Ms-Optics APORIA 2/24

Large aperture, slim, wide angle 24mm

A review and Photo example of the APORIA 24mm F2 (MS-Optics / Miyazaki Optical) .

Gallery

Photo example shooting
- Ms-optics APORIA 24mm F2 + LEICA M typ240
- Ms-optics APORIA 24mm F2 + HEXAR RF + Kikipan 320(640) + DiMAGE SCAN PRO Multi

Review

Overview
Usage
Differences

1．Overview

The APORIA 24mm is a wide-angle 24mm lens with a bright aperture of F2, released by MS-Optics (Miyazaki Optical) in 2020, in the Leica M mount, and uses a Gaussian lens format. Like the APOQUALIA 28mm F2 released in the same era, it comes in a wide variety of colors and many types of lens barrels, including lacquered, lacquered, and regular types.

The minimum shooting distance is 0.5m, designed for use with mirrorless cameras, and for Leica M-type rangefinder cameras, it works with the rangefinder up to 0.8m.

The manual says to remove the glass from the 34mm filter and fit it onto the tip of the lens. The lens barrel has a thread for a dedicated hood, but because the thread diameter is special, I was unable to find a compatible diameter among commercially available filters.

2．Usage

The specs of this lens are not available from other manufacturers such as Leica, Cosina (Voigtlander), and Zeiss, and the brightness of F2 is unique for a 24mm wide-angle lens.

Despite this brightness, the lens barrel is made very thin, with a thickness of only 5.6mm, so it can be called a body cap. However, due to this compact barrel, the lens performance is slightly sacrificed, and when using an older 35mm full-frame sensor camera, the center is good at full aperture, but light reduction, reduced resolution, and color cast may be noticeable at the periphery.

The above drawbacks can be improved slightly by narrowing the aperture, but with the lens hood attached, there is an operational problem in that it is difficult to change the aperture ring installed inside the hood. To deal with the discomfort at the periphery when the aperture is full, it is necessary to consider a composition that does not make the negative effects of the lens noticeable by shooting the subject of the subject in the center, and as you use it, you need to understand the range of acceptable image quality and expand your expression.
Miyazaki often said that the photographer should intentionally handle the drawbacks of the lens. This is basically a lens for digital cameras, and is not suitable for photographers who prefer a flat depiction.

It is possible to forcibly cut off the peripheral areas, so on cameras equipped with APS-C size sensors the focal length is equivalent to 36mm, and on Micro Four Thirds cameras the focal length is equivalent to 48mm, so although the image width will be reduced, it is possible to obtain a stable depiction.

Finally, the nameplate of this lens is MS-OT APORA, but this is a typo and the correct name is MS-OP APORIA. The current nameplate is used because the timing to correct the mistake during manufacturing was missed.

3．Differences

Compared to its predecessor, the PERAR 24mm, the APORIA 24mm is two stops brighter, yet its weight and size are almost the same, maintaining a compactness that overwhelms other lenses. The use of a Gaussian lens structure improves image quality in the peripheral areas and reduces color cast, which is another strength of the APORIA.

As before, 24mm and 25mm class lenses are not a very common focal length for prime lenses for rangefinder cameras. Voigtlander is actively developing 21mm, 35mm, and 50mm, but the 25mm has not been renewed since the release of the F4P. Zeiss is closed, and Leica’s lineup seems to be completed with 24mm/F1.4 and 24mm/F3.4.

In comparison, the wide-angle end of standard zoom lenses for SLRs and mirrorless cameras is often 24mm, so this focal length seems to be familiar to zoom lens users.
Although this is a prime lens, compared to a zoom lens, it is about the thickness of a lens front cap, and yet it packs in the specs of a 24mm F2. This is one lens that I would definitely recommend you try if you have the opportunity.

Specification

Lens name	APORIA	PERAR	COLOR SKOPAR	BIOGON	ELMARIT
Manufacturer	Ms-optics	←	Voigtlander	Carl Zeiss	LEICA
Focal length(mm)	24	24	25	25	24
Max aperture	2	4.0	4	2.8	2.8
Min aperture	16	16	22	22	16
Aperture blade	10	10	10	10	9
Lens Construction	6elements in 4groups	3elements in 3groups	8elements in 6groups	9elements in 7groups	9elements in 7groups
Min distance(m)	0.5	0.65	0.5	0.5	0.7
Lens length(mm)	5.6	5.2	25.4	46.6	45
Lens Max diameter(mm)	51	←	55	53	55
Filter Size(mm)	–	19	39	46	55
Weight(g)	39	35	144	260	290/388
Release date	2020	2014	2007	2005	1996
Price(Yen/No-tax)	¥100,000-	¥60,000-	¥50,000-	¥110,000-	–