Petzval Hommage MS-H PETZ 57mm F2
A review and photo examples of the Ms-Optics H PETZ 57mm F2.
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Table of contents
Gallery
The sample photos were taken with a Leica M10.
[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”264″ gal_title=”MS-P57″]Review
1．Overview
The Ms-Optics H PETZ 57mm is the third in the MS-Optics (Miyazaki Optical) history series, and is a lens that pays homage to the Petzval format.
The lens configuration of 4 elements in 4 groups is the same as the original Petzval, but Petzval-type lenses are long-focus lenses and are not suitable for Leica M mounts as is. Therefore, in order to make the focal length more generally usable, Miyazaki reconsidered the lens configuration with his own interpretation and adopted a focal length of 57mm.
The minimum shooting distance is 0.7m, and it is linked to the rangefinder of Leica M cameras up to 0.8m.
2．Usability
The Ms-Optics H PETZ 57mm is a bit of a tricky focal length, and while it doesn’t pose a problem when used with a mirrorless camera’s EVF, it doesn’t present any problems when used with an M-type Leica rangefinder, as long as you keep in mind that the image captures something slightly inside the 50mm frame.
Even at wide open aperture, the image doesn’t appear particularly out of focus in the center, but the degradation in image quality at the periphery demonstrates the difficulty of correcting aberrations with this lens format.
When I asked designer Miyazaki about the 57mm focal length, he told me that with this lens configuration, extending the focal length would have been difficult without maintaining the lens performance the designers desired, and that 57mm was the limit. Miyazaki also expressed disappointment when he heard feedback from users of this lens that “when I used it, it was more ordinary than I expected.” As a revenge, the VARIO PETZ was created.
3．Summary
The Ms-Optics H PETZ 57mm is a lens designed by Miyazaki of Ms-Optics as a homage to a historic lens. Because the original Petzval was a long focal length lens, a lens designed with a focal length closer to that of a standard lens would have diminished the distinctive bokeh that is characteristic of Petzval, resulting in an ordinary lens with distortion around the edges.
Specification
| Item | (VARIO) PETZ | VARIO PRASMA |
| Focal length(mm) | 57 | 50 |
| Max aperture | 2 | 1.5 |
| Min aperture | 16 | 16 |
| Aperture blade | 12 | 12 |
| Lens Construction | 4 elements in 4 groups | 6 elements in 4 groups |
| Min distance(m) | 0.7 | 0.5 |
| Length(mm) | 37 | 43 |
| Max diameter(mm) | 50 | 50 |
| Filter size(mm) | 40.5 | 40.5 |
| Weight(g) | 110 | 135 |
| lens hood | Dedicated cylindrical 40.5mm reverse thread | Dedicated cylindrical 40.5mm reverse thread |
| lens mount | LEICA_M | LEICA_M |
| Release date | 2018 | 2019 |
| Price | ¥75,000 | ¥90,000 |
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Update history
- 2025.6.18
- 2024.11.15
- 2024.02.15:Update the article
- 2022.01.26:First draft
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