Ms-optics MS-MODE-S 50mm

A modern interpretation of the Sonnar type lens

A review and photo examples of the Ms-optics MS-MODE-S 50mm F1.3.

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The example photos were taken with a Leica M8.2 and a HASSELBLAD X2D.

1．Overview

The MS-Mode-S Dual lens 50mm F1.3 is an original lens that was first released by MS-Optics (formerly Miyazaki Optical), and is an arrangement of a Sonnar-type lens with modern technology.

The lens is made up of 4 groups and 5 elements, with a minimum shooting distance of 1m, and is linked to the rangefinder of a rangefinder camera over the entire range.

The filter meter is 49mm, and a dedicated screw-in slit hood is provided for screwing in the filter in the correct position.

The lens can be separated into the lens glass and the helicoid + mount, and the mount is provided in two mounts: L39 screw mount and Nikon S and Contax C mount.

It was sold in the following three forms.

L39 mount version
Nikon S and Contax C mount version
Both mounts included version

I own the both mounts included version, but I have never changed it to Nikon S or Contax C mount, and I still have the L39 screw mount that was attached from the beginning. I don’t have an S.C mount camera, so I don’t plan to do it.

The helicoid + mount part of the L39 screw mount version uses the ready-made MS-51.6 that Ms-optics uses when converting commercially available 50mm lenses to L39 screw mount and M mount.

2．Usage

The helicoid is the well-established MS-51.6, which allows for smooth focusing, and the rangefinder linkage works accurately, so there are no problems with focusing with the double image of a rangefinder camera.

As shown in the example, the image is soft and fluffy at full aperture, and produces a neat image when stopped down. This lens is a good realization of the ideals of Ms-optics’ Miyazaki.

When shooting with a medium-format digital sensor 44mm x 33mm, the corners are vignetted and the image circle is insufficient. However, 33mm x 33mm is barely usable, and the image in the outer corners is not distorted too much. This lens has more than enough room to use with a 35mm full-size sensor.

This lens is a memorable lens that I continued to purchase Ms-optics lenses after purchasing it.
At the time, the demand for rangefinder cameras was extremely low, so I saw it at a camera market in Ginza, negotiated a price with the old man at the camera shop, and he sold it to me for a pretty good price.
Nowadays people sometimes say “it’s not nice to haggle,” but for people from the Kansai region it’s like a greeting, and personally, if someone starts asking for a price, I’m almost always going to buy something.

This lens was hand-assembled and had some dirt in it, so I asked Miyazaki to clean it, but he told me that “it’s difficult to disassemble and clean it due to its structure, so it’s better not to do that,” so I’m still using it in the same condition as when I first bought it.

3．Add info.

As described in the overview, the MS-Mode-S is a lens with a lens configuration of 4 groups, 5 elements, and an aperture value of F1.3. This lens will be re-released as the SONNETAR 50mm F1.3 in 2022. The re-released version has better image quality at full aperture.

The original Sonnar 50mm F1.5 is composed of 3 groups and 7 elements. For more information on this lens, see the reference links “Widipedia” and “Lens Review”.

After releasing the MS-Mode-S, Miyazaki continued his research to make the Sonnar-type lens even larger, and in 2013 he upgraded the specs to 50mm F1.1 under the name SONNETAR.

Miyazaki further repeated the design of the Sonnar type aiming for an aperture value of F1.0, but was unable to produce anything satisfactory, and in 2019 he released the Gaussian type ISM-GA 50mm F1.0.
This is interesting as it seems to trace the history of Sonnar-type lenses, which have become obsolete due to Gaussian lenses.

In addition to the Leica M mount, the SONNETAR series also includes the SONNETAR 25mm F1.1 for the PENTAX Q. This lens was initially planned with the same specifications for the Micro Four Thirds, but only a few prototypes were produced and it was never put into production. Instead, about 150 units were produced for the PENTAX Q, which has a smaller image circle.

Cosina has also released the C SONNAR 50mm F1.5 under the Zeiss brand, which also has the same maximum aperture of F1.5 as the original, but the lens configuration is 4 groups and 6 elements, with fewer laminated parts due to improvements in modern coating technology.

C SONNAR 50mm lens configuration diagram is taken from the PDF of ZEISS History product

Specification

Items	MS-Mode-S	C SONNAR
Manufacturer	Ms-optics	Carl Zeiss
Focal length(mm)	50	50
Max aperture	1.3	1.5
Min aperture	16	16
Apature blade	12	10
Lens Construction	5elements in 4groups	6elements in 4groups
Min distance(m)	1m	0.9
Lens length(mm)	37	45
Lens Max diameter(mm)	50	56
Filter Size(mm)	49	46
Weight(g)	110	250
Release date	2006	2006
Price(Yen/No-tax)	¥100,000-	¥105,000-