The top of Miyazaki Sonnar: the SONNETAR 50 F1.1
A review and photo examples using the Ms-Optics SONNETAR 50mm F1.1 with a Leica digital rangefinder camera.
Table of contents
Gallery
- Photo example by LEICA M-P and M10
Review
1．Overview
The SONNETAR 50mm F1.1 is a bright standard lens released by Ms-optics (Miyazaki Optical) in 2013.
Its origins lie in the MS-MODE-S 50mm F1.3, Ms-Optics’ first original lens, and this lens has been improved by increasing the lens diameter and other improvements, resulting in a bright maximum aperture of F1.1.
The lens name SONNETAR was first used for this lens.
The main specifications are as follows, and details are listed in the table.
- Maximum aperture: 1.1
- Lens construction: 6 elements in 4 groups
- Aperture blades: 14
- Minimum focusing distance: 0.85m
- Leica M rangefinder camera rangefinder linkage: 0.85m
- Hood: Dedicated reverse thread screw-in hood
- Lens color variations: Silver, black, black paint
- Lens length: 36mm
- Maximum lens diameter: 55mm
- Weight: 190g
- Lens filter: 55mm, but attached in the opposite direction to normal.
2．Usability
The SONNETAR 50mm F1.1 is a large-aperture standard lens from MS-Optics (Miyazaki Optical).
As the name suggests, it uses a Sonnar-type lens format, with 4 groups and 5 elements, with 2 cemented rear elements. Older Sonnars have 3 cemented rear elements, but Ms-Optics only has 2 cemented elements, taking into account improvements in coating technology. This is in contrast to the C SONNAR from CARL ZEISS, which uses 3 cemented rear elements.
This lens is one of the high-quality lenses in terms of appearance and image quality among Ms-Optics products from the 2010s.
At 36mm in total length, it is extremely short for a large-aperture standard lens, and it is unusual for this type of lens to be shorter than its diameter. However, due to this compact design, the depiction of the peripheral areas is a bit harsh, and depending on the shooting scene, vignetting and image distortion can be noticeable. This should be solved by using it in a creative way.
Miyazaki designed a lens with an aperture of F1.0 while keeping the Sonnar type. However, he was not satisfied with the performance, so the 50mm F1.0 was realized as the Gaussian type MS-ISM GA 50mm F1.
3．Summary
In conclusion, to sum up the SONNETAR 50mm F1.1, it is the pinnacle of Ms-Optics’ Sonnar-type standard lenses.
As you can see from the sample images, it is a lens that produces smooth images with little drop in contrast even at full aperture, and is the most well-balanced of Ms-Optics’ standard lenses.
vs Voigtlander NOKTON 50mm F1.1
The SONNETAR 50mm F1.1 has the same specifications as the Voigtlander Nokton 50mm F1.1 (weight: 428g / lens length: 57.2mm). The SONNETAR is overwhelmingly compact, half the weight and 2/3 the lens length of the Nokton.
The Nokton has a sufficient lens diameter, so there is plenty of peripheral light and a sense of spaciousness in the depiction.
Designer Miyazaki says, “Tools come to life only when you can carry them to the site,” which means that it is more meaningful to pursue lightness while making some compromises in performance, rather than a lens that is large and heavy and difficult to carry around, and the SONNETAR is a lens that succinctly represents his lens design policy.
- The lens construction diagrams are quoted from each company’s materials, and the sizes have been adjusted by us, so they are not exact.
History of Ms-Optics Standard Lenses
- MS-MODE-S 50mm F1.3
- APOQUALIA-H 50mm F3.5
- MS-SONNETAR 50mm F1.1
- PETZ 57mm F2
- VARIO PETZ 57mm F2
- VARIO PRASMA 50mm F1.5
- ELNOMAXIM 55mm F1.2
- MS-ISM GA 50mm F1
- SONNETAR 50mm F1.3
Medium format digital sensor camera
When using the MS-SONNETAR 50mm F1.1 with the HASSELBLAD X2D, which is equipped with a medium-format digital sensor, we found that it was not practical to use it for areas larger than 35mm film format due to peripheral light falloff and image distortion.
Specification and Competitor
| Item | SONNETAR | NOKTON 50mm F1.1 |
| focal length(mm) | 51.7 | 50 |
| Maximum aperture | 1.16 | 1.1 |
| Minimum aperture | 16 | 16 |
| Leaf blade | 14 | 10 |
| Lens configuration | 5 elements in 4 groups | 7 elements in 6 groups |
| Minimum distance(m) | 0.85 | 1.0 |
| Lens length(mm) | 35.7 | 57.2 |
| Lens max diameter(mm) | 55 | 69.6 |
| Filter type | 55 | 58 |
| Weight(g) | 190 | 428 |
| Hood | Special trumpet type 55mm reverse thread | Special cylindrical type LH-7 |
| Lens mount | LEICA_M | VM |
| Release date | 2013.6 | 2009.6.29 |
| Price | ¥108,000 | ¥131,250 |
Reference links
- Wikipedia’s description of the Sonnar-type lens
- MS-ISM 1.1/50-GA・Shige’s hobby
- NOKTON 50mm F1.1・Shige’s hobby
Update history
- 2024.10.12
- 2024.02.16:Update article
- 2022.04.06:First draft
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