Top of Miyazaki’s Sonnar SONNETAR 50mm F1.1

A review and sample photos of the Ms-Optics SONNETAR 50mm F1.1 used with a Leica digital rangefinder camera.

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Gallery
Review
1. About
2. Usage
3. Summary
Specifications, considerations, etc.
Reference links

Gallery

The following cameras were used to take the sample photos:

LEICA SL typ601・Mirrorless camera
LEICA T typ701・Mirrorless camera
LEICA M10・digital rangefinder camera
LEICA M-P typ240・digital rangefinder camera
LEICA M9・digital rangefinder camera
Click on the image to enlarge

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.

This lens is one of the Ms-Optics products of the 2010s that has the highest quality in terms of appearance and image quality.

2．Usability

The MS-SONNETAR 50mm f/1.1 is a large-aperture standard lens from MS-Optics (Miyazaki Optical).
As its name suggests, it uses the Sonnar lens format, with five elements in four groups, including two cemented rear elements. While older Sonnar lenses use three cemented rear elements, the MS-Optics lens uses only two cemented rear elements, thanks to improvements in coating technology. This contrasts with the CARL ZEISS C SONNAR, which uses three cemented rear elements.

At 36mm in length, it’s extremely short for a large-aperture standard lens, unusual for a lens of this type to be shorter than its diameter. However, due to its compact design, peripheral image quality can be somewhat poor, and vignetting and image distortion can be noticeable in some shooting situations. These issues can be resolved with ingenuity. Furthermore, in backlit situations, a mysterious light can enter even with the lens hood attached.

The helicoid is rotatable, and turning it toward the minimum focusing distance slightly increases the overall length of the lens. The aperture ring is a free-slip type with no click stops. Because its diameter is the same as the lens’s maximum diameter, it can be accidentally turned when focusing.

This lens requires critical matching with the rangefinder of a rangefinder camera, and to compensate, the rear element can be slightly moved to adjust the rear element’s position and change the focus.

■Mirrorless Camera

When using this lens with a mirrorless camera, accurate focusing is possible at the widest aperture of f/1.1 by magnifying the focus point in the electronic viewfinder or live view on the rear LCD.

At widest aperture, the focus point is reasonably sharp, but there is considerable distortion at the edges. Stopping down to around f/2 improves image quality. The lens itself is lighter than a Summicron 50mm, which has an aperture of f/2, making it a good standard lens for emergency use with f/1.1.

When used with the APS-C sensor of a LEICA T typ701, the focal length is equivalent to 75mm in 35mm film format. This allows you to crop the peripheral areas, which can cause blurry images at wide open apertures, improving the overall appearance of the image.

■Digital Rangefinder Camera

When using this lens at wide open apertures, focusing by aligning the double image of a rangefinder camera can be difficult to achieve the desired focus point if the lens and camera are not well matched. With a digital camera, this can be achieved by shifting the focus position using focus bracketing, but with a film camera, I wouldn’t feel comfortable using this lens at wide open apertures.

If you’re adding an electronic viewfinder to a digital rangefinder camera, it’s best to use it with a mirrorless camera from the start.

3．Summary

In conclusion, to sum up the MS-SONNETAR 50mm F1.1 is the pinnacle of Ms-Optics’ Sonnar-type standard lenses.

It’s a very compact lens, with a size that you wouldn’t expect from a large F1.1 aperture lens.

The flare produced at full aperture is a matter of personal preference, and for normal photography, you’ll want to stop down the aperture due to the difficulty of focusing, so if you think of the F1.1 aperture as a bonus, you’ll be happy with this lens.

Specification and Competitor

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

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.

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.

Ms-Optics SONNETAR 50mm F1.1 +HASSELBLAD X2D

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.

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

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Update history

2025.10.14
2024.10.12
2024.02.16:Update article
2022.04.06:First draft