MS Optical R&D 50mm 1.1 Sonnetar by Miyazaki Sadayasu - a personal view

[Al Brown]

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One “dream” lens has kept a very special yearning status of desire in my complex photographic universe.
It was probably the first superfast lens, made by Teikoku Optical Industries of Japan back in 1953. Zunow 50mm f/1.1, a Sonnar derivate, was produced in small quantities and is considered a very rare collector's item today. The lens is highly sought after by vintage lens enthusiasts and photographers who appreciate its unique render. Zunow experienced financial difficulties, and the company eventually closed its doors in 1961, so not a lot is known about them (fun fact: they made their own Leica copy prototype called Teica, never shown to public), but their legendary lens changed the Japanese optical roadmap forever and prompted Nikon to develop own 50/1.1 version three years later.
I have also been pondering on the idea of owning one single lens from MS Optics (former MS Optical R&D, as per thread title), the well-known Japanese lens manufacturer that specializes in producing handmade lenses for rangefinder cameras, for quite a while. As we all know, the company was founded by Sadayasu Miyazaki, a skilled telescope and lens designer slash technician who has over 40 years of experience in the field. Mr. Miyazaki is the driving force behind MS Optics, and all of the company's lenses are made in small batches. That means they have all been designed and hand assembled by the man in the past 13 years or so. MS Optics lenses are known for their unique optical characteristics and vintage aesthetic, and they are usually revamped old designs that are now mostly collectors’ items, sold in a semi-affordable package with hand drawn MTF charts and dubious sample variation & QC.

Now imagine the good old classic Bertele Zeiss Sonnar 1.5/50mm from 1932 Contax era and the Teikoku Zunow having a baby, artificially inseminated by the conversion skills of one Miyazaki-san. Phillip Reeve called it “probably Miyazaki’s most famous lens”. The MS Optical R&D Sonnetar 1.1 was born a little over 10 years ago, bearing the strongest similarities to its “mother”, the classic Zunow master of light.

Various levels of frustration when using non-native M mount lenses on digital M bodies come to mind. Usually those are minor nuisances like no hard stops beyond 0.7m on Voigtlander lenses, LTM threads unscrewing during fast barrel rotating moves, bottom cut adapters not covering the digital M's 6-bit reader resulting in »no lens detected« message, some non-M lenses not having the same rangefinder coupling, but nothing can compete with the frustration of using MS Optics lenses on your digital M. One user summarized the experience as “fiddly, pain-in-the-rear handling in exchange for the benefits of minuscule size”. I will not go into detail about my harsh claim (those who own or have used MS lenses will know exactly what I mean), nor will I review my new Sonnetar 1.1 here. There are several threads that did that all in the forum already. By far one of the best outside reviews, listing the virtues and frustrations of this idiosyncratic lens (written by Dante Stella) can be found here. https://themachineplanet.wordpress.com/2015/11/12/ms-optical-50mm-f1-1-sonnetar-magic-time/ and several other forum threads here are listed below:

https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/205220-sonnetar-1150/
https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/204747-ms-optical-50s/
https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/195593-ms-optical-rd-sonnetar-50mm-f11-mc/
https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/192287-ms-optical-sonnetar-mc-f11-v-noctilux-v1-f1/
https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/265667-sonnetar-50mm-f11/

I will summarize my post with 5 keywords that best describe this (in 2023 already a collector’s item) lens:
eccentric, quirky, frustrating, challenging, fun.
 

(Photos in the following threads).

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Edited May 4, 2023 by Al Brown

[Al Brown]

Sonnetar 1.1 wide open, M10-P Reporter.

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[Al Brown]

Sonnetar 1.1 wide open, M10-P Reporter.

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[Al Brown]

Sonnetar 1.1 wide open, M10-P Reporter.

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[BastianK]

It is not my favorite MS-Optics lens by a long stretch, but if someone here is looking for one I may be able to point you to 1-2 stores in HK that have one on offer for non-scalper prices 🙂
So if you are interested because you actually want to use it (and not just keep it in a closet for 20 years hoping it gains value) just drop me a DM.

[Al Brown]

Adding two more examples - flare shape (at infinity) and bokeh (at MFD), both wide open, photographed during my recent trip.

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[Al Brown]

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7 hours ago, BastianK said:

It is not my favorite MS-Optics lens by a long stretch

Just out of curiosity, and knowing you have thoroughly tested many, what is your fav MS lens?
 

[BastianK]

vor 49 Minuten schrieb Al Brown:

Just out of curiosity, and knowing you have thoroughly tested many, what is your fav MS lens?
 

I have used 10 different ones so far (11 if we count the rehoused 40mm 1.7 Rokkor).

Difficult to pick a clear favorite because of their different focal lengths, but I would give that title to the 35mm 1.4.
At f/1.4 a bit soft for my taste, but stopped down to f/2.0 it is much better than it should be.
And it really fits the Leica system very well thanks to its tiny size and super low weight.

I also use the 2/24 very often as it takes up as much size and weight as a polarizing filter
and is surprisingly capable stopped down.
I used the 1.1/50, 1.3/50 and 1.0/50 (didn't try the 1.2/55 as I find it too aberration heavy
from the samples I saw) and like the 1.0/50 @ f/1.4 the most. Really nice rendering
but more hard to overlook flaws than the 1.4/35.
The 2.4/135 was my first MS-Optics lens and there is nothing else like it. 
Unlike the others I mainly use it on Sony cameras though, thanks to their image stabilisation.

The 1.3/35 II on the other hand has been the worst and I received many reports from other owners that agree with me.

For those that have never used one of his lenses but would like to try one I recommend either the 1.3/50 Sonnetar (still easily available),
1.3/36 Apollon or 2.0/24 Aporia. They have the typical MS-Optics qualities without being too much on the quirky side like some of the others.

[Al Brown]

That dubiously divisive bokeh of the Sonnetar, most likely comparable to Canon LTM 50/1.2 and Zunow 50/1.1... shot wide open.
The lens is in fact declared by Miyazaki-san to be f/1.16 and according to him focuses down to 0.8m despite the last marking on the barrel being 1m (physically goes well beyond it).

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Edited May 6, 2023 by Al Brown

[Huss]

@BastianK thanks for the info on the 35 1.4 - just looked at your review.  Sweet shots, now I want one...

[OR120]

BastianK - if I may ask - how would you rate the robustness of MS Optics lenses? Say as a daily user. My Leica lenses (nikon, canon, zeiss, voigtlander) work for years in any conditions with no problems. 

[BastianK]

vor 8 Stunden schrieb OR120:

BastianK - if I may ask - how would you rate the robustness of MS Optics lenses?

Not particularly great.
When bringing them on a trip I always carry an emergency repair set with tiny screwdriver and I have needed it more than once.

[OR120]

Very good advice as I have also found this to be true. 

[Al Brown]

On 5/7/2023 at 12:31 AM, OR120 said:

How would you rate the robustness of MS Optics lenses? Say as a daily user.

A great question!
Whereas some MS Optics lenses are highly regarded for their unique character and optical performance (and may thus not perform well in terms of sharpness, distortion control, or other optical characteristics as they are often designed with a specific purpose or aesthetic in mind), their actual day to day usefulness may be limited to certain types of photography or shooting situations. Very little accent is given on robustness of the housing. The Sonnetar feel is of a fragile thin aluminium barrel and it is MOST DEFINITELY not meant for professional use, more likely for pampering and delicate care. It's worth noting that many MS Optics lenses may have unique designs or features that require special care or handling. For example, some of their lenses have delicate aperture mechanisms, delicate focus mechanisms and/or delicate housings (and some all three combined). They are most certainly NOT designed for heavy use or harsh environments. Handle them gently.

 

[OR120]

This was my lens.  Al Brown - as you said very well "They are most certainly NOT designed for heavy use or harsh environments. Handle them gently."  I was using this lens very gently - now and then - for three weeks and parts just fell off. No heavy use or harsh environments. It was obvious this lens was very delicate. Despite my gentle care and the lens never going far from my home - it fell apart. So as Bastian K said regarding build quality above   - "Not particularly great.
When bringing them on a trip I always carry an emergency repair set with tiny screwdriver and I have needed it more than once." Well mine never went on any trips. I would never take a lens like this on a trip. They certainly are unique lenses. I won't go into the return issues. One positive build detail - it was a very small lens. Also - your MS 50 looks great on your Safari body.

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Edited May 10, 2023 by OR120
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[Ecar]

I own a bunch of Miyazaki's lenses. Sadly, his QC has been declining over the years, to the point of being non-existent. It's not only a matter of sturdiness (ultimately, one of the appeals of MS lenses is their low-weight, light aluminium construction), but rather one of appalling assembly.
However, since I keep being attracted (against all rationality) by Miyazaki's optical "creatures", I have tried several "frustration mitigation strategies" and have now settled on a process that involves (a) buying used but "mint" from a reputable dealer a few months after release and then (b) putting the money thereby "saved" in a full CLA of the lens by a third-party technician.
This usually addresses issues such as leftover machining scraps in the helicoid, inaccurate calibration, loose screws, etc. This doesn't make the MS lenses intrinsically more robust, but at least makes them usable as intended, without fear of them falling apart in your hands...

[Al Brown]

27 minutes ago, Ecar said:

This usually addresses issues such as leftover machining scraps in the helicoid, inaccurate calibration, loose screws, etc. This doesn't make the MS lenses intrinsically more robust, but at least makes them usable as intended, without fear of them falling apart in your hands...

My Sonnetar 1.1 is from 2013-ish, from the time QC was apparently still reasonable and Miyazaki-san was 10 years younger (it sort of shows). Haptics are catastrophic on the lens, but at least it is not falling apart after my extended usage stress test.
 
I have spoken to Miyazaki's grandson at MKdirect, Bellamy Hunt of JCH and Dirk Roesler of Japan Exposures, spare parts are readily available everywhere 😄.

I was also asking about the total number of Sonnetars 1.1 produced as I have seen some with 700+ serial numbers. Bellamy told me that in total it is supposed that there were 300 lenses produced (I am a bit confused here) and that in his opinion there may actually be less as "Miyazaki often loses 10% to failure in production". 

[Ecar]

29 minutes ago, Al Brown said:

My Sonnetar 1.1 is from 2013-ish, from the time QC was apparently still reasonable and Miyazaki-san was 10 years younger (it sort of shows). Haptics are catastrophic on the lens, but at least it is not falling apart after my extended usage stress test.

My 1st copy was #156. Made in 2012. Had to go through focus adjustment, but was otherwise OK. I later managed to get hold of #000 (possibly a final prototype) and guess what, it was perfect from the outset... This means Miyazaki can do it when he sets his mind to it. The only other MS lens that I own and that was (very unexpectedly!) good right out of the box is my ISM 50/1.0.

30 minutes ago, Al Brown said:

I have spoken to Miyazaki's grandson at MKdirect, Bellamy Hunt of JCH and Dirk Roesler of Japan Exposures, spare parts are readily available everywhere 😄.

Good to read that you managed to get in touch with them.

30 minutes ago, Al Brown said:

I was also asking about the total number of Sonnetars 1.1 produced as I have seen some with 700+ serial numbers. Bellamy told me that in total it is supposed that there were 300 lenses produced (I am a bit confused here) and that in his opinion there may actually be less as "Miyazaki often loses 10% to failure in production". 

Based on my observations and although there's currently a #796 for sale on eBay (through one genuine seller and two scalpers), I'd say Bellamy is probably right. But I'm not an expert in MS serials.

[Al Brown]

Casual Saturday evening. My buddy is a big lover of the dram.
Sonnetar 50/1.1 wide open & M10-P Reporter.

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Edited May 13, 2023 by Al Brown

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[Al Brown]

Wisteria time.
Sonnetar wide open, M10-P Reporter.

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