I challenged myself to shoot a concert last night using the MS Optics 73mm/1.5 Sonnetar (on Sony A7iii). Focus can be tricky but even the out-of-focus ones have a quality to them that I like.
nehemiahphoto wrote:
Nice processing on that last photo especially Brad. Shot WO?
I actually thought of you when I was working on that photo because you described the Sonnetar as "cinematic" and I tried to emphasize those qualities. This was closer to f2. I took plenty of shots wide open last night but found it so hard to focus that I closed it down just a bit.
Here's another one from last night, around the same aperture:
bjhurley wrote:
I actually thought of you when I was working on that photo because you described the Sonnetar as "cinematic" and I tried to emphasize those qualities. This was closer to f2. I took plenty of shots wide open last night but found it so hard to focus that I closed it down just a bit.
Here's another one from last night, around the same aperture:
I was asking cause it looks like 1.7, which I find to be a very useful aperture to get rid of the funky point light source effect and it’s easier to focus with less LoCal in very harsh contrasty lighting, like venues. That boost in contrast modernizes the lens too—I prefer the WO character for the most part, especially in soft light. That last photo does have such nice processing. Are you using a close focus helicoid?
nehemiahphoto wrote:
I was asking cause it looks like 1.7, which I find to be a very useful aperture to get rid of the funky point light source effect and it’s easier to focus with less LoCal in very harsh contrasty lighting, like venues. That boost in contrast modernizes the lens too—I prefer the WO character for the most part, especially in soft light. That last photo does have such nice processing. Are you using a close focus helicoid?
That's probably where it was, around 1.7. I do love it wide open but there's so much glow that I get frustrated trying to focus; I missed focus on most of my wide-open shots last night. I've fiddled around with the coma adjustment on the bottom of the lens and currently have it at the default 3 but might play with it some more. I do use a close-focus adapter but I didn't extend the helicoid on these particular shots.
Still loving the 73/1.5 Sonnetar for concert photography; here are a couple from last night. Shot at around 1.7 (there's a little mark between 1.5 and 2 on the clickless aperture dial, and I try to keep it around there). This was a concert by Maxim Bergeron, age 18, who studied the fiddle playing of the great Québecois fiddler Jean Carignan; he was accompanied on piano by Gilles Losier (age 86) who accompanied Carignan for many years in his concerts and on his albums.
Fred Miranda wrote:
I really like the painterly rendering Nehemiah. I wonder how the new CV 75/1.9 will compare.
Thank Fred--as you know, I absolutely love the lens. It's frustrating at times, but it's a real winner with loads of character.
I am sure the new 75/1.9 will be comparatively boring for my taste, but a very useful compliment to this lens with high technical IQ, minimal focus shift, high micro contrast, smoother bokeh in most situations, appreciably less LoCAL, great ergonomics and flare resistance with better MFD
I like to have a set of character lenses, and then some modern lenses for a different look and better technical IQ/usability.
nehemiahphoto wrote:
Thank Fred--as you know, I absolutely love the lens. It's frustrating at times, but it's a real winner with loads of character.
I am sure the new 75/1.9 will be comparatively boring for my taste, but a very useful compliment to this lens with high technical IQ, minimal focus shift, high micro contrast, smoother bokeh in most situations, appreciably less LoCAL, great ergonomics and flare resistance with better MFD
I like to have a set of character lenses, and then some modern lenses for a different look and better technical IQ/usability.
What stops me from getting the Sonnetar is the I already own the 75/1.4 Lux and like its character. Although it's a pain to drag it around sometimes!
@fredmiranda The draws are different enough that it’s nice/there’s a reason to own both. And that size of the 75 Lux often prohibited me using it as a daily driver. The 73 is incredibly small, so it’s nearly always with me. A few more, older photos, but don’t think I’ve posted.
I also picked up Sonnetar 73/1.5 on 24th of December on my quest to have a nice coverage of MS-Optics lenses between 28mm and ~75mm. Now I have 28/2-III, 35/1.3, 36/1.3, 50/1.3, 50/3.5, 57/2, 73/1.5 (all are fine copies).
I also have 3 others that have some problems (28/4, 35/3.5, 50/1.5) and I may ask if Miyazaki-san can do something about those later...
The availability of new copies of 73/1.5 is getting lower and used copies e.g. at Map Camera cost more than the official price of new ones so I figured it was time to get one before they run out. I bought the last one that was available at Akihabara's Lemonsha, and it happened to be Silver #36. MKDirect already ran out of 73/1.5 stock and not sure if it's coming back to stock there and I don't see 73 in any of the Tokyo physical stores anymore.
Some of my samples from Christmas and New Year holidays on my A7C (didn't go out from Tokyo but I spent a lot of time walking around and shooting as the weather was pretty nice).
Most of my shots were at wide open or at f5.6 (infinity shots going for corner-to-corner sharpness). My copy has perfect hard infinity with my Rayqual adapter on my A7C out of the box so it's very easy to focus for those infinity type shots (as long as I use this adapter). (Of course this focus calibration could be adjustable to some extent as well with the "SA control" at the bottom of the lens if needed.)
I used CV VM-E close focus adapter II on some of these and my Rayqual non-helicoid adapter on others. It would be nice if this lens focused closer natively.
I'm very happy with this lens although I don't shoot much portraits. It's anyhow quite nice for regular walk-around use as well when a bit longer fl is wanted.
Juha Kannisto wrote:
I'm very happy with this lens although I don't shoot much portraits. It's anyhow quite nice for regular walk-around use as well when a bit longer fl is wanted.
I actually love it for landscapes as it has a softer and perhaps more luminous feeling to it than most lenses you'd think of using for landscape photography. You can see that in nehemiah's landscape photos posted above. It also seems especially appropriate for seascapes:
bjhurley wrote:
I actually love it for landscapes as it has a softer and perhaps more luminous feeling to it than most lenses you'd think of using for landscape photography. You can see that in nehemiah's landscape photos posted above. It also seems especially appropriate for seascapes:
Nice I haven't had a chance to try seascapes or nature landscapes yet but I do like it a lot for cityscapes too and I fully agree about the nice rendering quality for those type of shots.
Fred Miranda wrote:
I really like the painterly rendering Nehemiah. I wonder how the new CV 75/1.9 will compare.
I ordered Sonnetar a couple of weeks ago, (primarily due to this thread & Nehemiah's & BJ's fantastic images) but I kinda wish I had known about the new VM at the time... To at least have a chance to compare. But I am excited about it all the same, I have a more 'clinical' M kit, this should add some pizazz!
helimat wrote:
But I am excited about it all the same, I have a more 'clinical' M kit, this should add some pizazz!
It will certainly do that.
My main caveat is that it can be really hard to focus wide open, no matter where you set the coma adjustment. I've experimented with a range of coma adjustment settings and now simply keep it at the default 3. If I'm having trouble focusing or am getting those wildly shaped out-of-focus highlights I'll bump it up to 1.7 (the unlabeled mark between 1.5 and 2 on the aperture dial).
The other caveat is that mine occasionally just falls apart so I keep a tiny screwdriver in my kit and I finally added a tiny drop of locktite to the screws; since then the lens has stayed together. It never broke into separate pieces but the front portion with the focusing ring would become disengaged from the focusing helicoid so it was impossible to focus. Tightening the screws fixed it.
My main caveat is that it can be really hard to focus wide open, no matter where you set the coma adjustment. I've experimented with a range of coma adjustment settings and now simply keep it at the default 3. If I'm having trouble focusing or am getting those wildly shaped out-of-focus highlights I'll bump it up to 1.7 (the unlabeled mark between 1.5 and 2 on the aperture dial).
The other caveat is that mine occasionally just falls apart so I keep a tiny screwdriver in my kit and I finally added a tiny drop of locktite to the screws; since then the lens has stayed together. It never broke into separate pieces but the front portion with the focusing ring would become disengaged from the focusing helicoid so it was impossible to focus. Tightening the screws fixed it....Show more →
Thanks for the tips! Out of curiosity, which screws in particular are coming loose?
I'm hoping using on a rangefinder (digital & film) will alleviate some of the focusing difficulties, but there's always a chance it will end up on a mirrorless as well, so notes well taken. Plus, as you say there will be those times those wild OOF highlights won't be desirable as well.
helimat wrote:
Thanks for the tips! Out of curiosity, which screws in particular are coming loose?
There's a screw on the aperture dial that occasionally loosens, and then several smaller screws on the focusing helicoid to either side of where the distances are marked. I found most of them would loosen a bit over time with use, so I'm not sure if one in particular was the culprit. Fortunately none of them ever fell out; it would be hard to replace them I think.
On my other MS Optics lens (28/2 Apoqualia) the focusing tab fell off but fortunately it did so in my camera case so I added a bit of loctite to that as well and screwed it back in. Getting replacement parts from Miyazaki is hit-and-miss; my 28/2 came without a hood and I asked if I could get one but they're no longer available for mine (a first-generation 28/2 Apoqualia).
Years ago there was a one-hit wonder rock band called Dream Academy that was famous for its song "Life in a Northern Town." I often think of writing a parody called "Life with a Handmade Lens." It has its moments.
