Ms-optics SONNETAR 73mm

Large aperture, medium telephoto lens

Review and photo examples of Sonnetal 73mm F1.5.

Gallery

The sample photos were taken using a LEICA M10.

Review

Overview
Usage
Differences

1．Overview

The SONNETAR 73mm F1.5 is the first bright medium telephoto lens with a focal length of 73mm from MS-Optics (Miyazaki Optical).

The unique design of the attachment of the front lens, which is the largest diameter, has made the lens barrel as thin as possible, resulting in a front lens diameter that is almost the same as the filter diameter of φ49mm. This makes it an exceptionally compact lens for a lens with a focal length of 75mm.

Perhaps because the amount of extension of the helicoid has been reduced, the minimum shooting distance is 1m, and the aperture blades are 12.

2．Usage

As you can see from the photo examples, the SONNETAR 73mm is a unique lens that can produce a blurry image at full aperture depending on the lighting conditions, and can also produce a blurry image depending on the background.

One of the characteristics of Ms-optics lenses is that the image improves when you stop down a little, so you can get a stable image by setting it to around F2.8.

This lens is very compact, with a barrel size similar to that of a large 50mm standard lens. For a medium telephoto lens, it fits well in a camera bag, so it is useful to have it in your camera bag when traveling.
When I actually went to Thailand, this lens was a great help when photographing subjects at a distance. All of the photo examples were taken in Thailand.

Like Miyazaki lenses from the late 2010s, the barrel design has been refined, and the surface finish and assembly precision of the lens barrel have been improved, resulting in a high level of satisfaction as a lens owner.

The 73mm F1.5 specification makes it a little difficult to focus on the M-type Leica due to the overlapping of the double image at full aperture, so I think it’s better to use the EVF of a mirrorless camera to focus accurately.

When shooting with the HASSELBLAD X2D, which uses a medium format digital sensor, it covers about 92% of the sensor size of 44 x 33mm, or 40.5 x 27mm (when cropped 3:2), and you can see that the image circle of the lens is wide. Therefore, there is plenty of room for it compared to the image circle of a 35mm full-frame sensor.

3．Differences

As shown in the overview, the Sonnethal 73mm has a maximum lens diameter of φ50mm and weighs just under 200g, and has a focal length 2mm longer. The Leica Summilux 75mm has a maximum lens diameter of φ69mm and weighs 560g, and the Cosina Voigtlander Nokton 75mm has a maximum diameter of φ63mm and weighs 350g. This clearly shows how compact the Sonnethal is.

The only Ms-optics lenses with a focal length longer than 60mm are this lens and the APORIS 135mm.
The designer Miyazaki said that he chose the 73mm focal length because he was “conscious of the Leica Hektor 73mm.” I would have liked it to have been the same as the Summilux with a focal length of 75mm, but the choice of 73mm is typical of Miyazaki, who loves old lenses.

If the focal length were to be 75mm and the maximum aperture to be F1.4, the lens length and diameter would have to be larger to meet the specifications, and so the current specifications are thought to have been determined based on the lens barrel size. The fact that the current specifications of 73mm, F1.5 are not advertised as 75mm, F1.4 shows the seriousness of lens designer Miyazaki.

Specification

Items	SONNEATR	SUMMILUX	NOKTON
Focal length(mm)	73	75	75
Max aperture	1.5	1.4	1.5
Min aperture	16	16	16
Aparture blade (Diaphragm)	12	10	12
Lens Construction	5 elements in 4 groups (Sonnar type)	7 elements in 5 groups	7 elements in 6 groups
Min distance(m)	1.0	0.75	0.7
Lens length(mm)	57	80	63
Lens Max diameter(mm)	50	69	63
Filter Size(mm)	49(Reverse attach)	60(E60)	58
Weight(g)	197	560	350
Production numbers	400 *2	14,752 *1	–
Release date	2018	1980	2019.8.8
Price(Yen/No-tax)	¥100,000- (Prices vary by reseller)	¥400,000- 2024 2000s: ¥300,000	￥125,000-

*1：The numbers are taken from Leica Wiki.
*2：The figures are from when the product was released in 2018. It is unclear whether the product has been reproduced since then.