tiny.
Thank you in advance!
Sure, all you need is a lens spanner wrench.
Align the wrench with the two holes marked in red below and rotate. It might be difficult to turn at first, but with some force, it should move. If it remains stubborn, applying a couple of drops of acetone can help loosen it. This ring is responsible for adjusting the rangefinder distance on the lens.
p.15 #15 · MS-Optics lenses Image and Discussion Thread
Juha Kannisto wrote:
MS-Optics posted about the new lens in Instagram today:
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「LUMITAR 3.5/50」
Leitz ELMAX TYPE, which MS-OPTICS has been researching for many years.
Original ELMAR 3.5/50
Super rare ELMAX TYPE.
Feel and draw history
MS-OPTICS also has Miyazaki's grandchildren.
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It's different from what I was guessing earlier. I was expecting a fast lens and not 50mm so it's actually the opposite. I like the name "Lumitar", kind of Finnish feel to it (lumi is Snow in Finnish and Lumitar sounds like some kind of snow queen or snow fairy). There seems to exist a historical Japanese Lumitar 50/1.5 x-ray lens as well but this doesn't seem to have a relation to that (https://www.oldlens.com/Lumitar%205cmf15.html)....Show more →
I asked about when this lens might be available and got a reply via instagram DM that pre-sales should begin in March for a release in April.
p.15 #16 · MS-Optics lenses Image and Discussion Thread
bigtractor wrote:
I asked about when this lens might be available and got a reply via instagram DM that pre-sales should begin in March for a release in April.
I think they had some kind of trouble in the assembly phase earlier as the lens was planned to come out end of December / early January originally but it seemed to get delayed. Lately I've been just checking mkdirect and instagram from time to time waiting to see some updates. Thanks for sharing the latest info!
p.15 #17 · MS-Optics lenses Image and Discussion Thread
I’m excited to have snagged a 24mm f2 Aporia. I have been traveling and haven’t been able to use it much since it arrived, but the images I have taken around my backyard are outstanding. The only thing I need to figure out is how to adjust the rangefinder on this lens as it’s back focusing with my M11.
p.15 #18 · MS-Optics lenses Image and Discussion Thread
JeffMD wrote:
I’m excited to have snagged a 24mm f2 Aporia. I have been traveling and haven’t been able to use it much since it arrived, but the images I have taken around my backyard are outstanding. The only thing I need to figure out is how to adjust the rangefinder on this lens as it’s back focusing with my M11.
Hi Jeff,
The same way as I pointed out for the 28/2 Apoqualia:
Thanks Fred. I did give that a shot with my spanner wrench but I couldn't get it to budge, even with a decent amount of force. I will give the acetone a shot tonight.
