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 p.2 #16 · Is the 1.8/55 an all-time great? | |
Here's a Google translation of the interview with the designer of the FE 55...
Original Interview... https://www.lesnumeriques.com/objectif/rencontre-avec-naoki-miyagawa-pere-meilleur-50-mm-moment-a1818.html
Meet Naoki Miyagawa, father of the best 50mm of the moment
As young as talented, remember her name!
Posted on 04/04/14 at 12h00
For many of us, the lenses of our beloved cameras are as sacred as they are mystical. For others, they are just tools whose sole purpose is to do what is asked of them. In any case, what do we know about our objectives, apart from what is told in the technical sheet? What do we know about those who, from their drawing board and top secret laboratory, allow us to see the world with ever more precise, ever brighter eyes? We met one of these artists of glass and light.
From Naoki Miyagawa, Corneille could have written that " the value does not wait for the number of years. " At just 30, this young engineer from Sony's Opto Design Deparment - Section 2 is the exclusive originator of the optical design of the Sony Sonnar T * FE 55m f / 1.8 ZA which is, in just a few months, imposed as the best 50 mm of the market, all frames combined. We had the opportunity to meet him yesterday, during a technical presentation in Paris.
Naoki Niyagawa is a graduate of Tsukuba Technological University , 70 km northeast of Tokyo, which houses, among other things, the Tsukuba Space Center , the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency ( JAXA ) division in charge of satellite development, rockets , experimental equipment for the Japanese experimentation module ("Kibo") and training of the Archipelago astronauts. Recruited by Sony right out of school, he has worked on most of the brand's most prestigious lenses, whether they are Carl Zeiss or Sony G, whether they are in A-mount (for SLT) or E (for hybrids). If it is, among others, the author of the zooms SAL DT 16-50 mm f / 2.8 SSM in mount A and recent SEL FE 70-200 mm f / 4 G in mount E, it confides us much prefer to draw fixed focal lengths. When we ask him what is his favorite optics, all frames combined, he does not hesitate a second and immediately quotes the SAL 135 mm f / 2.8 [T4.5] STF .
" In E-mount, the SEL 35mm f / 1.8 (for APS-C sensor housings), Sonnar T * FE 35mm f / 2.8 ZA and Sonnar T * FE 55mm f / 1.8 ZA (intended for enclosures with sensors 24x36 mm) all have a similar optical formula, "he explains. " We had the choice between several optical formulas, including the widespread Planar. " This formula, devised in 1896 by Paul Rudolph for Carl Zeiss, is of double-gauss type where two groups of identical (or almost) identical lenses are symmetrical to each other. at the optical center of the lens. " The Planar is a practical design because of its simple implementation and excellent optical results, making it easy to obtain a large aperture lens, but it has two flaws: because symmetry is essential, all lenses must move simultaneously when focusing, and then tend to keep parasitic rays trapped. "This is the formula Carl Zeiss and Leica used for their 50 f / 2 Planar and Summicron- M 50 f / 2 respective, both in mount M.
" For the reasons mentioned, I preferred to go on a Sonnar design, derived from the Ernostar " also developed originally for Carl Zeiss, but in 1930 and by Ludwig Bertele. It is no longer a double-Gauss but a development of the Cooke triplet that provides even greater brightness, an essential criterion in the early twentieth century when the sensitivity of the films was still very low. Targets with this formula allowed Carl Zeiss to dominate Leica throughout the first half of the twentieth century, until the Second World War and the invasion of factories by the Russian army interfered. They still make the happy owners of Jupiter 8, the original Sonnar and the magnificent Sonnar ZM 50mm f / 1.5.
" The Sonnar allows an internal focus [Editor's note: the lens does not change size during focus, which is both beneficial for construction and endurance] and naturally redirects unwanted rays to the The only problem with the Sonnar is that it does not lend itself to the long optical prints of the SLRs [Editor's note: often greater than 40 mm] , which makes it possible to obtain a better micro-contrast and a better definition. but that's not a big deal, since the E-mount of our interchangeable lens hybrid system has a mechanical draw of 18mm. "This choice, combined with a lot of optimization work, now allows the Sonnar T * FE 55mm f / 1.8 ZA equal to the Zeiss Otus 55mm f / 1.4 we tested - and that frustrated us, confirmed by DxO - while being lighter, more manoeuvrable, less expensive and autofocus, but for the blow only available in mount E and 1/2 less bright diaphragm.
Since Naoki Miyagawa is the exclusive head of Sony's 55mm design, one question comes to mind: why is the lens so branded Carl Zeiss? " Besides the trade agreements, the Carl Zeiss engineers help us a lot with their experience of quality control, we are Japanese, but the Germans are even stricter than us! " A little later, he will tell us that " in Japan, what no matter which brand we work for, almost all optician engineers are fascinated by Carl Zeiss and Leica.In addition to producing technically superb lenses, there is a touch and emotion in the German image rendering that we would like to see. to break the secret. " During the conversation, he will recognize that "yes, it's pretty ironic that German engineers apply the very Japanese concept of Wabi-Sabi while we do not."
"For the moment, in Japan, and especially at Sony, we are mainly focusing on definition and bokeh.With 36 million pixels on the Alpha 7R, we are not entitled to the error. we worked to minimize what we call the "onion rings", these concentric light halos around the circles of light in background blur.Bokeh should not be neglected, especially for a lens like the Sonnar 55 mm f / 1.8 which is mainly intended to be used at full aperture, for example, we have drawn the diaphragm so that it is as round as possible for a very fuzzy and creamy background. more difficult than we think because by adding aspherical surfaces in our lenses, to correct chromatic aberrations and coma, we tend to get fuzzy backgrounds ... a little too sharp! "
It only takes a few minutes to understand that the one his colleagues do not hesitate to call "Master Optician" is a real passion. Apart from the constant pressure he is under from customers, who always ask for more optics, more efficient and less expensive, industrial constraints and ruthless competition, just watch his eyes shine when he discovers the optical formula of a goal he does not know. In the genre, our trusty Leica Summilux-M 50mm f / 1.4 ASPH made great impression. Just a look through the clear glass of the rear concave lens to determine that it is neither a Planar drawing nor a Sonnar drawing (which is actually true ). " For Leica, for us, Japanese engineers, a name is mythical, I do not know if my pronunciation is good, but I think it's Peter Karbe, I totally agree with his philosophy when he explains that 'openness is for depth of field, not for light management .' And what was his surprise when he was told that Mr. Karbe, current director of the department of optics Leica, was the father of the Summilux he held in hand, whose legend says it would have been drawn over ten years time free of the engineer. A story that finally recalls that of the young Naoki, for whom the dream would be to draw " if I had no time or budget constraint, a 85 mm f / 1.4 or even f / 1.2 in mount E. One day , maybe ... "
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